Our Dream budget puts forth our dreams for the future. Please watch to see our process, priorities, and how we can get there.

1. DREAM BUDGET
&
PLEDGE DRIVE

2. Why have a Dream Budget?
• Democratic because all requests are included
• Inspirational because it reflects what we can become
• Allows us to Dream (Appreciative Inquiry)
• Mission focused: Transforming people who transform the world
• Creates a foundation for the pledge drive
• Informs members how their generosity can support First
Universalist in the coming year

3. Budgeting Process
• Dream Budget is presented at the February Budget hearing for
input and revision
• Priorities are further refined in an ongoing dialogue between the
Board of Trustees and Executive Team
• Dream Budget the basis for the second budget hearing in early May
in which congregants are encouraged to attend and provide input
• The results of the second budget hearing are presented for
adoption at the Spring Congregational meeting and become the
operational budget for the coming year
Refinement Approval
February & May Hearing Spring Cong.
Hearing
Prioritization Meeting

4. Moving to a three year plan
• A dream budget typically exceeds what is possible in one year
• Looking back, items presented in a dream budget that continue to
have merit are funded within three years
• We want to move to a three year financial plan to provide better
guidance and continuity
• Provides consistency with commitments previously made by the
congregation.
2013 2014 2015

5. Growing in Spirit
• We all have stories of how both the church has grown and
changed in these important areas, transforming us in the process:
• Making Meaningful Connections
• Growing Spiritually, Intellectually, Emotionally
• Living Our Values in the Wider World
• And we do this by
• Building a Vibrant Organization

6. Dream Budget Buckets
• Historically, the dream budget exceeds our ability to fund all of the
requests within a one year timeframe
• Initial bucket groupings help us communicate with the
Congregation the relative priority of every request
• We use the following three buckets
• Urgent
• Important
• Worthy

7. Urgent
• Dream of a Second Minister
• Transition from hired Assistant Minister to called Associate Minister
• Growing Spiritually, Emotionally and Intellectually
• Director of Faith Formation, full-time
• Early Childhood and K-5 Coordinator
• Assistant Director of Music
• More Child Care hours
• Care and Connections
• Hospitality Coordinator
• Connections Coordinator
• Dynamic Organization
• Operational Support (custodial support, utilities, postage, phone, etc)
• FICA, Benefits
• New Church Management Database Total: $84,000

8. Important
• Growing Spiritually, Emotionally and Intellectually
• Increased compensation for Director of Music
• Sunday Morning guest Musicians
• Dynamic Organization
• Audit
• Increased hours for Communications Coord.
• Hire Multimedia Technician
• Long Term Reserve Study
• Hours for Office Manager
Total: $40,000

9. Worthy
• Growing Spiritually, Emotionally and Intellectually
• Senior Minister compensation (to be determined by the Board of Trustees)
• Minister-in-Residence
• Ministerial Intern
• Care and Connections
• Care and Connections Ministry support
• Volunteer Coordinator
• Committee on Ministry support
• Dynamic Organization
• Staff and Lay-member training
Total: $33,000

10. Giving in Gratitude
• While a pledge is an requirement of membership, we believe that
First Universalist is a worthy organization; and therefore, is worthy
of financial support of all who participate
• We are asking for 100% participation in pledging by everyone who is
participating in the life of First Universalist Church
• That support must come in the form of a pledge since the Sunday
Offering no longer supports the church

11. Compassion in Action:
A Testimonial in Giving in Gratitude
• Each week we ask you to be generous
• The congregation is responding by giving $50,000 to the
Compassion in Action offering this year
• This combined with our denominational support is a full tithe to the
wider community
• An amount over 10% of our operating budget goes to support the
work of our faith in the larger world

12. Snapshot on Giving
• Compared to last
year, pledging increased 10%
to support this year’s budget
• This average conceals the
dynamic nature of a pledge
drive
• Some people doubled their
pledge and some tripled it
• Some people had to decrease
their pledge because of
financial circumstances, but
their level of giving was still
generous
• Because of 100% participation
we had 54 new pledges, 15 of
whom were pledging friends

13. Range of Giving
• There is a wide range of pledges
• Some make a spirit pledge of $12 a year and given their financial
circumstances, that is generous
• Some people make a pledge of $20,000 a year and that is generous
• We depend upon your generosity
$4,800-$20,000
$2,400-$4,800
$1,200-$2,400
$12-$1,200

14. Trends in Giving in UU Congregations
• Giving in Conservative Christian Churches is 10%: a full tithe
• Giving in Liberal Christian Churches is 7%
• Many UU churches are introducing the concept of a liberal tithe of
5%, realizing that many members give at least 5% to other charitable
organizations
Blanche DuBois said “…I have
always depended on the
kindness of strangers.” We
depend upon your generosity.

15. How does First Universalist Compare?
• The UUA ranks metro areas based upon 5 categories, with 5 being
the most expensive
• Denver is rated a 4, it costs more to operate our church
• Last year, First Universalist was the 34 th largest church in the UUA
• Because of the membership growth over the last 12 months (adding 81 new
members) First Universalist is now the 28th largest UU church
• This growth is reflected in other areas
• Last year worship attendance grew 9.4% over the previous year
• Current Worship attendance is 12.4% ahead of last year
• RE registration is 10% higher than last year and continues to increase
This is happening because we are doing a lot
of things in compelling ways!

16. First Universalist
• The average UU pledge (average of all UU churches in the US) is 2.8% of
household income.
• Last year the average pledge at First Universalist is estimated at 1.8% of
income, this year it is 2.0%
• If the average pledge at First Universalist was 2.5% of income, we could
easily fund all three buckets in the dream budget and more
While we would like to move toward a liberal tithe that is something that
can only happen over time. Some members are already making a liberal
tithe including our Senior Minister and Executive Director. Jeannie Shero is
committed to a liberal tithe, but that is dependent upon fair compensation
for her position.

17. Bucket Metaphor, again
“No one asked you to fill the bucket – especially all alone?... We may
feel daunted, we are one drop among many- and every drop helps.”
And every drop gets us closer to our dream.
Gordon McKeeman
If everyone is generous we can fund the requests in the Urgent
Bucket, and even some of the things in the Important Bucket