The best way to encourage sustainability within your church is to have the right processes, systems, and platforms in place within your parish. These provide a strong foundation for everything else you do — helping your church run more smoothly, communicate more effectively, and make better use of time and resources.
Resources for Financial Sustainability
Practical guides, templates, tools and training materials to help manage parish budgets, accounts, and financial reporting responsibly.
Treasurer Toolkit
The annual accounts legal requirements and report generation. A comprehensive document containing information, links and downloads to help all church treasurers with the annual financial cycle.
Treasurer Handover Checklist
A Treasurer Handover Checklist helps ensure a smooth and transparent transition by recording key financial information, account access, and ongoing commitments so that incoming treasurers can confidently continue the parish’s financial stewardship.
Parish Finance Resources
Parish Giving Scheme
The Parish Giving Scheme is a simple, secure, and efficient way for individuals to give regularly to their local church. It helps parishes manage donations more effectively by collecting gifts via Direct Debit, reclaiming Gift Aid automatically, and passing the funds back to the church each month. The scheme supports sustainable giving and reduces administrative work for church treasurers. Parish Giving Scheme also now offers a one-off giving solution, making it the one stop shop for all your parish giving needs.
Contactless and Digital Giving
Contactless and digital giving enable churches to make generosity simple and accessible for everyone. By offering options such as card readers, QR codes, and online donation links, parishes can meet the needs of those who no longer carry cash while encouraging spontaneous and regular giving. These tools help build a culture of generosity, support mission and ministry, and make it easier for visitors and worshippers alike to give in the moment — whether they’re in church or engaging online.
Contactless Rental Scheme
Our Contactless Rental Scheme provides churches with an easy way to accept digital donations using card readers and contactless devices. This flexible, low-cost option helps parishes respond to the growing trend of cashless giving and makes it easier for visitors and congregations to support your church. It’s ideal for services, events, weddings, and community activities — simple to set up and managed locally, with support from the diocesan team.
Resources for Operational Sustainability
These resources provide parishes with practical tools and guidance to strengthen communication, governance, and day-to-day operations, helping churches run efficiently and sustainably.
A Church Near You
A Church Near You (ACNY) is the Church of England’s national directory of churches, helping people easily find local services, events, and activities. Each parish has its own page that can be customised with up-to-date information, images, and links. Keeping your ACNY page current is vital — it’s often the first place visitors look when searching for a church, especially around major seasons like Christmas and Easter, and it’s a powerful tool for welcoming newcomers and sharing your church’s story online. Our team are available to help your parish get started!
Getting Churches Online
Establishing strong digital infrastructure — such as reliable internet, routers, and contactless technology — enables churches to operate more efficiently and engage more effectively with their communities. It supports key systems like digital giving, livestreaming, online administration, and communication tools, helping parishes stay connected and resilient. By investing in the right setup, churches can streamline day-to-day operations, make data sharing and reporting easier, and ensure they are well equipped for mission, outreach, and modern ministry.
Router Rental Scheme
The Router Rental Scheme offers churches temporary internet access to support contactless giving, livestreaming, or event registration when no fixed broadband connection is available. It’s a convenient, affordable way to stay connected for festivals, special services, and outreach events, helping you use digital tools effectively wherever your church is located. As with the contactless rental scheme, it’s simple to set up and manage locally, with support from the diocesan team.
Annual Calendar
Our team have created a calendar that includes all the essential tasks, a brief description of what you need to do and the dates you need to do them. This calendar, easily accessible on our Diocese of Sheffield website, encompasses all functions related to your church buildings, maintenance, parish accounts, and budgeting
Charity Commission Registration Guide
An extensive guide to preparing for and registering for charity commission registration. The guide includes support on registering online, completing each section including governance funding, stakeholders and much more.