UUCB 2024-25 Stewardship Campaign: Rising to the Challenge — Together!

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Dates and Details

March 3        Stewardship Campaign Begins

March 24   Deadline for submitting pledges

2024-2025 Pledge Goal:  $270,131 (15% increase from 2023-2024)

Three ways to return your pledge form:

How to pay your pledge

  • Mail a check to UUCB 183 Riverside Dr., Binghamton NY  13905
  • Place a check in the basket on Sunday morning
  • Sign up to have your bank pay your pledge automatically
  • Make a PayPal payment online at https://uubinghamton.org/donate/  (PayPal charges UUCB a 3% fee per transaction).
  • Coming soon! Pay online with Realm (our pledge & membership database)

Some members pay their pledge monthly, others quarterly, or at different intervals.  Some make one payment a year.

Some thoughts from your stewardship team.

For me, UUCB is an integral part of life in Broome County.  This is the only option I have for an in-person religious community.  I am so glad I could raise my children with the UU worldview.  Through readings, sermons and sharing of life-stories, I have accrued wisdom that has guided me in making decisions about how to live, treat others and what it means to be human.

Barb Nordstrom

I have been a member of UUCB for almost three years, and I felt welcomed from the very beginning.  I’ve shared moments of joy and struggle with new friends, learned new things in workshops and classes, and been inspired on Sunday mornings.  And every week, I get a dose of hope, that there are so many brave, generous, committed souls, making the world a better place.

Becca Boerger

For over four decades I have found inspiration and countless friends at UUCB. I support UUCB so that others can have similar experiences.

Dolores Elliott

Why do YOU come to UUCB?  Whatever your individual reasons, we all belong to a community committed to spiritual inspiration, social justice, and caring for each other.  We make a difference in the lives of our members and in the world.

We also face challenges.  Like many religious organizations, we lost members during the pandemic, at the same time we took on an ambitious, mission-driven renovation.  The Board has looked at the budget for next year, and they estimate that we need a 15% increase in total pledges to maintain our current staffing, including our full-time minister, and have a balanced budget.  We know we cannot request this kind of increase every year.  We are growing, and we are already working on plans and programs so future pledge campaigns will not make such large requests. 

What is UUCB worth to you?  What can you give to sustain your spiritual home?  We are asking everyone to consider making an increase in your annual financial pledge.  Only you know your personal situation.  Some of you can increase by 15%; some even more.  Others are already pledging as much as they can.  We are grateful for whatever you can give. 

We are a vibrant community with a strong foundation and energy for a bright future.  Together we will rise to meet this challenge!

Budget Information

Our expenses are projected to rise 4% in 2024-25.  This difference is largely explained by unusual reductions to our expenses in 2023-2024:  we received a grant from the endowment to repay that loan, and the UUA granted us reduced dues because of financial hardship.  If our expenses have risen only a small amount, why are we requesting such a large pledge increase?  Because we received several large one-time donations last year.  Our projected budget relies on pledge increases to replace them.  The largest part of our budget is personnel, and there is little room to cut other areas.  So, if we do not receive pledge increases, we will be forced to make cuts in personnel.

Most (77%) of our projected income for 2024-25 is from pledges.

Most (69%) of our expenses are for personnel, including pay, insurance, pensions, and professional expenses.  Property includes utilities, maintenance, and repairs.  Loan Repayment is listed separately.  All of our expenses for committees and programming are included in the remaining 13%, and few remaining cuts are possible in these areas.  So budget cuts this year would need to come from Personnel.

The big differences in budgeted income are in pledges and “other.”  In 2023-24, we received a COVID-era program payment, and some large one-time donations.  We are expecting more money from space usage this year, but this category of income is still more than $24,000 lower in 2024-25.

Our expenses are projected to rise 4% in 2024-25.  Loan Repayment is larger next year because we need to repay the endowment loan, which was forgiven last year.  Personnel has increased slightly due to an increase in the minimum wage and insurance costs, and including the DFM in the pension plan, but salaries and professional expenses remain the same as in 2023-24.  The increase in the “Other” category is from our UUA dues.  The UUA allowed us to pay lower dues for two years due to financial hardship.  That decrease has now ended.

The line-item budget is available on request.  Please contact treasurer at uubinghamton dot org.

How to Decide How Much to Give

Deciding how much to pledge is a personal matter.  No one else is in your situation.  But here are some thoughts to help you make your decision.

  • Our projected budget for next year is $353,000, with $270,000 (77%) coming from pledges.  Those pledges come from 150 members, and last year they ranged in size from $10 to $17,000.  (For a full line-item budget, contact treasurer at uubinghamton dot org.)
  • A goal for many new folks is to give 2% of income.  Some members talk about a “UU tithe,” pledging 5% of income to their congregation, and 5% to other charities and causes.  Others may pledge a full 10%.  Give until it feels good!
  • If you have pledged before, we hope you will consider making at least a 15% increase this year; some of you may be able to make a larger increase to support our goals for next year, and others are already giving as much as you can afford.  Only you know your situation.
  • You can look at the Suggested Giving Guide for more guidance on how much you might give based on your income and level of involvement or commitment here at UUCB.

Whatever you decide, we are grateful for your contribution.