How much is a reasonable donation for a Christening?

[Beagle840]

Just that really. I know that it is donation only to the church so no right or wrong amount but I literally have no idea what would be considered an acceptable amount. I am not looking for a minimum, as I think it is only right to pay a reasonable sum but on the other hand, money is quite tight and can't afford to go too OTT! Thanks in advance.

A donation for what and by whom?

I assume this is for your child being christened? Often there is a guideline amount in the church documentation, are you able to access that?

If not, I would maybe hazard a guess at £100?

Do you mean church service donation?

Of course if it is the church collection and you are a member of the congregation far less than that!

As a guest at a christening? About £5

Is it the church you worship at, and already give to, or is this a one off? Is the christening happening during the main service or will someone need to come and play/open/be around at a different time?

As a guest? About £5

Are you a guest? If so, I'd say about £30.

I'm presuming it's a Catholic Church op?

This is what ours does for every occasion, wedding/funeral/christening etc.
Anything that is done outside of school basically.

Our parish priest is also our school priest and is a bit of a strange character ( putting it mildly ) and others I know have broached the subject with him and were not given a straight answer.

When my ds was baptised about 12 years ago I was a single parent and couldn't afford more than £20 so that's what I gave.
Most people I've seen just discreetly pass the priest an envelope.

Do you mean to the church as a donation after having your child baptised?

We gave the priest £100 and then £50 to the church itself. (Catholic church.)

For a donation on behalf of a child at a baptism you're attending as a guest? £5.

If money is tight, then whatever you can afford. I’d say somewhere between £20 and £50 would be about right.

I’ve never donated as a guest

I thought it was for the regular church goes and that the parents would have paid a fee?

It was £40 suggested donation for my DDs

If you are a guest of the church, I would not expect you to donate. The finances of the church are the responsibility of the church family.

£50 in an envelope for dd's Christening.

Seriously, I have never seen this clandestine giving of cash and I am a church warden. I wince at non-tax-efficient giving.

Our priest says give what you can (and then said most give £100). So give what you can afford - it’s between you and God.

Seriously, I have never seen this clandestine giving of cash and I am a church warden. I wince at non-tax-efficient giving

I’m not a church member but every service/christening I’ve been to has a collection plate, with a form to fill in for claiming gift aid. Is this not standard?

In my church, we don’t pass around a plate. We don’t expect donations from visitors, and we hope that church family will join the Parish Giving Scheme, which is tax efficient.

Our weekly cash donations are in the order of £10 - 20, compared to about £15000 (incl reclaim of taxes) through the PGS.

We really don’t want visiting baptism families to make a contribution, and definitely don’t want a contribution to get in the way.

None of the churches I’ve been to services in have mentioned a Parish Giving Scheme (to be honest though I’m not in the Parish for most of them). I’m happy to give a cash donation when visiting a church. It may not be the most tax efficient but surely better than nothing?
(It’s not usually a plate to be honest though have been to some with a collection plate. It’s often an envelope on the seat with gift aid details on)

If you attend the parish and tithe regularly I'm sure the won't expect anything if things are tight. If you are not a regular congregant I think it would be fair to expect more.

If you are genuinely in financial hardship I don't think any Priest would want there to be a barrier to the sacrament for your child.

I think what is expected is relevant to your income. Also the scale of your celebrations. So if your having a big party it's fair to assume you can afford to donate more.

I am always amazed at the people who spend thousands on a wedding dress then complain about making a donation to the church.

I’ve never been to a christening where there was an expectation of a donation.

I think spending the equivalent of what you are on the party / meal is a good idea if you are comfortably off.

For a present, minimum £20, I’d give £30 up to £50 depending on relationship. Do people mean £5 as a present? That seems very tight to me. For the priest I’d give him £100 in an envelope and it’s entirely up to him as to whether he spends it on whisky, charity or delclares it to the church. If he wants me to gift aid, am happy to. In my experience, they’ve never come back to me. If I was skint, I’d tell him and would give nothing without any worry or embarrassment. It’s a holy sacrament and he has to perform it.

If you are a sporadic visitor, the PGS will not have been presented to you. It would have been targeted at those on the Electoral Roll.

Visitors are not expected to contribute to the running of the church (unless something like a cathedral, where visitors create a lot of the expenses).