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
This issue of our newsletter is organized a bit differently than usual. Reflecting a growing level of collaboration across our group, all items relating to benefits apply to both Insurance and Retirement Plans. Thus you'll find a heftier "General Info" section, rather than separate Insurance and Retirement sections... |
In This Issue
General Info
We're Available for Staff Meetings
Benefits: What's Up to You? What's Up to Us?
Handy Links
Compensation and Staffing
Hiring Members Onto Your Staff
Scholarship for Lay Leaders Entering Seminary
Faithfully, |
Jan Gartner, Associate Director, Church Staff Finances |
GENERAL CHURCH STAFF FINANCES INFO |
Want to Educate Your Employees on Benefits?
Invite Us to a Staff Meeting!
UUA Retirement and Insurance Plans staff are available to join staff meetings via Zoom. We can provide an overview of Plan benefits, answer employee questions, review enrollment procedures, demonstrate the Empower platform (Retirement), and more.
|
Benefits: What's Up to You? What's Up to the UUA?
Congregations Choose Benefits and Set Contribution Policies
Your congregation/organization can choose which benefits to offer. And, if participating in UUA benefits, you determine how much of each benefit you will cover for your staff.
- Retirement Plan: A base contribution percentage and optional match percentage are elected on the organization's Employer Participation Agreement.
- Health Plan: Your contribution policy is outlined on your Subscription Agreement. (Dental contribution policy often mirrors the Health Plan, though it doesn't have to.)
- Life and LTD Plans: Again, it is up to the organization to set contribution policy. (Most commonly, the employer covers the full cost of Life/LTD for eligible employees.)
Eligibility is Set by the UUA
The UUA determines eligibility criteria for all of our benefits. We sometimes discover that congregational/organizational policies are at odds with UUA Plan rules when it comes to stated eligibility. Please double-check your personnel policies to ensure compliance. Failing to offer a benefit to an eligible staff member is not only unfair to the employee — it puts the congregation at risk. Errors can be both costly and time-consuming to rectify. We urge you to reach out to us if you have any questions about your policies.
The best single resource for compliance is our Benefits Tune-up Workbook. (Benefits Tune-up Month was in February, but it's definitely never too late.) |
Communicating Leader/Employee Changes
New staff members or adjusted salaries? Change in lay leader roles? Please let us know!
|
Hiring Members Onto Your Staff
Is it okay to have congregation members join your staff? Some congregations say never. Others allow members to accept staff roles under limited circumstances. And still others routinely hire from within the membership.
We often get asked if the UUA has rules or recommendations about members as employees. Hiring members can work well when good boundaries and shared understandings are in place. This LeaderLab piece provides guidance and links to additional articles on the topic. |
Scholarship for Lay Leaders Entering Seminary
From Our Friends in UUA Stewardship and Development
Are you or someone you know a lay leader in Unitarian Universalism who will be entering the first year of seminary in 2026? Or are you undertaking undergraduate work to prepare for seminary? The Rev. Chuck and Nancy Thomas Scholarship honors Rev. Chuck Thomas’s career and his family’s commitment to lay leadership in Unitarian Universalism by awarding a scholarship to one such student each year.
Thomas Scholars qualify for this award by demonstrating outstanding commitment to Unitarian Universalism as lay leaders. Applications will be accepted February 15 through April 15, 2026. |
Was this newsletter forwarded to you and now you want to subscribe?
Or do you want to encourage others to subscribe? |
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. |
|
|
|
|
