Written by the team behind Puzzlify. Puzzlify is our product, so weigh what follows with that in mind. We've tried to make this useful even if you never use it. We're not affiliated with any parish council, parochial church council, diocese, church, chapel, tax authority, stewardship scheme, charity or community organisation.
Stewardship Sunday comes round, and before the first hymn someone has already set up a small table at the back of church. A neat pile of blank Gift Aid declaration forms, a jar of pens, a stack of leaflets explaining it in plain words, and a handwritten sign: "Taxpayer? Tick a box and your gift grows by a quarter." After the service they stand beside it with a smile, answer the same three questions twenty times, and help the newcomers fill in the form properly. That is the church Gift Aid secretary at work, on the one day of the year when people actually see them.
If you'd like to thank your church Gift Aid secretary, or the volunteer who looks after the declaration forms and the stewardship campaign, this is a guide to doing it simply and well, with an honest look at whether a photo puzzle is a good idea.
Who we mean
The role goes by different names: Gift Aid secretary, stewardship secretary, planned giving coordinator, or simply "the person with the forms". The people we mean might:
- set up and staff the declaration form table on stewardship Sunday
- explain Gift Aid patiently to newcomers, in plain words, as often as needed
- check each new form is complete and filed safely
- write a short piece for the notices or the magazine each year
- remind people gently to update their details when they move or stop paying tax
- help the treasurer with the regular claim
- keep the whole thing private, careful and kind
Why a thank-you matters here
Most of the Gift Aid secretary's year is quiet, confidential work behind the scenes. Stewardship Sunday is the one visible moment, and even then they spend it asking other people for things, which can feel awkward. A thank-you reminds them that the church sees the care behind the forms and understands what the extra money does: lights on, roof sound, doors open.
A little honest background
You don't need a special occasion. The Sunday after the stewardship campaign, the annual meeting, the day a good claim is paid, or the day they hand on the role are all good times. "Thank you for the forms, the pens and the patience" is plenty.
A thank-you gift is personal. Keep it small and in proportion, and because Gift Aid is about people's private giving, never show completed forms, names, amounts or any personal details in a gift or a photo.
What makes a good photo
- the stewardship Sunday table at the back of church, with only blank forms, a jar of pens and the handwritten sign
- the leaflet they wrote to explain Gift Aid, lying on a pew
- the church doors open after the service, with the table just inside
- a tray of tea and biscuits beside the form table, the kind that keeps people chatting long enough to fill one in
- something the Gift Aid money has helped to pay for, like the new lights or the mended gutter
- the church itself, from the path they walk every Sunday
A few practical points:
- Keep faces out of it unless people have happily agreed. Tables, doors and buildings make lovely puzzle photos anyway.
- Never photograph filled-in forms, spreadsheets, bank details or anything with names or amounts.
- Blank forms are fine; tilt them so the small print isn't the focus.
- Turn the flash off; church lighting looks warmer without it.
- Choose a photo the Gift Aid secretary will recognise straight away.
Picking a piece count
| Pieces | Good for |
|---|---|
| 24 | a quick puzzle on a phone, or for someone who doesn't usually do puzzles |
| 48 | a relaxed ten minutes with a cup of tea |
| 80 | a good evening's puzzle for someone who likes detail |
| 130 | a detailed photo, like the full table with leaflets, pens and sign |
| 252 | a real project, best on a tablet or computer, for a quiet winter evening |
If you're not sure, 48 is a safe choice for most people. Someone who checks every box on every form will probably enjoy 130.
When and how to send it
Good moments include the week after stewardship Sunday, the annual meeting, their birthday, Christmas, or the day they pass the role on. Make the puzzle, write the note, publish the link, and send it by email or message, or print the link as a QR code inside a card. The recipient doesn't need an account or an app, and the note appears when the last piece clicks into place. If your Gift Aid secretary prefers paper, a handwritten card is perfect on its own.
Note examples
- "Thank you for the forms, the pens and the patience."
- "Thank you for explaining Gift Aid one more time, kindly."
- "Every tick in a box was you. Thank you."
- "Thank you for making stewardship Sunday feel friendly."
- "Thank you for helping every gift go a little further."
- "To the keeper of the table at the back: thank you."
What it costs, plainly
The preview is free, so you can see how it looks before deciding anything. Publishing the link costs one credit (€3.99), or less per puzzle with a bundle. It's a digital puzzle, not a printed or cardboard one, so nothing arrives in the post. If a card and a few sentences feel like enough, they are.
Ideas that are not a puzzle
- a handwritten card, signed by the treasurer and a few people they helped
- a mention in the notices or the parish magazine
- filling in or updating your own declaration without being asked twice
- offering to stand at the table with them next stewardship Sunday
- a good pen, a nice folder or a tin of biscuits for the table
- a few words to the vicar so the Gift Aid secretary hears how much it meant
Where Puzzlify fits
Puzzlify turns a personal photo into a private digital jigsaw that you send as a link. It isn't a printed puzzle, and it isn't a public puzzle board: only the people you send it to can open it. It's one option among many, and it works best when the photo means something to the person receiving it. Please don't confuse it with puzzlify.io, Puzzlit, Puzzly or Puzzify, which are different things.
If a photo puzzle feels right as well, choose the stewardship Sunday table, the leaflet on the pew or the open doors after the service, pick a piece count that suits them, and write the note in your own words. You can make one here.
Whatever you send, the most important part is the sentence that sounds like you, written to the person who quietly helps every gift go a little further.
Written by the small team behind Puzzlify (info@puzzlify.app). Not legal, religious, tax, accounting, charity law, Gift Aid, data protection, photography permission or gift policy advice.