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 |
Editor's Note: Meet Hugh Dennis
Dear Readers,
In this issue, you'll find three "How-to" articles and an invitation to consider joining our Treasurer Support Team. But, first things first...
I'm pleased to introduce you to Hugh Dennis, Deputy Director, Church Staff Finances! Hugh is overseeing our Insurance Team and providing strategic leadership in risk assessment for Church Staff Finances and beyond. |
With over three decades of service within the Commercial Casualty Risk and Claims Management industry, Hugh has held various leadership positions with industry-leading global Risk Management Brokerage firms, clients, carriers, and third-party administrators. He has served on several discussion panels within the risk management industry. Most recently, Hugh worked as Director of Risk Management, Insurance Compliance & Contracts with Goucher College. |
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Hugh is a UU and resides in Maryland with his wife and two sons. He enjoys playing golf (often), cricket and F1 driving. He is a former board member for Big Brother/Big Sisters and is happy to discuss the benefits of partnering with a “Little.”
A word from Hugh...
"As a UU, I am truly excited to be working with the UUA to advance the mission, purpose and focus of the organization for its membership. The Finance and Insurance
Plan teams and I are ready to take the next steps with you."
Welcome, Hugh! We're so glad you've joined us. |
Jan Gartner, Associate Director, Church Staff Finances |
How to Tell Us about Leader/Employee Changes
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There's Only One Right Way...
To Add a New Employee to Empower
As you know, all new hires (age 18 and up) must be enrolled in Empower. When employees are added incorrectly, duplicate accounts get created, causing significant problems for both employers and employees, not to mention extra work on both your end and ours.
The correct way to add a new employee to Empower is via the Empdata Online Input Form or the Empdata.CSV file. This is the only means for us to gather all of the information needed for our plan, such as clergy status and salary, in a format that syncs with Empower’s platform.
Thank you for promptly setting up all of your new staff in Empower! |
Amending Your Employer Participation Agreement
Historically, the only time a participating employer could make changes to their Employer Participation Agreement (EPA) in the UU Org Retirement Plan was for the following calendar year. However, as of 2025, you can submit changes to be effective as of either the next calendar year or your organization's next fiscal year.
If your fiscal year begins July 1 and you want to change any of your elections, be sure to submit a new EPA no later than May 25. (We need to process and approve the change, and then notify Plan participants at least 30 days in advance.) Questions? Contact RetirementPlan@uua.org. |
Expanding Our Treasurer Support Team
A Way of Living Into Our Interdependence
The questions asked of our Treasurer Support Team vary widely. We're recruiting additional
team members in order to offer a greater breadth of knowledge, experience, and familiarity with a range of congregational sizes and structures.
Jan Gartner (Associate Director, Church Staff Finances) believes in the power of our interdependence! It can be challenging for an individual congregation to train for and consistently maintain the knowledge and skills needed for a specialized role like the treasurer. But collectively, we can help ensure that every congregation has what they need. We hope that
those of you who have served effectively as a congregational treasurer will consider taking questions now and then.
This is a volunteer role, with support from Jan – but mostly from one another. You do not need to know everything! The members of the Treasurer Support Team work collaboratively, referring inquiries to each other based on the nature of the question. Reach out to Jan at Comp@uua.org to express interest. |
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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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