Giving Philosophy
What are Crossroads basic beliefs about money?
God owns everything. God created the Earth and everything in it, including us (Gen 1), and therefore everything is his. This eternal truth must drive how we approach every aspect of our lives, including finances. We strive to use what God has given us in ways that honor him, trusting that when we do so our lives will work better because we are operating more in line with how we were created.
As a church community, we seek to maximize the return on the investment that God makes in Crossroads through giving. We quickly deploy resources as effectively as possible. We don’t save what God expects to be used to serve people. We trust Jesus when he teaches in the parable of the talents (found in Matt 25:14-30) that God expects a good return and that those who provide a good return will be entrusted with more.
Where does Crossroads get its money?
Crossroads is 100% funded by people in our community who regularly give because their faith propels them to support the mission of their local church community. Crossroads is not funded by corporate interests, does not have an endowment, and does not have a handful of uber-wealthy individuals who pay the majority of the bills (though that would be great). The bills get paid, and lives get changed, because people who call Crossroads their home church, regardless of income level, follow the promptings of God to give to support the work.
Is the tithe based on my net or gross income?
The tithe is established in the Old Testament (Gen 14:20, Gen 28:20-22, Deut 26:1-2, 2 Chron 31:4-5), and is reaffirmed by Jesus (Luke 11:42). Tithing means giving the first 10% of your gross income to your local church. Why gross income? Because the principle of the tithe is that the first and best 10% of your income goes to God. In ancient times that may have been in the form of crops or livestock. Today that comes in the form of money. Giving off of net means the government is getting your first, not God. Further, those who tithe understand that God blesses the tithe, and quite honestly, we’d rather see God bless our gross income instead of settling for him blessing our net.
Does my giving really matter, don’t you get enough from big donors?
Crossroads runs on giving from everyday people, not from large million dollar gifts. Unlike many large churches, the majority of our funding is from the average person giving from their regular paychecks. There aren’t a bunch of rich uncles funding Crossroads. Every dollar counts here. All of the giving adds up and we can’t do this without it.
General Questions
Does Crossroads have high accounting standards?
Yes. We have an annual external audit by an independent CPA firm. You can find a copy of the audited financial statements below.
2016 Audit
2017 Audit
2018 Audit
2019 Audit
2020 Audit
2021 Audit
Are my donations tax-deductible?
Generally. Crossroads is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and all donations that we receive are tax-deductible. However, you should consult with your tax advisor to see if you can deduct your donations. You will receive a receipt of your gift either by email or by postal mail.
How does your budgeting process work?
Each ministry considers what their ministry goals and objectives are for the year. Corresponding costs are then determined. The appropriate staff contacts review and approve, and may recommend changes based on the overall vision for the church. The final step is approval by the Board of Spiritual Directors.
How much debt does Crossroads have?
Crossroads currently has just over $40 million in debt. That debt was acquired during the land acquisition and construction of our various properties. That level of debt is reasonable compared to other churches and corporations of our size. Having said that, we started in 2018 to more aggressively pay off our debt. We currently have plans to pay that debt down by $4-6 million per year.
Can I see the church’s financial statements?
Yes, you can find our audited financial statements below.
2016 Audit
2017 Audit
2018 Audit
2019 Audit
2020 Audit
2021 Audit
How much does Brian Tome make and can I find out individual staff salaries?
No. We find that the release of this kind of personal financial information can lead to comparison and discontentment amongst staff members and in the community at large. It fosters an environment of value assessments on whether or not a staff member should get what they are being paid, without being privy to the most recent performance review and other factors that contribute to setting a salary. We believe in trusting those in leadership who are making financial decisions, specifically our Board of Spiritual Directors.
What principles are used in setting salaries?
We use several criteria, including surveys of similar churches across the country to see what a similar position pays, the standard of living in Cincinnati, the individual’s performance against stated goals and objectives and overall faithfulness and fruitfulness of the staff member.
Why does Crossroads give things away?
