The Pledge Drive (also known as the Budget Drive) is your opportunity to participate in the holy practices of stewardship and generosity in order to provide a foundation for the Unitarian Church of Montpelier to exist in community and enact our mission in our world. It’s during this time each year that we reach out to you, our loving community, to pledge a financial commitment for our next fiscal year.

We pledge in order to ensure our Board, Executive Team, Minister, and Finance Committee will be able to confidently and responsibly plan for our Annual Budget. Our pledge totals are entered directly into the input side so we can plan for the output side – our beautiful facilities, amazing staff, and wonderful programs. While we gratefully receive all gifts, it’s the pledges we count on and use for our budgetary planning purposes. Pledges are our foundation.

The Unitarian Church of Montpelier is financially autonomous. We have no diocese or umbrella organization to support us if we fail to meet our annual operating budget needs.

Read more about the current Pledge Drive here.

Who may pledge?

Members. Friends. Parents. Newcomers. Each one of us who is connected to the Unitarian Church of Montpelier is asked to make an annual financial commitment to support the livelihood of our community and the mission of our church. We are very grateful to have many non-members, friends, and supporters of our church pledge financial support.

In addition, pledges can be and are made throughout the year by new members and friends as they recognize the value they find here. To receive a pledge packet, please contact Church Office.

How much should I pledge?

We ask everyone to consider making a pledge to the church that is both responsible and significant, based on each person’s financial situation. We ask that everyone give until it feels good – we emphasize that this is not simply a donation to yet another charity, but a spiritual act of commitment, generosity, responsibility, gratitude, and reciprocity for all that this amazing community brings into your life. Our church is open year-round, and all staff work year-round.

Our current pledge drive includes specific fundraising goals, as well as Giving Guides to help guide our pledges.

Where does my pledge go? 

Our pledges are used to pay salaries for our wonderful staff, historic building maintenance, and seasonal costs such as heating, administrative costs, and the costs of our ministries, programming, and support for our committees and teams.

Our budget, developed by the Finance Committee based on submissions from church leaders, approved by the Board, and then the full membership, details the inputs of pledge donations and outputs of amounts budgeted for each of these programmatic areas.

How can I change my current pledge?

If your financial circumstances change and you want or need to change your pledge – either up or down – simply contact Church Office to request a pledge packet.

A pledge is a promise, your commitment – it is not a contract – but letting us know of your intention if you need to change your pledge helps us to anticipate our cash-flow and manage our budget.

What if I have a hardship situation and cannot pledge?

If you cannot make a financial pledge due to hardship and wish to remain an active member in the Unitarian Church of Montpelier, please take some time to discuss your situation with our Minister, Rev. Joan Javier-Duval.  Our Lay Pastoral Ministry Team may also be available to support you through this time.

What about the time I contribute? 

Your volunteer efforts are highly appreciated!

Our community runs on a combination of everyone’s time, talents and financial contributions. The annual pledge drive is the only time of the year when we talk significantly more about money than other things because we need to financially support our ministry and mission.

We could not survive without the generous donations of our members’ and friends’ time and talents. If you are eager to know more about our volunteer opportunities, committees, and other areas where your energy is needed, please read our weekly announcements or talk to Rev. Joan or any committee leaders about ways to connect and engage at UCM.

Can I designate where I want my pledge to go?

You have a voice in deciding how the overall pledge income will be used by being engaged with the budgeting process at UCM.  You can always reach out to the Governing Board or to Rev. Joan to speak about budget priorities.  If you are a member of the church, you will be asked to vote on the final budget at our Annual Meeting in May. We do not earmark specific pledges to pay for specific things because we are committed to building our budget in community.

Additional questions

More information about our annual pledge drive can be found on the Pledging page or you can reach out to a member of our Stewardship Committee.