How to Help Your Church While Earning Interest

  1. Invest in Orchard Alliance IRAs, Roth IRAs, or investment certificates for a term of one year or longer.
  2. Name your church on your investment application, allowing Orchard Alliance to associate your investment with your church’s loan.

You will earn interest on your investment, similar to what you would earn at a bank. On the first day of each month, Orchard Alliance will calculate the weighted average rate of all the investments from the people in your congregation. The interest rate on your church’s loan will be that weighted average rate, plus 2.0 percent.* This is called “self-funding.”

For example:

  • Sample Alliance Church borrows $75,000 to renovate its sanctuary.
  • People from the Sample Alliance Church congregation invest with Orchard Alliance as follows:
Smith $50,000 5-year certificate 1.21%
Jones $25,000 Roth IRA 2.00%
Jackson $5,000 1-year certificate 0.43%
Total Invested $80,000 Weighted Average Rate 1.41%
Margin added by Orchard Alliance +2.00%
Self-Funded Interest Rate 3.41%

 

In the example above, the church’s interest rate is lowered to 3.41% while the Smith, Jones, and Jackson families all enjoy the benefit of earning competitive interest rates. It’s a “win-win!”

Your investment is in no way “locked up” at Orchard Alliance because of self-funding. If you need to redeem your funds for any reason, they are available to you. (Standard early withdrawal penalties may apply. See the current offering circular for details.)

To learn more about Orchard Alliance investments, visit the Investments page.

To see a more detailed explanation of the self-funded interest rate calculation process, visit the Self-Funding Rate Discount.

* If the total dollars invested in self-funding are less than the total balance on your church’s loan, Orchard Alliance will simply blend the self-funded rate with the standard loan rate proportionally based on the balance of the investments and the outstanding balance of the loan.