UUA Church Staff Finances
Guided by Unitarian Universalist values,
we equip congregations for excellence as employers
and their staff for financial competence and well-being. |
Retirement and Insurance Plans
Compensation and Staffing Guidance
Aid Funds |
Compensation & Staffing News |
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Editor's Note: Celebrating A Long-Lived Program
Dear Readers,
So many among you (both lay leaders and staff) have benefited from the support and wisdom of a UUA Compensation Consultant over the years! In our lead article, we express gratitude to the dozens of skilled people who have served in this role as we move into different ways of partnering with volunteers that better meet the needs of today. UUA Executive Vice President Carey McDonald recently shared this message with Compensation Consultants past and present:
"On behalf of our entire Association, my profound appreciation for the years of work of our Compensation Consultants. Helping our congregations to be equitable, accessible, and sustainable employers, who treat their staff in alignment with our shared UU values, is an essential function for the UUA to serve. You have become part of that legacy."
Also in this issue, learn about a current volunteer opportunity within Church Staff Finances, along with resources for hiring and digital security. The final article includes our usual list of handy links. |
Jan Gartner, Associate Director, Church Staff Finances |
Compensation Consultants: A Job Well Done!
The UUA introduced the Compensation Consultant program in the late 1990s, when "Fair Compensation" guidelines were very new. (Prior to that, the UUA offered no formal pay recommendations.) There was little UUA staff support available at that time and online resources were not well-developed. There was no newsletter. It was these trained volunteers, visiting congregations to consult with leaders and tabling at District Assemblies, that made our compensation recommendations a true fixture within Unitarian Universalism – and so it has been for more than a quarter-century!
But much has changed over time. UUA compensation information has become much more familiar to congregational leaders. We now have a two-person Compensation Team (Jan and Sean) and a wealth of resources freely available online. As time has gone on, requests for Compensation Consultants have dropped off and Zoom meetings have replaced in-person consultations. Even after we introduced a whole new Congregational Salary Program in 2022, we found that the Compensation Consultants did not receive many inquiries. (The Compensation Team educated leaders and staff through webinars, Compensation and Staffing News articles, and direct email communications.)
Our staff, as well as the Compensation Consultants themselves, recognized that we are in a different era with different needs. It was time to say goodbye to the Compensation Consultant program as we've known it. We recently held a (virtual) gathering to celebrate this highly successful and enduring program, with attendees representing more than 20 years of its existence! We are so grateful to the dozens and dozens who have served as Compensation Consultants over time. Congratulations on a job well done!
The Compensation Consultant program in its current form has ended, but our partnerships with volunteers live on, including some of our longtime Compensation Consultants continuing on in more specialized roles. At the button below, you can learn about our Treasurer Support Team, our Advisory and Communications Team, and more. |
Retirement Plan Committee Seeks New Members
The day-to-day operations of the UU Retirement Plan are managed by our fantastic
Retirement Plan Team. But did you know that there’s a volunteer Retirement Plan Committee (RPC) behind the scenes, serving as fiduciaries? The RPC is seeking new members. If you have experience (or know someone with experience) in retirement plan oversight, investment analysis, financial planning, employee benefits administration, HR management, or a related field, you (they) are invited to apply.
Terms are two years, with reappointment allowed three times for a maximum of eight years. The RPC currently meets online quarterly for a half-day, with a one- to two-day onsite meeting annually in Boston.
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1 Refreshed and 1 New Hiring Resource
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Online Privacy Protection for the UU Community
On the digital security front, the UUA is partnering with DeleteMe, a data removal service that helps keep your personal information from being discovered online. The UUA recommends a subscription for:
- Religious professionals
- Other staff who feel vulnerable working in the UU community, and
- Any UU who fears they may be targeted
The UUA is extending our organizational discount to anyone in the UU community. For this publicly available version of our newsletter, we we are not publishing the link to the discount code. You can learn more about DeleteMe and get the UUA discount code from your regional staff. (Your religious professionals may also have received it through their organizations.) Please share the information within your community's private communication channels, but do not post the discount code/link to a publicly available page.
Congregations are encouraged to reimburse staff for their subscriptions. |
How to Tell Us about Leader/Employee Changes
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UUA Church Staff Finances provides general information to
help equip and empower congregational leaders in their decision-making.
We are not legal or tax professionals and we do not track state law. Congregations are solely responsible for their legal obligations. We encourage you to consult your own legal and tax advisors for specific guidance. |
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