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. |
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Compensation and Staffing Guidance
Aid Funds |
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Editor's Note: New Year, New Newsletter Format
Dear Readers,
For many of us, July represents the beginning of a new year. It's often a time when new board members get installed. Staff changes are common. You are likely planning for the upcoming program year. In a lot of congregations, July 1 begins a new fiscal year, as well. Please use the links in our General Info section below to tell us about any staff and leader changes, including changes in salaries for continuing employees.
This new year, of sorts, is my excuse to change up the newsletter format (again). I hope that organizing the information by team – Insurance, Retirement, Compensation & Staffing, General Info – is helpful to you. (Do you miss the cheerful orange container of the previous format? I'm now using it for the header of the General Info section.)
Church Staff Finances is a team of ten, eight of whom attended General Assembly in person. We managed to get seven of us together for a photo at our booth. Kudos to Sean for serving as GA Stage Manager (thus occupied at the time of this photo), and gratitude to Anna and Mary for keeping things running smoothly while we were out of the office.
Left to right: Richard, Hugh, Gloria, Jackie, Jan, Ashley, and Mariyah |
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Jan Gartner, Associate Director, Church Staff Finances |
Property & Casualty Insurance Progress
The Insurance Team continues to manage the flow of information regarding congregational concerns around non-renewal of property coverage. Please forward all Property & Casualty inquiries (attn, Hugh Dennis) to InsurancePlans@uua.org. |
Insurance Team Webinar Series Continues
While much of the upcoming session is geared toward UUA Health Plan participants, the information and tools being shared will help those who administer the plans feel more confident in supporting your employees. Please share the following with your staff as well as with lay leaders who would benefit from learning more about our plans and tools:
Join us for the second webinar in our four-part series, where we'll dive into everything you need to know about choosing the right Highmark health plan for you and your family. We’ll lay out the differences among plan levels, explain what a Health Savings Account (HSA) is and how it can benefit you, and show you how to take advantage of helpful online tools like our premium calculator and the Highmark member portal. Whether you're new to our plans or just want to make more confident, informed choices, this session will give you the practical knowledge you need.
Webinar 2: Comparing Health Plans, HSAs, & Online Tools
Highmark member portal, coverages, online premium calculator
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
Webinar 3: Billing 101 – How to Pay, Stay Current, & Access Invoices Online
ACH enrollment, delinquency notices, CDS billing schedule
Tuesday, August 19, 2025 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
Webinar 4: Your Dental, Life, LTD, and Vision Benefits
Coverage details, how to submit life insurance claims, enrolling in member portals
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 | 12:00–1:00 PM ET
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Roth Contribution Option Coming Soon
The UU Organizations Retirement Plan is adding a Roth employee contribution source as of January 1st, 2026. We are excited to offer this option, which can allow employees to take qualified distributions tax-free. We will send information shortly on how to set up Roth contributions in your payroll system. In addition, we’ll be hosting webinars and office hours. Stay tuned! |
Payroll Software and Processing Survey
In order to help organizations implement Roth contributions, and to improve the support our team provides, we will be sending out a brief payroll survey. The survey will ask for information about your payroll software and platforms, what level of support you have for payroll, and more. Please be on the lookout for the CSF Payroll Survey and let us know your situation so that we can better serve you. |
Meet the Moment by Sharing Staff
At last month's General Assembly, Jan Gartner and Emily Cherry (Congregational Life Consultant, New England Region) led three 90-minute Meet the Moment Wave Cohort sessions on Growing Administrative Capacity Across Congregations. One strategy that has emerged is for two or more congregations to share administrative staff, as is already happening in some places. We think it could become a more common practice, easing the collective burden on congregations for recruiting and training while offering more hours within the UU universe to talented staff.
Of course, other staff positions can be shared, as well. Click the button below to learn more about how to make shared staffing arrangements work well. Look for the Congregational Collaboration Board section. Part of the UUA Jobs Board, this is where you can post that you are offering or seeking a part-time staff member for a shared arrangement. |
About Our Ministerial Agreement Templates
The UUA and the UUMA (UU Ministers Association) offer Ministerial Agreement templates, offering a consistent starting point for congregational leaders and ministers to work from. Currently, there are four separate templates for different forms of ministry. We are in the process of unifying these separate Agreements into a single template for ease of use; we hope to have this available for you by early fall.
In the meantime, we discovered that the language of our Extended Medical Leave provision needed clarifications. On our Employment Agreements page (click below), you will find Spring 2025 Updated Agreements, with improved Extended Medical Leave language and a few other minor wording changes. If you are currently using any of our model agreements, we suggest amending your Extended Medical Leave language to match the updated template. |
GENERAL CHURCH STAFF FINANCES INFO |
Please Tell Us about Leader/Employee Changes
New staff members or adjusted salaries? Change in lay leader roles? Please let us know!
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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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