Tithing Settlement - Its That time of year

Okay, this is my first time doing tithing settlements and I wanted to get some points how to effectively set this up to maximize the number of participants.

My Bishop wants every Temple Recommend holder to have an appointment and using blocks that are filled so as to not have any gaps of time.

I am all ears to suggestions.

I plan on printing Tithing Settlements and reviewing IOS reports with members as well..

BTW I am the ward clerk, finance clerk and membership clerk all at the same time.

kmalone wrote:Okay, this is my first time doing tithing settlements and I wanted to get some points how to effectively set this up to maximize the number of participants.

My Bishop wants every Temple Recommend holder to have an appointment and using blocks that are filled so as to not have any gaps of time.

I am all ears to suggestions.

I plan on printing Tithing Settlements and reviewing IOS reports with members as well..

BTW I am the ward clerk, finance clerk and membership clerk all at the same time.

I do not understand why you mention temple recommend holders in a post about tithing settlement. Tithing settlement is for everybody, even those who have not contributed.

In all the wards I have been a member tithing settlement has been done by a signup list. The signup sheets were posted on the clerk and/or bishop's door six weeks to two months before the first appointment date. The dates and block times for appointments have been driven by the availability of the bishop. Generally the first few days are filled by signup volunteers quite quickly. Announcements are made from the rostrum and in the bulletins as far out in time as the posting of the signup sheets. It has been a small number of people who for whatever reason do not signup that the executive secretary has to call and get to commit to a date and time. Since the span of time for these settlement interviews normally happen over a period of about two weeks the calls to members do not start until into the second week. Of course reminder calls about the settlement interview are made the day before to ensure everyone is aware of the appointment.

This method may not be the best but I thought I would throw this out to get the ball rolling.

I am sorry you do not have someone called to help you in the clerk responsibilities. For tithing settlement we use two or three people to make things run as smoothly as possible. The executive secretary takes overall lead in managing tithing settlement and is the one who runs the appointments and makes the calls to members. The membership clerk is the one who usually does the back office work like printing IOSs and inputting changes to records. For really heavy days one of the other clerks assist in any area that needs work. This generally involves making calls to members an hour or so before the appointment as the last minute reminder.

Transportation to the settlement is arranged by the elders quorum for those who need assistance.

jdlessley wrote:I do not understand why you mention temple recommend holders in a post about tithing settlement. Tithing settlement is for everybody, even those who have not contributed.

Including children (that are baptized?), but also including less-actives, everyone. The bishop is ultimately reponsible for declaring a tithing status of everyone in his ward. Some bishops declare "Non-Full Tithe Payer" for every individual he doesn't see in an interview; in our ward, our bishop has been known to sit at the computer on Dec. 31st and prayerfull consider what should be declared for every member he didn't interview.

jdlessley wrote:In all the wards I have been a member tithing settlement has been done by a signup list. The signup sheets were posted on the clerk and/or bishop's door six weeks to two months before the first appointment date. The dates and block times for appointments have been driven by the availability of the bishop. Generally the first few days are filled by signup volunteers quite quickly. Announcements are made from the rostrum and in the bulletins as far out in time as the posting of the signup sheets...

This is how I have seen it done in every ward I have been in as well.

jdlessley wrote:I am sorry you do not have someone called to help you in the clerk responsibilities.

Man, me too. I am thinking you are gonna wish you had help. I would watch the training on Tithing Settlement located here:

http://www.lds.org/pa/e-learn/mp/tithin ... /index.htm

You may want to approach the bishop and see if there is need to call an assistant clerk. Only a suggestion though.

If you haven't already, do yourself a huge favor and click HERE, then scroll down and start the lesson called "Tithing Settlement". It contains invaluable information on the entire process (which begins Nov 1st, BTW. ).

EDIT: Oops, I see Mike beat me to the training link.

Mikerowaved wrote:EDIT: Oops, I see Mike beat me to the training link.

Yes, but you give a link to all training videos, which may be better.

Mikerowaved wrote:...(which begins Nov 1st, BTW. ).

Where is this information found? My bishop is under the impression that we can't do anything until we get a letter from the First Presidency stating which date we can start interviewing on.

mkmurray wrote:Where is this information found? My bishop is under the impression that we can't do anything until we get a letter from the First Presidency stating which date we can start interviewing on.

It was November 15th last year, I think. Haven't seen anything different for this year, but if there is going to be a letter, it should show up at any moment now. [grin]

In most wards where I have lived, the signup on the door to the clerks office was the method. In one ward, though, the elders quorum president and the high priests group leaders were given blocks of time and asked to see that the members of their quorums and the families for which they were responsible got to tithing settlement.

