A benefits review for churches and ministries
The Values Based Benefits Assessment
A holistic review of your pay and benefits, measured against your mission and values, with a clear written report and a phased roadmap you can act on.
- 3 to 4 weeks
- About 4 to 6 hours of your team's time
- Written report and board summary
What it is
A whole benefits review, framed by your values.
Most benefits reviews start with a renewal quote or market averages. Ours starts with what your organization says it values, then looks at everything you offer your staff through that lens.
- 01
Holistic
Compensation, health insurance, retirement, other benefits, roles, and compliance, reviewed together instead of one renewal at a time.
- 02
Measured against your values
Every finding is tied back to your mission, vision, and stated values, so you see where your package reflects what you believe and where it does not yet.
- 03
Actionable
You receive a written roadmap report, a one-page board summary, and a Now, Next, Later plan your team can actually carry out.
Why it matters
Most ministries decide pay and benefits without a map.
Churches care deeply about their people. Yet pay and benefits decisions are often made in a hurry, with little to go on:
- No benchmarks to compare against
- No long-range plan to work from
- No clear view of what the budget can sustain
- No clear line back to the values you teach and lead by
- A renewal deadline forcing the decision
With the full picture in hand, your leaders can care for your people and steward your resources well, on purpose.
The AIM framework
Three questions frame every finding.
Align, Integrate, Measure. Each part of your report answers one of them, starting with your values.
Align
Do our pay and benefits reflect what we say we value?
We look at whether your package expresses your stated values with intention and good stewardship, rather than by habit.
Integrate
Do we really know our people?
We look at how employees and HR actually experience the package, so your decisions rest on real needs, not assumptions.
Measure
How will we know it is working?
We set simple ways to track results, including the impact on your organization and on your mission.
What we look at
Six areas, one connected picture.
Pay and benefits affect each other. Looking at them side by side shows where your dollars are doing the most good, and where they could do more.
Compensation
How pay is set, how it compares, and whether it is fair and sustainable.
Health insurance
What your plan costs, what it covers, and how well it serves your staff and their families.
Retirement
How well your retirement offering helps your people prepare for the years ahead.
Other benefits
Time off, leave, and the other benefits that shape everyday life on your team.
Roles and job descriptions
Whether each role is clearly defined and pay matches the work being done.
Compliance snapshot
A short list of items worth raising with your attorney or CPA.
Good stewardship starts with knowing your people.
We listen first, to your leaders, so the plan fits the ministry you actually have. Want the details before you talk with us?
Request More DetailsHow it works
Simple for your team.
- Sign the confidentiality agreementBefore any information is shared.
- Share your informationTwo surveys and eight documents.
- Talk with usAfter we review your forms, a conversation to hear your story and clarify anything missing.
- Receive your reportA findings session and a phased roadmap.
- 3to4
Weeks, start to finish
- 4to6
Hours of staff time
- 6
Areas reviewed together
- 1
Clear, phased plan
What you receive
A plan your leaders can act on.
Roadmap report
A 15 to 20 page report with what we found and what we recommend.
One-page board summary
The key points on a single page, ready for your board or finance team.
Findings session
A 60 to 90 minute conversation with your leaders to walk through the results.
Phased roadmap
Clear next steps, sorted into what to do now, next, and later.
Your roadmap, in three phases
Now 0 to 90 days
Quick, practical steps that build momentum.
Next 3 to 12 months
Planned changes, budgeted ahead of time.
Later 12 to 24 months
Longer-range goals, taken in the right order.
Why Sonvio
A ministry partner, not a vendor.
We understand church culture from the inside: volunteer boards, careful budgets, and staff who serve because they are called.
- We speak the language of ministry, not insurance.
- We plan around what your budget can truly sustain.
- We walk alongside your leaders, from first call to final plan.
Honest, either way.
Sonvio also offers a health plan, and we want you to know that up front.
The Values Based Benefits Assessment stands on its own. There is no obligation to buy anything from us, and if the right answer is to keep your current plan, that is what we will tell you.
Questions
Questions we hear often.
Who is this for?
Churches and Christian organizations, and the people who carry these decisions: pastors, executive pastors, church administrators, HR and finance leads, and boards.
What does it cost?
The fee depends on the size of your organization. Let us know you're interested and we will walk through what fits your situation.
Do we have to buy a Sonvio plan?
No. The Values Based Benefits Assessment stands on its own, with no obligation. If keeping your current plan is the right call, we will tell you so.
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. When we notice a compliance question, we flag it so you can take it to your attorney or CPA.
How is our pay data handled?
You sign a confidentiality agreement before sharing anything. We ask for roles and pay, not names, and we never need Social Security numbers, birth dates, or anyone's medical information. Your information is used only for your assessment and deleted when you ask.
What do we need to provide?
Two surveys (about 55 minutes), eight documents, and two conversations, about 4 to 6 hours in all. The client overview (PDF) lists everything.
Who fills out the forms?
Your senior leader completes the Organization Profile and is welcome to hand the Benefits and Policy survey to an administrator or finance lead. Both can be saved and finished later.
Let's build your plan together.
Tell us a little about your organization, and we will follow up with the details and next steps.
Prefer email? Write to benefitsassessment@sonvio.com
The Values Based Benefits Assessment is not legal, tax, or investment advice. Compliance items we identify are questions to bring to your qualified advisors, such as your attorney or CPA.