Giving & Funding at UUCB

UUCB is self-funded, as are all Unitarian Universalist congregations, meaning that we are responsible for raising the money needed to fund our operating expenses.

The Treasurer and Finance Council, under the direction of the Board of Trustees, develop and manage the annual budget.

The budget for the coming year (UUCB’s fiscal year is from July 1 to June 30) must be approved by a vote at the June congregational meeting.

Income

UUCB’s income comes from the following sources:

• Individual pledges, donations, and bequests. A yearly pledge drive takes place in the spring. All members and friends of UUCB are asked to make a pledge for the coming year to sustain the staff, programs, and maintenance of our church. Additional money is received from the weekly offering, plus other solicited and unsolicited donations, including bequests and other memorial gifts.
• Fundraisers, including concerts, grocery coupons, auctions, and bookstores
• Short-term and long-term building rentals

Endowment Fund

UUCB’s endowment fund, overseen by a three-member Endowment Committee, does not contribute to our annual operating expenses. Rather it was established with specific guidelines for distributing the interest earned each year to congregation-initiated proposals for capital improvements of the building and grounds (75%) and community outreach projects (25%).

Membership Dues

All UU congregations are assessed membership dues to both our parent organization, the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA), and to the UUA's regional Mountain Desert District (MDD). UUCB’s goal is to pay our full share of these dues, which currently total $73 per member. Both of these organizations offer invaluable human and material resources to our congregation.

Stewardship

UUCB’s sense of stewardship also includes our making periodic contributions to local, national, and international social justice and humanitarian causes that are identified by congregational members, MDD, or UUA. In addition, the change collected in our weekly collection (“Change for the future”) is distributed each month to a local nonprofit nominated by the congregation.