Fast offerings from full-time missionaries

A full-time missionary serving in our ward desires to make a fast offering contribution. Our Biship could not find anything on point in the handbook. Question: what is the policy regarding such a contribution?

Thanks.

I don't understand the issue.

stmana wrote:A full-time missionary serving in our ward desires to make a fast offering contribution. Our Biship could not find anything on point in the handbook. Question: what is the policy regarding such a contribution?

Any person, member of the ward or not, can make fast offering donations. It's entirely appropriate for a missionary to make a fast offering donation. The ward would receipt it just like any other donation from a person who is not a member of the ward.

Missionaries are also instructed to pay fast offerings, unlike tithing, in the ward where they are currently serving. So the missionary is paying the fast offering in the ward he is instructed to pay as well.

Alan_Brown wrote:Any person, member of the ward or not, can make fast offering donations. It's entirely appropriate for a missionary to make a fast offering donation. The ward would receipt it just like any other donation from a person who is not a member of the ward.

For an actual handbook reference, see Book 1 (2006), p. 99: "Missionaries pay fast offerings through the ward in which they are serving."

We used to get a chuckle out of this when I served in a mission presidency - the white missionary handbook instructs missionaries to donate fast offerings regularly, and from time to time we would get similar queries where the ward had no idea what to do with it! (In other words, most missionaries don't donate to fast offering!)

But what has been posted is correct - anyone can walk in off the street and donate money to any fund. You just create a new donor, and away you go. For example, my parents aren't members, but help pay for my kids' missions, and our clerks don't have any problem with that...

A bit off topic - but related.

When it comes time to print out tax statements for the missionaries who donated to FO, I would not bother trying to track them down.

bcpalmer60 wrote:anyone can walk in off the street and donate money to any fund. You just create a new donor, and away you go.

To prevent the build-up of too many donors named Elder Smith, Elder Johnson, Elder Smoot, etc., I finally created a donor named "Full-Time Missionaries" to funnel these donations to.

jbh001 wrote:I finally created a donor named "Full-Time Missionaries" to funnel these donations to.

Just as long as you're never asked what one particular Elder donated. While it does keep things clean, a part of me cringes at the idea of lumping donors that way.

RussellHltn wrote:Just as long as you're never asked what one particular Elder donated. While it does keep things clean, a part of me cringes at the idea of lumping donors that way.

I have to agree. It's definitely contrary to policy, even if it might not matter to the missionaries in your area. It is conceivable (although admittedly unlikely) that a missionary would actually want a tax-valid statement at the end of the year. If you lump donors together, you will have no way of providing this statement (which by Church policy and U.S. law you are required to supply upon request).

Based on other posts, it doesn't seem like the volume of missionary donations would be that big of a burden. Perhaps your area has missionaries who are particularly faithful in donating fast offerings, which would be a good problem to have!

Greggo wrote:When it comes time to print out tax statements for the missionaries who donated to FO, I would not bother trying to track them down.

Did I miss something? What's so difficult about getting their home address entered into the donor database and mailing their donation statement to them at the end of the year?

Alan_Brown wrote:It is conceivable (although admittedly unlikely) that a missionary would actually want a tax-valid statement at the end of the year.

Here's a scenario: The missionary has some investments that earns taxable income during the year. Not common, but not twilight zone either. Given that he's a missionary, I'm not sure as he'd be able to declare himself as a dependent. So he'd need all the deductions he can get.

So while it looks good, I think it has the potential to turn around and bite a clerk or his successor in the rear.

Mikerowaved wrote:Did I miss something? What's so difficult about getting their home address entered into the donor database and mailing their donation statement to them at the end of the year?

It shouldn't be difficult. Especially since any missionary who wants a tax-valid statement would most likely take extra care to enter a correct home address on any donation slip.

RussellHltn wrote:Here's a scenario: The missionary has some investments that earns taxable income during the year. Not common, but not twilight zone either. Given that he's a missionary, I'm not sure as he'd be able to declare himself as a dependent. So he'd need all the deductions he can get.

That's one example of why I said it was conceivable that a missionary would need the tax-valid statement. We've had at least one missionary serve from our stake who was in his upper 20s and well established with his own business. He might well have needed deductions.

The bottom line is that the policies are in place for good reasons. Following them helps clerks to serve the donors better and avoid any audit problems.

Mikerowaved wrote:Did I miss something? What's so difficult about getting their home address entered into the donor database and mailing their donation statement to them at the end of the year?

Many missionaries do not have a stable home address ---- how many fast offerings have you seen that even have an address filled out?

I bundled up the no-address missionary receipts and sent them to the Mission Office. They at least have a built-in system to keep contact (and home) info current.

elderj1 wrote:Many missionaries do not have a stable home address ---- how many fast offerings have you seen that even have an address filled out?

I was suggesting giving them a quick call or something if their home info was not filled out, so the donor database would have it at the end of the year. It's true that parents sometimes move, but if the Post Office can't forward it, I'll just get it back and store it.

elderj1 wrote:I bundled up the no-address missionary receipts and sent them to the Mission Office. They at least have a built-in system to keep contact (and home) info current.

Hadn't thought of that. Good suggestion.

If you're worried about the build up of multiple 'Elder X' donor entries in the system, you can always hide the donor. In the Finance menu, click on "Add/Update Donors", find the missionaries, and mark them as "Hidden." Their tax valid information will print out as usual, you just won't see them in the active donor list when you enter donations.

jbh001 wrote:To prevent the build-up of too many donors named Elder Smith, Elder Johnson, Elder Smoot, etc., I finally created a donor named "Full-Time Missionaries" to funnel these donations to.

Here in Italy we use just one donor (MISSIONARI) for all missionaries.
Because in Italy there's no way to detract benefical donations to the Church, we have no problems.

That's the same to Brazil. We use only "Missionários" or "Élderes" to missionary donations, to don't create 5 years records to each missionary that donate funds to our wards...

As a missionary, can I pay fast offerings online to the ward I'm currently serving in?

westste014 wrote: Sat Jan 31, 2026 12:12 pm As a missionary, can I pay fast offerings online to the ward I'm currently serving in?

No. There is no way to designate an online donation to a ward other than the ward in which the missionary record is in (home unit) with the exception of donations for serving missionary categories.

If the intent is to provide fast offering assistance for members of the ward you are serving in, then the attempt to accomplish that is not necessary. All fast offering donations are swept from units and not retained by the unit. The Church provides the necessary funds for fast offering assistance in a unit without regard to fast offering contributions made from within the unit.

The missionary handbook states "Your budget for missionary support funds might include: … Modest fast offerings paid to the ward or branch where you are serving." (4.8.1. Missionary Support Funds). This is also mentioned on this page: Missionary Support Cards—Instructions for Mission Financial Secretaries. I suspect that the intent is to follow that guidance, but it does cause difficulty for both the missionary and the clerk. It might be worth bringing up to your mission leaders to see if they can recommend to the missionary department that the policy be updated.

I wouldn't think there is any way for a missionary to pay fast offerings online with their support funds since it has to use direct withdrawal from a bank account. If they want to do it online they would have to use their personal bank account and personal funds. In that case the handbook statement doesn't apply since it's not support funds.

To pay with their support funds they would need to get cash from their card (or whatever the local support method is) and use a physical donation envelope. I assume that's why it says to pay to the local ward or branch. Paying to your home ward or branch would require mailing the donation.