Experience.FellowshipOne.com

We have several unmarried couples attending our church.  Obviously using a household position of "spouse" would be incorrect here...  Do you guys use "other" or do you put them both as "head"?

If they aren't married our church policy is to split them, designating "head" for each within their household record. Same address and phone but separate records.

Debbie Doell, Cornerstone Fellowship

Same here. Two different households in F1 with the same address.

 

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Bob VanDerPloeg
IT Director
Discovery Church

We also split them into two separate households giving them each a status of head.

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Kim Ludwick
Champions Centre
"One Church, Two Locations"
Tacoma/Bellevue, WA

Do you guys do anything special to note their relationship to each other, especially if they have children?

We don't, just means that if you do mailings of any sort they would get two. If all the children seem to have the same last name and its the same as the mom then I link the kids to the mom. If its a split thing where I can tell one child is linked to the Dad and one to the Mom then I link the children that way.

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Kim Ludwick
Champions Centre
"One Church, Two Locations"
Tacoma/Bellevue, WA

We also split them and make them both "Head", but on the address comment we mention that they are at the same address as .......    This reminds us that they are living in the same household.

We created an individual attribute group called Relationships. Under that, we have parent, child, aunt, uncle, ex-spouse, deceased spouse, partnered (living together), etc. That way we can add family information to a person when the family isn't living together.

Thanks for the great ideas.  I wondering how you guys handle the giving aspect of people who are living together, not married, but Giving together.  Especially if you are creating two separate households. 

Tanyal - With regards to your giving question...

The IRS does not have a filing status "unmarried but living together" so unless they are giving as foundation or business, you would need to identify the donation as comming from one individual person (household) or the other. Possibly, if you have a letter from them on file directing you to split the donation evenly, you might legally be able to split the donation 50-50 to each household. But to be sure you are doing the correct thing, contact a your CPA and have them give you an official answer. 

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John Schneider
Forest Hill Church

Thank you for replying.  I appreciate it.