Giving to your Church

Generosity is a spiritual practice. Giving time, wisdom, and financial resources reflects our commitment to sharing in and growing our active, strong community. What does this church mean to you? What have you received? What have you given? Where would you like the church to go? Expand our ability to serve all the children of the church? Expand our outreach into the larger community?

Volunteering Time

When we share our knowledge and give some time to church projects that are important to us, we join with others in a warm community. We feel rewarded through helping to achieve our own goals and those of the congregation.

There are numerous opportunities to volunteer. Every aspect of the church needs and benefits from volunteers’ efforts, e.g., worship, religious education, social action, member support, and fundraising. Check out the information on committees and task forces where there also is a link to contacts for each.

Giving Financially

Unitarian Universalist churches are entirely self-supporting and even help to support the Unitarian Universalist Association. The UU Church of Marblehead depends greatly on financial support from our members, mainly through payments of their annual pledge. Members’ pledges represented 68% of our annual 2010-2011 budgeted operating income with the average annual pledge being $1850. In the Bylaws is the following requirement of membership: “support the Church financially by pledging and paying some amount each year…” For information on pledging, click here. The next largest sources of income are endowments and fundraisers.

Our Church has a few endowment funds and most are restricted in how the funds can be used. Interest and dividend income from some of these funds goes toward the operating income and represented 10 % of the 2010-2011 budgeted operating income.

The other major source of income is the fundraiser. Traditionally we have two fundraisers each year, Red Bow Holiday Fair in December and an Auction in the spring. Several other fundraisers are usually held during the year. Fundraisers represented 9% of our 2010-2011 budgeted operating income.

Most of our church’s expenses are fixed with compensation for our dedicated staff representing the largest proportion in the 2010-2011 budget: 69%.

At the Annual Meeting at the beginning of the church year, currently June, the members of the congregation vote on the operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year. At that time a full report of income and expenses from the fiscal year just ended is made. To further financial transparency, monthly statements are also available during the year. Contact the Treasurer at Treasurer@uumarblehead.org.

A word about receipts for tax purposes:

If you declare your charitable donations on your federal tax return, beginning in 2007 a new law requires that you have documentation for each donation - including cash. Per IRS Regulations, no deduction on a tax return will be allowed (in the event of an audit) for any contribution of a cash, check, or other monetary gift unless the donor has a record of such contribution, such as a bank record (checks, electronic funds transfers, credit card charges, and payroll deductions) or a written communication from the donee. The Church provides a form for you to use to note the cash you put in the plate on Sundays. When this form is signed by the Assistant Treasurer, we hope it will be valid documentation for such donations. To access the form, click here, print it, record your donations, and have the Assistant Treasurer sign the form. If you need a receipt for other cash donations where you received no tangible goods in return, contact the Assistant Treasurer, AsstTreas@uumarblehead.org.