The president and group leader fed names and times within the assigned block to the executive secretary, and then the finance clerk and membership clerk worked their paperwork magic and the bishop conducted tithing settlement.

mkmurray wrote:Where is this information found?

In the training video. :p

mkmurray wrote:My bishop is under the impression that we can't do anything until we get a letter from the First Presidency stating which date we can start interviewing on.

I'm not referring to the interview process. I'm talking about the finance clerk preparing and sending out the YTD statements to donors. This should be done on or around the first part of November.

lajackson wrote:In most wards where I have lived, the sign up on the door to the clerks office was the method.

Personally, if you are wanting to get more members to participate, you have to be proactive and ask them to sign up, rather than allowing them to voluntarily go and put their name on a sign up sheet. I have seen much better success when people are contacted personally by phone or in person and asked what time would work best for them. I did that as an Executive Secretary and the results were amazing! We had several less active members that came to talk to the Bishop.

It also makes it easier on the Bishop to not have to seek divine guidance to know what member is a full tithe payer and who is not. I think each member has the responsibility to claim their status to the Bishop. As clerks and executive secretaries, we can make the Bishop's burden lighter by inviting members directly to participate rather than indirectly having them sign up and hope we get all to volunteer.

My two cents.

opee wrote:Personally, if you are wanting to get more members to participate, you have to be proactive and ask them to sign up, rather than allowing them to voluntarily go and put their name on a sign up sheet. I have seen much better success when people are contacted personally by phone or in person and asked what time would work best for them. I did that as an Executive Secretary and the results were amazing! We had several less active members that came to talk to the Bishop.

It also makes it easier on the Bishop to not have to seek divine guidance to know what member is a full tithe payer and who is not. I think each member has the responsibility to claim their status to the Bishop. As clerks and executive secretaries, we can make the Bishop's burden lighter by inviting members directly to participate rather than indirectly having them sign up and hope we get all to volunteer.

My two cents.

Most definitely. We hope to do the signup method for the convenience of those that are already going to come to tithing settlement without much prodding. The phone calls will be our follow-up method to get the rest.

jdlessley wrote:I do not understand why you mention temple recommend holders in a post about tithing settlement. Tithing settlement is for everybody, even those who have not contributed.

In all the wards I have been a member tithing settlement has been done by a signup list. The signup sheets were posted on the clerk and/or bishop's door six weeks to two months before the first appointment date. The dates and block times for appointments have been driven by the availability of the bishop. Generally the first few days are filled by signup volunteers quite quickly. Announcements are made from the rostrum and in the bulletins as far out in time as the posting of the signup sheets. It has been a small number of people who for whatever reason do not signup that the executive secretary has to call and get to commit to a date and time. Since the span of time for these settlement interviews normally happen over a period of about two weeks the calls to members do not start until into the second week. Of course reminder calls about the settlement interview are made the day before to ensure everyone is aware of the appointment.

This method may not be the best but I thought I would throw this out to get the ball rolling.

I am sorry you do not have someone called to help you in the clerk responsibilities. For tithing settlement we use two or three people to make things run as smoothly as possible. The executive secretary takes overall lead in managing tithing settlement and is the one who runs the appointments and makes the calls to members. The membership clerk is the one who usually does the back office work like printing IOSs and inputting changes to records. For really heavy days one of the other clerks assist in any area that needs work. This generally involves making calls to members an hour or so before the appointment as the last minute reminder.

Transportation to the settlement is arranged by the elders quorum for those who need assistance.

I mention Temple Recommend holders becuase the Bishop wants extra emphasis to ensure the these individuals attend settlement.

lajackson wrote:In most wards where I have lived, the signup on the door to the clerks office was the method. In one ward, though,

I failed to mention that in the one ward where the president and group leader invited everyone to tithing settlement, signup sheets never appeared on the clerks office door.

lajackson wrote:It was November 15th last year, I think. Haven't seen anything different for this year, but if there is going to be a letter, it should show up at any moment now.

Is this a new process in that bishops receive a letter stating when interviews can start?

When I was the clerk in an English ward in a foreign country a few years back, we started as early as the end of Oct. With so many families out of the country for the last half of Dec (the bishop included), this was the only way we could fit everyone in (fortunately, it wasn't a large ward).

Greggo wrote:Is this a new process in that bishops receive a letter stating when interviews can start?

