Pledge Drive FAQs
Each year the Budget Working Group (composed of our Treasurer, Senior Minister, and members of the Integrated Stewardship Council) drafts an operating budget to reflect the priorities of the congregation and to meet the needs identified by the ministers and staff. It embodies the ways in which we seek to live out our shared values together.
At the heart of our budget is support for our staff. Their dedication helps bring our mission statement to life by providing the vision and structure through which we, as members and friends, can contribute our gifts and passions.
Your pledges provide 80 percent of the operating budget, with the remaining money coming from rentals, shared plate offerings, and fundraisers throughout the year. Once approved by the congregation in May, the budget is our guide for spending throughout the coming year, as well as a tool for transparency and accountability.
The Board of Trustees has committed to the following goals for the coming year:
- Paying our dedicated staff an equitable and living wage
- Continuing our Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression work
- Investing in and supporting efforts to be a welcoming and diverse Beloved community
- Making decisions that support operational vitality and viability
- Creating a more visible and effective Board
The Federal Paycheck Protection Program helped UCE maintain and fully fund our excellent staff. While some costs were lower when our building was closed, we also lost significant revenue from rentals and fundraising events. We have recovered remarkably well due to the tremendous efforts of our staff and volunteers, as well as the generosity of our congregation.
UCE remains financially healthy, and we’ve been able to proceed with projects funded by the capital campaign that was conducted four years ago, and using our Endowment funds to give to the community.
Now that we have fully returned to our space, we are hosting more events, sharing our space with community partners, welcoming returning and new renters, along with more individual families into our spiritual home.
In our efforts to be as fiscally responsible as we can be and to manage the stewardship of our congregation in a transparent way, we ask each member and pledging friend household to submit a pledge every year (approximately 3 months before the fiscal year begins on July 1) so that we can budget and responsibly plan for the coming year.
We are grateful to accept the form of payment that works best for you and your personal budget. Please consider creating or updating an online account so that your gift is made automatically. Many members find this a convenient method, and it provides UCE with a steady, predictable flow of revenue. You can set up automatic payments to be made weekly, monthly, quarterly, or in one lump sum. If you prefer to pledge by credit or debit card, thank you for adding on the 3 percent processing fee.
If you have an existing Vanco automatic payment, UCE staff will update the amount in July at the start of the new fiscal year to reflect your pledge for 2023-2024. Question? E-mail Vickie Doebele at finance@ucevanston.org.
We encourage you to complete the pledge form online, which you can find by clicking here. Alternatively, you can fill out the form that was part of the e-mail pledge packet and submit it via e-mail at admin@ucevanston.org. You may also complete a printed form and mail it to the church office. When you submit your pledge, you will receive a receipt via e-mail.
Submitting your pledge form by February 28th will provide the Board of Trustees an actual pledge base to draft an accurate UCE budget for 2025-2026. Thus, having your pledge on time will help the Board of Trustees approve the budget by April and present the final budget to the congregation in May.
Yes! We have a Support Team of UCE members trained to answer your questions about the pledge drive and to assist you in completing and submitting your pledge. You can reach the Support Team by calling 847-864-1330 ext. 111 or e-mailing them at pledgeinfo@ucevanston.org.
Thank you for supporting our whole mission to nurture the human spirit for a world made whole!