Annual Pledge Drive, for the 2026-2027 Fiscal Year

If you are ready to pledge right now and don’t need all the verbiage–just click here!

The Annual Pledge Drive is here—our opportunity to affirm the values that make our congregation a place of welcome, inspiration, connection, and action. Every contribution matters. Together, we can ensure that NUUC remains a powerful force for good—for ourselves, our community, and the future. Please pledge today.  We are entirely self-supporting:  We depend on those who have signed the membership book as well as friends of the congregation to make pledges that cover our operational costs. All contributions needed and appreciated!  If you have participated in any way in the worship services, religious exploration materials and classes, social and service opportunities, please pledge!

What is the Annual Pledge Drive?

Each late spring/early summer the NUUC asks its members and friends to make a commitment of financial support (a pledge) for the coming fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). Our Annual Pledge Drive provides the funds that make the life of our congregation possible. 

What are our Budget Needs This Year?

To continue thriving, NUUC must grow its operating budget in ways that reflect both our values and our real needs. This year, we celebrate a major milestone: we have brought all staff salaries up to UUA compensation guidelines, a long‑held goal that honors the people who make our ministry possible. At the same time, several essential needs remain:

• Administrative Support: 

We currently budget for only five hours of administrative assistance each week—far below what is needed for a healthy, growing congregation. Increasing administrative hours will allow our minister to focus on preaching, pastoral care, leadership, and community engagement rather than administrative burden.

• Building Loan: 

Our new and renovated facility is a gift to our future, but the loan that made it possible must now be fully integrated into our operating budget. At present, a portion of the loan is still being paid from reserve funds. To be financially sustainable, we need to move these payments into the annual budget.

• Sustaining Our Ministry and Programs: 

With staff now at fair compensation levels, our next step is ensuring that we can maintain those salaries, support our expanding programs, and continue offering excellent worship, religious exploration, and community engagement. Your pledge makes all of this possible. Every contribution—large or small—helps sustain work that make NUUC a place of welcome, inspiration, and connection.

How Can I Pledge?

• If you would like to be contacted by a steward—a fellow member of the congregation who is helping us with our pledge drive–you can request one by writing to minister@nuuc.org.
• You can fill out a pledge form online–just click here!
• You can set up an automatically recurring donation by clicking here.  If you already have a recurring donation and would like to increase your contribution, you can ask us to cancel your current contribution schedule, and then you can establish a new one (just write to minister@nuuc.org). 
• If you need to know you current pledge before establishing a new one, just write minister@nuuc.org

What is a Pledge? Is it Binding?

A pledge is a commitment to donate to the congregation during the fiscal year—an intention, not a legal obligation. If your financial situation changes, pledges can be adjusted. Your support is vital to our community’s wellbeing, helping us plan our budget. For transparency, our budget is publicly approved each year.

Do I Have to Pledge?

Making and fulfilling an annual pledge deepens our faith and sustains the UUFC for the benefit of us all and the wider community we serve, but you are not required to make a pledge. You do not have to pledge to be a member, although you do need to make a financial contribution (of any size) annually.  The congregation depends upon pledges to fund almost all our operating budget, so all are encouraged to make a pledge.

What Are My Payment Options?

• Online: You can give online by clicking on the big red donate button at www.nuuc.org.
• Mail a Check: Checks can be made out to NUUC, please write the word “pledge” in the memo line of the check, and mail to NUUC, PO Box 541, Lewis Center, OH 43035
• Required Minimum Distribution: for those who hold retirement accounts (401K, IRA, and some others) who are 72 or older (if you were born on or after July 1, 1949) or those 70.5 and older (if born before July 1, 1949), you can have your required minimum distribution (RMD) transferred directly to the NUUC. The advantage of this for you is that you then do not have to pay tax on these monies.

How Much Should I Pledge?

Our Unitarian Universalist Association offers a Fair Share Giving Guide. While pledges vary based on individual means, we embrace our congregation’s financial diversity. To sustain an inclusive community, we ask those who can to contribute more.Your landscape team is currently busy working with a native plant and sustainable design landscape expert in planning the development of our outdoor spaces.