All of these funds are restricted by law and the principal must be maintained in perpetuity. The revenue must be used as directed by the donor. These net assets represent funding through channels familiar to United Methodists such as the supplementary giving of United Methodist Women, Advance Gifts which represent second mile giving after a church has paid its World Service. It also includes funds restricted by the General Conference such as Focus 2000, Human Relations Day, National Plan for Hispanic Ministries, Native American Comprehensive Plan and Substance Abuse. Unrestricted Net Assets are not restricted by donors to specific programs, but can be used for the general mission of the agency.
Volunteers continue to be a significant resource to church programs.
Reliable statistics on volunteers in mission in the United Methodist Church are difficult to come by. An endeavor is being made to collect these statistics in a more sophisticated way. No report on resources would be complete without acknowledging this ground swell of help, starting with our board of directors and encompassing our church worldwide.