2012-2013 Annual Giving Campaign

Annual Giving Campaign Update

Mar. 7, 2012

Thanks to the 100 households that have already made financial pledges for the congregational year beginning Jul. 1, 2012. That leaves 400 pledges to go to complete the campaign! Please submit your pledge as soon as possible but no later than the end of March. You can return the form you received either by mail or to the campaign table in the Commons or you can pledge online. Thank you for carefully considering what you will be able to pledge for the coming year and for promptly making your pledge. Help us wrap up a successful campaign in record time!

About This Year's Annual Giving Campaign

This year’s campaign theme -- Tending Our Garden -- reminds us that for our Congregation to bear fruit, we must provide the elements it needs to grow.

Our Annual Giving Campaign begins February 25-26 and will run through early April. The resources pledged during the Campaign will enable us to remain a thriving faith community while simultaneously enabling us to achieve the goals of our multi-year strategic plan:

  • Grow.Transforming Ourselves: We grow as individuals and as a community through worship, service, play, and caring for one another and thereby deepening our appreciation of the gifts of life and love.
  • Connect. Transforming Our Community: We connect to and care for our families, our congregation, and our community.
  • Serve. Transforming the World: We serve our world through our work and commitment.

Our theme, Tending our Garden, brings to life how our gifts can nurture and grow the mission of our liberal religious congregation: to transform ourselves, our community, and the world through acts of love and justice.

Every Pledge Matters

The Giving Campaign is an important yearly milestone in the life of our Congregation, accounting for 82% of the annual budget. Although the Congregation receives income from other sources, they account for only 18% of what is needed to run UUCF annually.

UUCF is financially autonomous, meaning we raise our own money to support our operations. Our Campaign goal for this year is $1.1 million, the same goal as last year but 6% less than was actually pledged.

The Campaign goal is determined by the needs of the Congregation, including our Religious Exploration (RE) and Adult Education programs, our music and worship services, the fair compensation of our ministerial and professional staff, our social justice projects and the necessary maintenance of our physical campus.

How Much Should I Give?

Before deciding on your pledge, please take some time to consider the role and importance of UUCF in your life and that of your family. Talk it over with your partner, a fellow congregant, or a church staff member. Consider: What is UUCF worth to you? How does it enrich your life or your children's lives? How does it give you the opportunity to give to others, both close to home and beyond our local community?

Also, please consider carefully the following facts before deciding on your pledge for the coming year:

  • Pledges must be large enough to sustain the people, facilities and costs of our programs. It takes more than $3,000 a day to operate UUCF.
  • Pledging is a responsibility of UUCF membership. To keep UUCF vibrant and strong, the average pledge per member household (one or more members plus children) is $2,200 and per individual member is $1,500.

Of course, each congregant is at a different place financially. While some can easily reach or exceed these amounts, they may be difficult for others. That is why it is especially important for those who can make a substantial contribution to please pledge generously.

As an additional guideline, given varying pledge amounts, we suggest a pledge equal to at least 5% of one's household income.

How Do I Pledge?

Pledging to UUCF is easy and can be done in a number of ways: