2026 Pledge Drive: March 15 – April 12

The Unitarian Church of Montpelier is financially autonomous and self-funded. We have no diocese or umbrella organization that supports us. We make our congregation strong and resilient through our own financial contributions.

This year’s Pledge Drive runs from Sunday, March 15 to Sunday, April 12. Your pledges are commitments to give to UCM during the next church year, July 2026 – June 2027. We use the pledges raised during the drive to create the budget for the coming year – to fund the compensation of our wonderful staff, our enriching and enlivening programs, the maintenance of our beautiful, historic building and to ensure that UCM remains a vibrant community of care.

Read the letter from Rev. Joan

Read the letter from the Stewardship Committee

Determining Your Pledge

We recognize that our congregation is a mixed-income community and are so grateful for the generosity of pledges of all amounts.  With all of us contributing as generously as possible within our means, we are confident we can meet our budgetary needs.

Our financial goal for this pledge drive is $394,000.

• If you are new to pledging or haven’t pledged recently, we encourage you to make a pledge this year.
• If you are able, we encourage you to raise your pledge by 3-5%.

New Giving Guide

This year, we are introducing a new Giving Guide. The guide is designed to help you reflect on your financial situation and explore giving in in a way that feels both meaningful and sustainable. These prompts are not intended to prescribe a single “right” answer but to help you clarify what generous giving looks like in your current circumstances. Then, consult the “Giving Chart” on the back page which suggests a range of giving percentages and amounts based on adjusted income (net income — after taxes) and your level of commitment to the congregation.

Giving Guide Explanation 

New Giving Guide

Approximately 48% of pledgers identified in past years that they used the Suggested Fair Share Contribution Guide to help them determine their pledge. If, after reviewing the new Giving Guide, you prefer to use the Suggested Fair Share Contribution Guide, you can find it here.  Please share with a member of the Stewardship committee your thoughts on the two guides.

Paying Your Pledge

Once you make a pledge for the next church year, you have the whole year (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027) to fulfill your pledge by:

• Bank transfer, check or ACH/e-check
• Check or Cash in the weekly offering pouch during Sunday services (Please note on your cash or check that your donation counts toward your pledge).
• Automatic payment through UCM’s online database Breeze (Breeze includes the directory. You can also use it to make donations to community pouch recipients).
• Stock or IRA Transfer (You can designate UCM to receive a tax-free qualified charitable distribution from your traditional IRA. Please consult your financial and tax advisors as applicable for more information).

If you have any questions about paying your pledge, please contact Office and Rental Manager, Emily Seifert.