Online Donation for Camps: stays local?

[ShaneAxtell]

We noticed that the online donation form now includes a section for local camp donations. Can anyone confirm that if we use this online donation method that the funds will stay local (specifically to the ward)?

[jdlessley]

We noticed that the online donation form now includes a section for local camp donations. Can anyone confirm that if we use this online donation method that the funds will stay local (specifically to the ward)?

Donations made to that online donation category go into a similarly named and newly created top level unit budget category. That category is for local use only. For a while those unit leaders with finance permissions saw a message on the finance landing page that stated donations by parents and youth camp participants should be the amount determined by local leaders for camp participation.

This new category makes online donations possible instead of only using the paper donation slip using checks or cash. Also note that donations made to that category are not tax favored and will not show on year end tax statements.

Management and tracking for specific camps is possible by creating a sub-category for each camp under a top level category such as under the Young Men category, Young Women category, or the Youth Camp Registration category. The online donations made to the Youth Camp Registration category can then be moved/transferred to the appropriate camp sub-category as needed.

[rich74]

We are seeing a max payment threshold restriction of $150 for the Local - Youth Camp Registration category. Is there a way for us (ward clerks) to increase this threshold amount?

For our older youth, camp was over $150 and some families had multiple youth go to camp, so their payment amount is well above $150. Is the only work around to this restriction to have parents make multiple $150 payments?

[eblood66]

I have no idea if there is any way of changing that. We have received very, very little information on this new feature (at least as far as I'm aware). Hopefully we'll get more. I don't see anything in LCR that would change that limit but I'm at the stake level so it might not show up for me. If there is anything I'd expect it to be somewhere in the budget section either under Prepare Annual Budget or Manage Categories.

But (and this is just speculation), they may have put that limit in place to encourage units to keep expenses down. But even more so, they may have done it to help avoid people making large donations which don't represent payments from individuals. This does come up sometimes where some generous person wants to help make camps better or cheaper for their unit and want to donate several thousand dollars. While generous, such donations are against church policy and shouldn't be accepted. Putting a limit signals that such donations aren't to be made.

If either of these are true then they probably won't remove the limit. And if they allow units to set an amount, there will probably still be a limit on how high it can be raised.

[jdlessley]

I don't see anything in LCR that would change that limit but I'm at the stake level so it might not show up for me.

There is nothing at the ward level to edit a donation category ceiling limit.