2026-27 Pledge Drive begins March 15!
Each year, members of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia pledge support of our community for the upcoming congregational year. The congregational year runs from July 1 through June 30 of the next year. In order to craft an operating budget to vote on at the annual meeting, we set pledge drive goals to ensure we are living our values through our mission as fully as possible.
Instead of building a budget from how much money is pledged, this year we are focusing on three different budget possibilities to build our pledge goals. None of these pledge drive budgets have cuts. The first keeps us where we currently are without major changes, the second moves us closer to our targets in ministry and staff compensation, while the third is a fully missional budget for right now.
In the coming year we will face some unavoidable budget increases to maintain our current ministries and operations. These increases will total $84,000 or more. To dig deeper into our pledge drive goals, flip through this year’s pledge book. Here you will find answers about budget increases, areas of impact, and pledging at UUCC.
Visiting Stewards
This year, we are approaching the pledge drive a little differently than years past. It’s our hope that all our members and friends feel more confident in their knowledge of UUCC operations and that we build deeper connections during the pledge drive. We started with a month-long educational phase during which we provided information on our pledge drive goals and history. We also recruited Stewards for one-on-one conversations.
These Stewards trained with Rev. Lydia Ferrante-Roseberry from Stewardship For Us and are excited to sit down for individual conversations. Our goal is to speak with every member over the next four years, with a plan to engage personally with a quarter of the congregation each year. In these conversations we’ll talk about our experiences and aspirations for our UUCC community and how our contributions make that possible. If you aren’t asked to have a conversation this year, don’t worry and don’t feel left out. We’ll see you soon!
How Much Should I Pledge?
We thought you might ask that. Use the chart below to see where you might be in good company, or maybe you’re ready to “up your game.” We also love the Stewardship For US “how full is your cup” model. To get a closer look, click on the two arrows in the lower right hand of the image below.
Making Your Pledge
This year, we’ve made it super streamlined to make your pledge! Just set up how much you want to give next year and how often you want to contribute. Et voila! You have pledged! We’re hoping to give administrative staff many hours back this way to focus on the human connections our tech will never be able to make. If you have already pledged for FY2026-27 and would like to change your pledge amount, please contact Hannah.
If the form doesn’t load below, please use this form link.
If you’d like to set up your giving from your Realm account, that’s also easy. Instead of re-creating the wheel, we borrowed this tutorial from another Realm user. And if you have any issues, get in touch with Hannah.
Track Our Progress
Help them get to the other side! We will frequently update the graphic below to let you know how we are doing on our goals, so check back regularly!
Last updated August 1 at 3PM.