Stewardship Campaign Information 2024-2025
If you understand the importance of pledging, skip to the last paragraph. Otherwise please read below.
As a Unitarian Universalist congregation, UCB is self-funded. That is to say that we receive services from the Unitarian Universalist Association, but no funding. We must ourselves fund all our operating expenses each year. To do that we rely most heavily on our annual stewardship campaign. Other sources of funding for our operating budget include income from fundraisers such as the Holiday Fair and Scone Sales, income from investments, income from fees charged for use of meeting rooms and other space at UCB, Sunday morning offerings, and miscellaneous gifts.
Perhaps you are wondering what an appropriate amount to pledge to the annual stewardship campaign is. Here are some things to consider when making that decision. What is your capacity to give? How deep is your belief in the importance of having a faith community like UCB available? What amount would make you feel you have done your part to support the congregation? We currently have 187 members and a pledge target of $236,000. Our operating costs for FY2025 are in the vicinity of $1,262 per member.
If you think that $1,262 each is a lot to ask members and friends to pledge, you are right. It costs a lot to provide the robust programming we all enjoy and to fairly compensate our talented and dedicated staff. But a pledge of more than $1,000 per year may be out of the reach for many. Each year the stewardship campaign committee wrestles with the conundrum of how we might reduce the per person expectations for the stewardship campaign. Can we do so by increasing the size of our general endowment? Growing our membership? Instituting fees for participating in some or all of UCBs programs?
In the end we just ask everyone to do the best they can to help UCB fund its operating budget for the coming year and to let us know the amount they can pledge. To make your pledging easy, send email to our Treasurer, Dan Ewing If you would prefer a paper Pledge Card, just email Dan and one will be sent to you. If you have the means, please consider an extra increase to your pledge this year to give on behalf of those less able to do so.
The Stewardship Committee: Janet Abbott, Phread Ayres, Kathy Bryan, Dan Ewing, Kim Hanggi, Connie Hinds
Updated April 24, 2024
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