Crossroads is not a capital endeavor. We are a church that wants to build into people. If our people need something like a Bible, coffee, curriculum, etc. we want them to have it.
What happens with yearly left-over money?
The leftover money is put back into the ministry budget fund for the following year.
If I give, can I determine where my money gets spent at Crossroads? Can I make sure all of my money goes towards the mission in India?
All giving goes into one bucket and is divided among the various ministries each budget year. By giving to an individual’s GO Trip, you’re directly giving to that specific mission.
Confidentiality & Security
Is giving on the site safe? Is your site secure?
Absolutely. Our site uses industry-standard SSL technology to ensure that the information you enter is kept secure from prying eyes. In addition, all sensitive information that we keep in our database is stored in encrypted form so that it is not human-readable.
Will I get spam by giving you my information?
While we may occasionally use your information to contact you, Crossroads does not buy, sell, barter, trade or otherwise distribute your information to any organization other than for the purposes you’ve given us permission to do (i.e. we have to tell the credit card company your name in order to charge your credit card).
How does Crossroads protect financial data?
Crossroads views your financial information as worthy of top-notch security and we take many steps to protect this information. We start by choosing an industry-recognized payment processor who processes all of our financial transactions. Our processor maintains PCI Service Provider Level 1 status in accordance with PCI Data Security Standards v3.2. It also complies with NACHA Rules, which specify that we cannot allow ACH payments to be processed unless they have been authorized by the owner of the bank account.
Crossroads does not store nor transmit any of your payment information through our servers nor store it in our database. Even though you may enter financial information on crossroads.net, we neither store nor transmit any Credit Card or Bank account/routing information. All Card information is processed solely by the aforementioned third party processor. Since we do not store or transmit Card/Bank data, we are not required to hold PCI compliance. However, we value secure systems and have chosen to put security procedures in place to increase the security of crossroads.net and our community member’s data. We work with a PCI Approved Scanning Vendor (ASV) to regularly scan our systems and are made aware of any security vulnerabilities. We welcome suggestions on how we can improve the security of our systems as well as improve the user experience of crossroads.net. Email support@crossroads.net
Stock Transfer
I don’t use a broker. I have my own stock certificates. Can I still donate stock to Crossroads?
There are special forms and procedures involved for transferring paper stock certificates. Please contact the finance department at giving@crossroads.net to start this process or to get more information.
I have a mutual fund. How can I give shares from that?
There are special forms and procedures unique to each mutual fund company. Please contact finance at giving@crossroads.net to discuss the specific procedures for your shares.
I need to better understand how a stock gift affects my taxes.
Crossroads does not provide legal or financial advice. For the details about a specific gift in the context of your unique financial situation, contact your attorney, accountant or financial planner. In general, gifts of appreciated securities held long term are one of the best ways to maximize the value of a gift and minimize the after-tax cost. Donors of appreciated stock receive a tax deduction for the full, fair-market value of the stock on the date of gift and pay no capital gain tax on the appreciation.
I have a loss on some stock and want to sell it. Does it make sense to give it to Crossroads instead?
Crossroads does not provide legal or financial advice. For the details about a specific gift in the context of your unique financial situation, contact your attorney, accountant or financial planner.
What does Crossroads do with the stock?
Crossroads instructs its broker to immediately sell the shares and transfer the proceeds to Crossroads.
Personal Finances
We do not provide investment advice or recommendations. We do offer FreedUp Groups at our sites at various times during the year. Contact generosity@crossroads.net to sign up.
I’m in debt. Should I still help?
We believe that God honors the money we give back to him. We encourage you to try FreedUp to begin a focused plan on getting out of debt. Contact generosity@crossroads.net to learn about FreedUp groups and discounts. At the same time, if you feel God is leading you to start giving, even if it’s a small amount, we believe God honors and blesses this act of obedience and trust.
How to Give
Crossroads is fueled by the generosity of everyday people. Check out www.crossroads.net/give to make a contribution, set up a recurring donation, or see how your money is being spent. You will be redirected to PushPay's website to complete your contribution.