When I was the clerk in an English ward in a foreign country a few years back, we started as early as the end of Oct. With so many families out of the country for the last half of Dec (the bishop included), this was the only way we could fit everyone in (fortunately, it wasn't a large ward).

No, it's not a new process. It has has been happening for many, many years. A letter comes out sometime in October detailing all the deadlines: when to send out donor statements, when Titithing Settlement starts, when it ends, when the Tithing Declaration report is due, when Tax statements need to be delivered.

According to the Clerk's Calendar, Tithing Settlement starts on Nov 14th and ends on Dec 30th.

Greggo wrote:Is this a new process in that bishops receive a letter stating when interviews can start?

The Handbook used to say the tithing settlement (the actual visit with the bishop and member) was to be conducted in December. In recent years, bishops have been authorized to start the interviews November 15th.

So, the formal tithing settlement interview that used to be held in December may now be held from November 15th through December 31st.

In reality, a bishop wants to visit with all of his members, and will usually do what it takes to accomplish that, as long as the members are willing and cooperative. If a member was going to be gone for the entire month of December, if he came up to me in late November or the first week in January and told me he was a full tithepayer, I never had any trouble recording that on the annual tithing report as member-declared, even though we had not conducted a formal interview in December.

Alan_Brown wrote:No, it's not a new process. It has has been happening for many, many years. A letter comes out sometime in October detailing all the deadlines: when to send out donor statements, when Titithing Settlement starts, when it ends, when the Tithing Declaration report is due, when Tax statements need to be delivered.

Wow! This is the first I have ever heard of such a letter and authorization from the First Presidency. And I've been in clerking for several years in addition to being in several bishoprics. As a clerk it seems like Tithing Settlement started when I reminded the bishop that it was probably about time to start getting things in place for it, again.

kmalone wrote:I am all ears to suggestions.

I hope you were prepared for an earful.

I would usually print-out the donor statements and hand them out personally to the members, telling them to 1) compare the statement with their records, 2) make me aware of any discrepancies, 3) sign up for tithing settlement, and 4) bring that printout with them to tithing settlement. If they forgot #4, I would simply reprint it for them when they showed up for their tithing settlement appointment.

I assume one could do something similar with the IOS's, but that seems like a lot of extra paper to shred if you can't hand deliver them. Instead, I wait for them to actually show up for tithing settlement, print out the IOS's, and then have them review them while they were waiting for their turn to see the bishop.

I also printed out one copy of the Enter Tithing Declarations report (Finances > Tithing Settlement > Enter Tithing Declarations > Print) for the bishop to use, mark-up, and keep track of, throughout the tithing settlement process, since this is really the only paperwork he needs. Then when all is said and done, he would bring his marked up copy and sit next to me at the computer and tell me what to enter into MLS for each person on the report. This process was much simpler that what they where doing before I became a ward clerk, and it makes the bishop's job much easier because he has fewer papers to shuffle throughout the process.

jbh001 wrote:Wow! This is the first I have ever heard of such a letter and authorization from the First Presidency. And I've been in clerking for several years in addition to being in several bishoprics. As a clerk it seems like Tithing Settlement started when I reminded the bishop that it was probably about time to start getting things in place for it, again.

The last one was dated 5 Oct 2007, and I know I've seen many of them over the years. They are sent to both bishops and stake presidents.

The dates were:

On or after 15 Nov 2007: Begin tithing settlement
31 Dec 2007: End tithing settlement
1 Jan through 31 Jan 2008: Bishop sends Tithing Declaration Report
1 Jan through 31 Jan 2008: Ward clerk transmistsTithing Declaration Report
One week before TS begins: clerk distributes Donation Summaries

Interestingly, they didn't mention the Tax statements (although other communications did).

jbh001 wrote:4) bring that printout with them to tithing settlement. If they forgot #4, I would simply reprint it for them when they showed up for their tithing settlement appointment.

For step 4, you should always print out the Tithing Settlement statement for either the individual, or family, as needed, for them to bring into the Bishop's interview.

kmalone wrote:Okay, this is my first time doing tithing settlements and I wanted to get some points how to effectively set this up to maximize the number of participants.

I plan on printing Tithing Settlements and reviewing IOS reports with members as well..
.

Members of the ward are to have the opportunity to receive and review their IOS. It is a common practice to do this in conjunction with tithing settlement. Unfortunately a relatively small percentage of members actually come to tithing settlement.

