Please support us

Please support us

The Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy and the Friends of the Clergy Corporation seek to help those who give their lives to supporting others, whether individuals or communities, through their ministry.

The charities do this by giving financial help to Anglican clergy and their families in times of need in order to sustain their vital pastoral work. Our work "offers a helping hand to the helpers" and so also supports those for whom the clergy work tirelessly.

We in turn urgently need your donations to continue and enhance this vital support.

Special ways of supporting us

There are two particular forms of support that are special to our two organisations. The first is by becoming a Governor of the Sons of the Clergy and a Member of the Friends of the Clergy Corporation, whilst the second is by becoming a Steward of the Festival.

Governors and Members

Our Governors and Members make up the ultimate governing bodies of the two charities. All Governors of the Sons are now also Members of the Friends and vice versa. Each year there is an Annual General Court of Governors of the Sons and an Annual General Meeting of the Friends which, amongst other things, appoint the Court of Assistants of the Sons and the Committee of Management of the Friends (effectively the trustees of the two charities) for the following year. The meetings also elect the new Governors and Members.

All that is needed for someone’s name to be put on the list for election as a Governor and Member is that he or she should make a donation to the Sons of at least £50 together with a further donation to the Friends also of at least £50, coupled with the request to be added to the list for election. Once elected, our Governors and Members remain Governors and Members for life (although anyone can resign their Governorship and Membership at any time should they so wish) and there are no on-going obligations – except that we do hope that they will “fly our flag” and generally promote our cause in their own parishes and with other people and organisations who may be willing to support us.

Stewards of the Festival 

The other form of support that is special to the Sons of the Clergy is by becoming a Steward of the Festival (see Festival for further details of the annual Festival of the Sons of the Clergy). Unlike Governorship and Membership (which, as just explained, is for life), Stewardship operates on a Festival-by-Festival basis.

Originally, the Stewards used to be responsible for organising the Festival. This role has now been taken over by the staff of the charities, but the office of Steward has been retained for historical reasons. It now involves no duties but is a means of demonstrating support for the work of the Sons of the Clergy in general and for the Festival in particular. The subscription for Stewardship is currently £50.

Governorship, Membership and Stewardship subscriptions can all be made under gift aid – see below.

Applications to become a Governor and Member or a Steward are always welcome and, if interested, you should contact the Registrar/Secretary .

Gift Aid

If you are an individual and a UK taxpayer and you complete and sign a gift aid form and then return it to us, we can reclaim UK income tax on your donation, thus increasing the value to us of the donation. The gift aid scheme also allows donors who are higher rate tax payers to claim relief in respect of their donations against either income tax or capital gains tax. If you are unsure whether your donations qualify for gift aid tax relief either ask us or ask your local tax office for their gift aid leaflet.

To obtain a gift aid form, just click on the relevant icon below and download the form (separate forms are needed for donations to the Sons of the Clergy and for donations to the Friends of the Clergy). You can then print, complete and return it at your convenience.

Sons                                Friends

Gifts of shares and securities

Gifts by individuals who are UK tax payers to either charity of listed shares or securities and certain other investments benefit from tax advantages to the donor. Not only will the donor suffer no liability to capital gains tax on the shares, securities or other investments donated, but the donor should also be able to obtain a tax advantage by setting their market value on the date of their donation against the donor’s income or profits for the purpose of calculating the donor’s liability to tax. Again, further information relating to this may be obtained from the Registrar/Secretary or from your own tax office.  

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