If you still have questions or need help, email giving@crossroads.net and someone will get back with you.
Thanks for being on this team.
How to Give to a Go Trip?
If you'd like to donate to someone's GO Trip, click here and search by name for the trip participant.
What is Pushpay?
Pushpay is an online and mobile giving solution that focuses on a fast, secure, and easy way to give to the church. Pushpay is a widely used software platform originally built for churches - it's currently being used by 7,000 churches.
Is Pushpay trusted?
Yes. Credit card details are tokenized and are stored off your device on industrial-grade servers where this information is then encrypted. The security setup we have used is the same as many banks and is Level 1 PCI DSS compliant. For this reason, Pushpay is considered significantly more secure than many current offerings.
Is there a benefit to giving through a Bank Account vs. Credit Card?
Yes! Credit cards cost us about 2% to 2.5% for each transaction, and that adds up to hundreds of dollars each month! Setting up a direct withdrawal from your bank account using ACH gives you the peace of mind that the vast majority of your gift is going directly to Crossroads.
What credit cards are accepted?
Crossroads accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover credit cards.
Will my year-end giving statements come from Pushpay or Crossroads?
Giving statements will be provided by Crossroads.
Is there a minimum amount I need to contribute?
No. You can designate any amount to be given and every amount makes a difference.
How can I make sure my giving goes towards things on my campus?
All of our giving goes into one bucket for the entire church. However, we do like to know which campus you attend. When you give on Pushpay, select the campus you attend. If you give by check or cash, write in the campus you attend.
What if I don’t have a phone to receive a confirmation text?
You can make one-time donations to Crossroads with a credit card or debit card as a guest giver by clicking on “Need help?” on the Verify Your Mobile Number page and then Give as Guest to avoid the account creation process. Please keep in mind that if you want to do any of the following, you'll have to create an account with Pushpay:
What if I lose my phone?
If your phone is lost, even if you are logged into Pushpay, no transactions can be made without your passcode.
Can I modify or cancel my recurring donation at anytime?
Yes - you may log in any time to make changes, pause, or cancel a recurring gift.
How do I stop my giving?
If you’re a recurring giver and want to stop giving, you can do this by signing into your crossroads.net profile, clicking your profile in the top right corner, and selecting the “Giving” option on the dropdown menu. Find the “Recurring Gifts” option on the left side of the screen. Locate the gift you want to remove, and select the “Manage” option. This will take you to Pushpay. Follow the prompts within Pushpay to cancel your recurring gift.
I need to change my giving credit card, what do I do?
Sign into your crossroads.net profile and click on your profile in the top right corner. Select the “giving” option on the dropdown menu. Find the “Recurring Gifts” option on the left side of the screen. Locate the recurring gift you want to edit, and select the “Manage” option. This will take you to Pushpay. Follow the prompts within Pushpay to change your credit card information.
How do I pause my giving for a period of time?
You can pause your giving for a short period of time without totally cancelling it. Sign into your crossroads.net profile and click on your profile in the top right corner. Select the “giving” option on the dropdown menu. Find the “Recurring Gifts” option on the left side of the screen. Locate the gift you want to pause, and select the “Manage” option. Follow the prompts to pause your gift temporarily.
Why don’t I see my spouses name on our giving statement or campaign commitment?
The IRS requires us to acknowledge donations from the individual who initiated it. We understand that you may have given the donation on behalf of both you and your spouse but it can and was only initiated by one person. To allow you to see the donations given on behalf of you and your spouse and/or your minor children, there’s a drop down to select those individuals. If you don’t see a drop down, please email giving@crossroads.net and inform them of who should be in your household.
What if I want to give more to Crossroads on special occasions?
You are always free to make gifts to Crossroads in excess of your monthly contributions. Some people do this as part of their year-end tax planning. Your contribution can be placed in the offering bag, mailed to the church office, or given through the one time gift page.
Have more questions?
Contact us at giving@crossroads.net and we’ll be happy to help.