In wards where I have been the membership clerk I have taken a different approach. When new families come into the ward I provide copies of the IOS and ask the family to review and identify errors and omissions. After corrections are made I provide a corrected copy of the IOS to the family. During the year if changes occur due to births or ordinances the information is updated and new copies are again given to the member. If a family is not active the IOS is mailed to them. During the year I audit membership records and eventually all members will have received their IOS.

It may seem time consuming but I believe it is a more thorough method of providing the information to which members are entitled. It also simplifies tithing settlement in that tithing and finances are the only issue of concern for the Bishop and clerk.

znauga

I served in a Bishopric years ago when the membership duties were entirely on cards and not on a computer. We used a few minutes in advance of Tithing Settlement to have each member review their membership records to be sure that all ordinances, mailing address, phone, etc, were correct.

With the MLS this year I'd make the suggestion that it would be a great time to remind the member about the lds.org web site (LUWS) and if they're not already signed up, encourage them to consider it. It they are signed up, remind them to verify their Email address. This can go a long ways in eliminating some of the Email bounces that we see when a Email broadcast is sent around.

You don't have very long so some preparation will need to be done in advance. Perhaps a small hand-out for each member telling them about the LUWS and asking that they check it frequently. A copy of their membership record will need to be either printed or else displayed for them to check while they're in the clerk's office. A printed copy would be better as you can make corrections on it then update MLS later.

Techgy wrote:A copy of their membership record will need to be either printed or else displayed for them to check while they're in the clerk's office. A printed copy would be better as you can make corrections on it then update MLS later.

The Individual Ordinance Summary should be used for this purpose, rather than the membership record, which is only for bishop and clerk use.

The way we distribute the IOS forms throughout the ward is slightly different. I include it with the YTD summary which is distributed in the first part of November. Included are one of two letters from the Bishop, depending on whether they made any contributions or not. They are similar letters, just worded slightly different. Both letters invite the member to participate in tithing settlement and have brief instructions on how to register to use the LUWS.

The advantage of this is 100% of the membership will get some kind of an envelope (avoiding undo embarrassment) and can all review their IOS. We distribute as many as we can by hand before Sacrament Meeting and between other meetings, then mail the rest.

Alan_Brown wrote:The last one was dated 5 Oct 2007, and I know I've seen many of them over the years. They are sent to both bishops and stake presidents.

The dates were:

On or after 15 Nov 2007: Begin tithing settlement
31 Dec 2007: End tithing settlement
1 Jan through 31 Jan 2008: Bishop sends Tithing Declaration Report
1 Jan through 31 Jan 2008: Ward clerk transmistsTithing Declaration Report
One week before TS begins: clerk distributes Donation Summaries

Interestingly, they didn't mention the Tax statements (although other communications did).

The Tithing Settlement letter for this year is dated 15 October 2008; as usual, it has been sent to bishops and stake presidents (and branch, mission, and district presidents). It is very similar to last year's letter, so it matches the dates that I posted above (one year later, of course).

The letter also recommends a review of the Tithing Settlement training lesson available through the MLS help menu or at lds.org under Serving in the Church.

I am the financial clerk in our ward (this is my first time being a clerk, and I've only had the calling for a couple of months now), so I'm still learning, and have a long way to go.

Do the YTD Donation summaries need to go to all the members, even the less active ones ( I assume so, but want to be sure)?

drp wrote:I am the financial clerk in our ward (this is my first time being a clerk, and I've only had the calling for a couple of months now), so I'm still learning, and have a long way to go.

Do the YTD Donation summaries need to go to all the members, even the less active ones ( I assume so, but want to be sure)?

The lesson on Tithing Settlement I mentioned a couple of posts ago says "Before tithing settlement begins, the clerk should do two things. First, he prints and distributes a Tithing and Other Offerings Statement for each donor.... "

Note that it says "each" donor, so that seems pretty clear that if they have made a donation, they should get a statement. The statement talks about "donors" not "members" so I don't see any reason to send a blank statement to a member who made no donation unless you have reason to believe that it is likely they will make a donation in the year.

Also, the 15 October 2008 letter regarding "Dates for Tithing Settlement and Annual Tithing Reports" says:

At least one week before tithing settlement begins, clerks should print out Year-to-Date Donation Summaries. Clerks should deliver the statements to donors. Donors should be encouraged to compare this statement with their own records and report differences to the bishop. Needed corrections may be made before tithing settlement.

drp wrote:I am the financial clerk in our ward (this is my first time being a clerk, and I've only had the calling for a couple of months now), so I'm still learning, and have a long way to go.

