Returned Missionary Balance

[omegafletch]

Ok great thanks for all the information. That definitely clears up the question I had.

[gradybeck]

Does anyone know how I can delete the returned missionary from the donation form. We have members that despite being told that a certain missionary is home continues to donate into their account. Is there a way to remove that missionaries fund from the online donation form?

Thanks,

[lajackson]

Does anyone know how I can delete the returned missionary from the donation form.

When the account has a balance of zero for a month or two it is supposed to go away. I would be diligent about transferring any specific donations to the main Ward Missionary Fund as soon as you see them until this happens. If the subaccount has not gone away in two months, I would contact the Global Services Department.

In the meantime, the bishop may wish to speak with any member who insists on continuing to donate to this specific subaccount.

[jdlessley]

Does anyone know how I can delete the returned missionary from the donation form. We have members that despite being told that a certain missionary is home continues to donate into their account. Is there a way to remove that missionaries fund from the online donation form?

You cannot remove the subcategory. All you can do is zero the balance and wait a couple of months after that for headquarters to remove the subcategory. To mitigate members donating you will have to contact each donor that continues to donate to the subcategory and ask them to not contribute to that subcategory. I have had the best success for that when the bishop contacts them and provides alternatives for contributions. After transferring any donations to the Ward Missionary Fund the time clock gets reset for the time period before the subcategory is removed.

[BrianEdwards]

Regarding the O.P., I think it's important for the Bishop to sit and counsel with any well-intentioned members who ask for donated funds to be "re-assigned". I had a situation where the counsel (without providing details) was essentially for the member to personally consider the "lost donation" as a form of offering, which the Lord was aware of. I surely wouldn't hold it against any member who made a large donation to a missionary who came home earlier than expected, if they decided to think about their donation in that manner. And perhaps adjust the rest of that year's non-tithing donations accordingly, if that's what they felt was necessary after counseling with their Bishop.

The GHB guidance is clear, but sometimes members don't fully understand, other times they just decide to do it anyways. And some members will take this in stride, while others will be bothered greatly by what they consider as "lost donations". Helping them find a way to move forward is part of what a Bishop can do, with inspiration specific to each situation. But that's just my 2 cents.

[drepouille]

I was thinking the same thing yesterday. If I had donated a large sum to a missionary account, but the missionary returned home early, I would personally consider the "lost donation" to be part of my tithing, even though I could not adjust my previous donation slips to change the donation category. Nobody is going to verify my tithing against my paycheck or income tax forms. The amount I claim as a charitable income tax deduction will not change.

IMHO