At Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church, the way we raise and spend money reflects our deepest values, such as what most needs care and attention in people’s lives, what it means to be a just employer, how to be good stewards of our church, and where we most need to invest in our future.
Our church is 100 percent “us”. Everything we do—from our justice work to our community service, from cultivating the next generation of children to embracing progressive values, to offering transformative programs for adults—is supported financially by the people of HUUC.
Here we work to talk openly and directly about the financial realities of sustaining this community and the financial complexities of life today. We don’t ask people to give until it hurts, we ask them to give until they feel good about that gift, to give in order to create this community for one another! Your generosity allows us to keep strengthening our mission, nurturing our community, and bringing more love into the world.
Pledging is our primary means of financial sustenance. We rely on pledges for over 70% of the money it takes to operate the church. A Stewardship Campaign requesting pledges from the congregation takes place in January of each year. The results of the campaign give us the information we need to prepare our operating budget for the next church year.
Pledges can be submitted by filling out the pledge card that is distributed during the Stewardship Campaign or by e-mailing your pledge amount to the Parish Administrator.
You may pay your pledge in single or multiple payments over the calendar year, whichever is most convenient. Pledge payments can be made by check or online.
To pay by check, mail a check to the church at: PO Box 217, Harvard, MA 01451. Please make the check out to HUUC and please write the word “Pledge” in the memo line so it can be recorded as a payment toward your pledge.
To pay online, please visit our online giving page. Enter the donation amount, and then in the first pull-down menu please select “Give to Annual Pledge”. Then enter the frequency of the donation (one-time, weekly, every 2 weeks, monthly, or yearly) and the method (credit/debit or bank transfer).
One-time donations can be made by check or online. To pay by check, mail a check to the church at: PO Box 217, Harvard, MA 01451. Please make the check out to HUUC and please write the word “Gift” in the memo line so it can be recorded properly.
To pay online, please visit our online giving page. Enter the donation amount, and then in the first pull-down menu please select “Give to Gift”. Then enter the payment method (credit/debit or bank transfer).
One Sunday service per month, all proceeds from the offering go to a non-profit organization doing tangible work to make this community, country, and the world a better place: groups like Loaves & Fishes food bank, Concord Prison Outreach, World Central Kitchen, and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. We vote as a congregation to select the organizations with which we share our plate.
Donations to the current month’s Share the Plate Charity can be made by check or online. To pay by check, mail a check to the church at: PO Box 217, Harvard, MA 01451. Please make the check out to HUUC and please write the word “Sharing Our Plate Charity 100%” in the memo line so it can be recorded properly.
To pay online, please visit our online giving page. Enter the donation amount, and then in the first pull-down menu please select “Give to Sharing Our Plate Charity 100%”. Then enter the payment method (credit/debit or bank transfer).
There are significant tax benefits for a donor who transfers stocks, bonds, or mutual funds to HUUC. You can fulfill your pledge or make an undesignated donation using this method.
Reach out to our treasurer for more information.
Shaping Our Future
The average person who makes a planned gift isn’t a millionaire or independently wealthy. Rather, most planned givers are simply members of Unitarian Universalist congregations who want to make a commitment to the future of our liberal faith. They are people who wish to shape the future of our church beyond their lifetimes.
We encourage every person considering a planned gift to consult professionals who can guide them along the process. While the church cannot offer financial or tax advice regarding your gift, members of the Endowment Committee will be happy to discuss ways in which we can help you fulfill your vision with your gift.
Why Planned Giving?
Planned giving allows church members to assure the long-term financial survival and vitality of the congregation. It allows members to express gratitude for the community and show their commitment to the church’s mission and values far beyond their lifetimes.
The UUA’s Planned Giving Guide says this more expansively:
“Planned gifts, including charitable bequests made through a will, are often the single largest and most significant gifts an individual can and will make to your congregation. Individuals usually give bequests and planned gifts to what has mattered most to them in their lives – family, friends, and institutions that share their core values. The level of commitment and interest shown by a planned gift is deep and for the long-term. It is a rare person who gives away his life’s savings on a whim. Many instead evaluate their fundamental values and priorities and apply these core values to a plan for how they want the assets in their accumulated life estate to be distributed and used after they die.
More often than not, it is a gift intended to provide long-term or perpetual support to your congregation, such as a gift to your permanent endowment. Planned gifts therefore are essential to the financial future of your fellowship, society, or congregation. Indeed, a planned gift can be the ultimate gift of a lifetime for both your congregation and the donor. Planned gifts will not be made from disposable annual income or by digging a little deeper for a “stretch” gift as in a campaign. Instead, a planned gift is usually a donation made from the assets accumulated over a person’s lifetime, and it is usually a contribution to the endowment.”
Planned giving allows you to make your vision for the church a reality, usually in the form of a bequest from your estate. A planned gift can be made as easily as adding a paragraph of language to a simple will. Planned gifts are more often part of a larger estate plan that a donor has built in conjunction with their financial advisor. While in many situations, gifts to the church may offer charitable tax benefits, the church cannot advise prospective donors on tax benefits or consequences of these gifts. Instead, we recommend that donors consult with a trusted financial advisor to properly judge how your planned gift might affect the value of your estate to your loved ones and beneficiaries..
Your Steps to Giving
We recommend that people who wish to make a planned gift to do so in the following four steps:
Bequest Language
We recommend that donors instruct their lawyer or financial advisor to add language to their will similar to the following:
I give_____ [$ amount, description of property, or % of estate] to the General Endowment Fund of the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church, a Massachusetts charitable corporation located at 9 Ayer Road, On the Common, Harvard, Massachusetts, to be to be used for one or more of the three Endowment Purposes: Unrestricted, Buildings and Grounds, or Social Action.
Donor Recognition
The church wishes to honor and acknowledge those who make planned gifts and their willingness to plan for the future of the church. When you notify the Endowment Committee of your gift, we will automatically enroll you as a member of the Recognition Society. Those who do not wish to be recognized as part of the society will be listed as anonymous bequests.
Contact Information
We hope that this begins to answer some of your questions around making a planned gift to the church. If you have further questions, please email your name, phone number, and questions to our office, and someone will contact you to help answer your questions.