LOL! When I took over as finance clerk a number of years ago, it was just before tithing settlement also. What a way to get quickly immersed in your calling!

Alan speaks to truth about the training videos. They are a wonderful resource. I still like to review them now and again as there is so much good information there and it's hard to remember it all. You'll find this forum can also be a great resource for information about your calling. I sure have.

Mike

I'll echo Alan's response. Only send the donor statements to those who have donated. Sending donor statements to every member who is listed in the ward membership is wasteful. For some it might be a gentle reminder but for other it may be just something immediately sent to the round file. (Got that from the bishop as explained below)!

I was made a ward clerk shortly after I moved to our new home. My first tithing settlement was a real learning experience. I faithfully printed out donor sheets for every member and made out envelopes for all. I had them all ready to send out when I got to thinking "what would a member who never donates, or is totally inactive want with a blank slip"? I asked the bishop prior to sending out all the donor sheets and he said to just send them to those who had donated. I wish I would have asked before hand as I wasted a lot of paper and envelopes that could have been used for a better purpose.

I think Alan has the right "interpretation" of the intention in the directions sent out by headquarters. At least that's my two cents worth.

Jim

Since I haven't done this before, can I print just those who donated from MLS? Sorry i don't have internet access at the ward house.

kmalone wrote:Since I haven't done this before, can I print just those who donated from MLS? Sorry i don't have internet access at the ward house.

Yes. MLS will give you the option to print only those who have donated.

Does the tithing Declaration need to be filled out after all interviews or can it be filled out as the interviews are completed by the Bishop? (i.e. can it be filled out incrementally and saved?) Thank you.

cdawardclerk

cdawardclerk wrote:Does the tithing Declaration need to be filled out after all interviews or can it be filled out as the interviews are completed by the Bishop? (i.e. can it be filled out incrementally and saved?) Thank you.

cdawardclerk

Here's the official statement regarding the annual tithing declaration report.
Click HERE.

Welcome to the forum, cdawardclerk! As the link Techgy pointed out, it can be done either during or after, and yes, MLS can save a partial version to be completed later.

Another great source of information are the training videos found on THIS page. For this question, under "Keeping Financial Records", click on "Tithing Settlement".

Mike

Thank you very much! This answers my question and then some. This is my second year doing this...last year as Finance Clerk I printed and handed out IOSs and Tithing statements but the Ward Clerk did the Tithing Declaration with the Bishop. This year my new calling is ward clerk and I will be expected to administer and complete the Tithing Declaration so I appreciate the help. Thanks.

cdawardclerk

Yes, the training videos are a great help and I review them every few months. Thanks.

Mikerowaved wrote:...Included are one of two letters from the Bishop, depending on whether they made any contributions or not. They are similar letters, just worded slightly different. Both letters invite the member to participate in tithing settlement and have brief instructions on how to register to use the LUWS.

The advantage of this is 100% of the membership will get some kind of an envelope (avoiding undo embarrassment) and can all review their IOS. We distribute as many as we can by hand before Sacrament Meeting and between other meetings, then mail the rest.

Could you post copies of these letters, removing any personal references or details, of course, for us who would like do do something similar?

kisaac wrote:Could you post copies of these letters, removing any personal references or details, of course, for us who would like do do something similar?

No problem. Here are some sanitized versions. Note, the document was created to mail-merge the full names, preferred names, and addresses from an exported ward list.

Mikerowaved wrote:No problem. Here are some sanitized versions. Note, the document was created to mail-merge the full names, preferred names, and addresses from an exported ward list.

Thank you!

can I just say that as a bishop - having a fully functional clerk & exec sec is the only way it can be truly effective. If not - you're left, like me - trying to encourage as many as possible to sign up, but knowing deep down that I'll be declaring a large number of people myself, as they haven't presented themselves for declaration.

I think it's a bit unfair to declare any non attendees as non-full tithe payers - however tempting…

Mikerowaved wrote:No problem. Here are some sanitized versions. Note, the document was created to mail-merge the full names, preferred names, and addresses from an exported ward list.

Your only problem with the letter is that you are no longer allowed to "post a list" for members to sign up for Tithing Settlement.

jwnice wrote:Your only problem with the letter is that you are no longer allowed to "post a list" for members to sign up for Tithing Settlement.

This is new. I have not heard of this. Could you provide a documented reference from a proper authority? Since our entire stake is posting tithing settlement signups maybe this official notice has not been properly distributed. Or perhaps this is just a local thing in your area or stake.

jwnice wrote:Your only problem with the letter is that you are no longer allowed to "post a list" for members to sign up for Tithing Settlement.

It's not clear to me what you are saying, or who you are responding to. Are you saying that wards are not permitted to post a paper with a set of time slots so that people can reserve a time for tithing settlement? I have not heard of any prohibition on that common practice. What is the source for that statement?

Too late! Our tithing settlement is over and the bishop used lists on his door, just like always.

there are absolutely NO instructions to bishops NOT to put lists on doors. nonsense.

We have finished tithing settlement. The Stake Clerk says I need a tithing batch summary with our declaration report, for the Stake President. I cannot find it in MLS. Can anyone help me.....

sportstats wrote:We have finished tithing settlement. The Stake Clerk says I need a tithing batch summary with our declaration report, for the Stake President. I cannot find it in MLS. Can anyone help me.....

The Dates for Tithing Settlement and Annual Tithing Reports letter received in October explains how to do this, as does the Annual financial reporting wiki article.

It's not in the most straightforward place, but all you have to do is to go to the View/Update donations screen and click the Print button.

Thank you, that is why I love these forums, I am able to get an answer and I do not feel stupid for asking.

This year was my 2nd tithing settlement as Executive Secretary in our ward, and I was bound and determined to make this year's tithing settlement better than last year's mess. I felt like we had an incredibly successful tithing settlement this year, and wanted to share some of the things we did that contributed to that success. I hope it helps any new Exec Secs in the future.

1. We started tithing settlement on the FIRST sunday possible.
2. My bishop told me he could do 10 minute appointments. Knowing my bishop, I scheduled 15 minute appointments, and he ran on time!
3. We did NOT post sign ups. I created a schedule based on the following principles:
   
   a) recent converts, people with mobility problems, people who rely on others for transportation, and other special considerations got the "prime" slots right after church (12:15 - 1:30)
   
   b) singles, older couples, and people without small children got the time slots from 1:30 - 2:30. They don't mind hanging around in the foyer or in their car after church. Since we live 30 min from our building, it doesn't make sense to ask people to go and come back within this window of time.
   
   c) all other families from about 2:30 - 5:30.
   
   d) Not posting a list avoided the 'mad dash' for the list each week to get the 12:15 time slot. What I found last year was that people would look to see that first hour filled up, and then wait for the next list. People had little consideration for others when it comes to a sign up, including the Bishop, often scheduled large gaps. This went on until the last week of Tithing Settlement which would overflow with everyone who had procrastinated. Setting up appointments put everyone in the *right* place and decreased frustration overall because I didn't need to bump people to let other people go in front of them.
4. I contacted each family in the ward and set up the time I had scheduled. If they could not come at that time, I immediately pinned them down on the next week. I did not shceudle more than 2 weeks out on my private schedule, though I had all of the member's appointments 'penciled' in for the duration of tithing settlement. Our sacrament meeting attendance is about 230, so it's not a tiny ward, either, but this made all the difference.
5. I mailed or emailed them a reminder about their appointment during the week which included their donations summary to review BEFORE this tithing settlement.
6. I knew (from last year) which members in our ward were sensitive to the timing of their declaration, and scheduled accordingly. I've found that some members really want to pay all their tithing before they declare, while others know they can declare tithing before paying all of their tithing.

Following this methodology, we were able to get all our TS for members who had contributed done by the 2nd week in December. This left valuable time for us with our families around the holidays, as well as gave us more opportunity to reach out to less actives and non-contributors who balk at at "tithing settlement" interview (why would you want to meet with me when I don't pay any tithing to your church), but who don't mind a year-end chat with the Bishop. Along these lines, though the training states that a tithing settlement appointment should be made with every family, I'd really discourage Exec Secs and Bishops from cold calling less-active members (especially ones they don't know well) to schedule a "Tithing Settlement" interview. Likely, this is the only contact from the church they've had in the year, and if it's perceived to be a year-end shakedown for money, it will be a negative experience for both of you. Focusing our efforts for "Tithing Settlement" on those who have contributed throughout the year, then leaves the extra time for reaching out to less actives to make sure they had what they needed for the holiday season and inviting them to Sunday services during the month of December.

mkmurray wrote:My bishop is under the impression that we can't do anything until we get a letter from the First Presidency stating which date we can start interviewing on.

The dates to start interviewing for tithing settlement are the same every year: on or after November 15 and ends on or before the 31st. This is stated in the online training for Tithing Settlement. I wouldn't wait for a letter because you may not get one. If the above dates change then you will most definately receive an email through MLS.