Ways To Give

The ministries and programming of UUC are funded almost entirely by the donations of its supporters. Every gift, no matter the amount, is cherished. UUC accepts gifts in many different forms to fit the preferences and opportunities of donors. If one of the methods described below doesn't meet your needs, please contact the church office to discuss another alternative.

Cash or Check

At both Sunday morning services, an offering is collected from the congregation in the chapel. The ushers pass the collection plate and you are free to place in it cash or checks made payable to "UUC." Please use the memo line of your check to indicate any details about your gift, such as whether it is in payment toward a pledge to a particular fund. If you are donating cash and wish to have it assigned to your name in UUC's donor database, please ask for an offering envelope from one of the ushers so you can put down your name and any details about your gift.

Checks may also be mailed to the church office or dropped by in person, depending on your preference. Again, please use the memo line or include a note if there are details about your gift that you wish to record. Please do not send cash in US Mail.

Credit Card or Debit Card

Supporters can make online donations using a credit card or debit card through the "Give Now" button found at the top of the UUC web site or by logging in to UUC Connect and using the Giving page to make one-time or recurring online donations. The first time you give using Give Now, you will need to include an email address so you can be contacted about your gift if necessary. You will also need to set up a payment method with the information required by the church to submit a transaction to your card provider.

Our software vendor ACS Technologies partners with FIS Global merchant services to manage completely secure online transactions through our giving forms and the UUC Connect web site. Private data about payment methods are stored securely by FIS Global, and not by ACS Technologies or UUC itself. If you have any questions or concerns about the security of your financial data in transactions with UUC, please contact Byron Krystad, Director of Operations, at the church office to discuss.

Direct Debit

If you prefer to have make your gift directly from a bank account rather than processed by a card provider, you can use the same "Give Now" button or Giving features in UUC Connect to set up a direct withdrawal. On the second page of the gift form, simply select "Bank Account" instead of "Credit or Debit" and complete the information about your financial institution, including your account number and your bank's routing number.

Please note that the same security measures are in place for Direct Debit as they are for Credit Card and Debit Card transactions. See above for details.

Text to Give

The "text to give" option that UUC promotes during the offering portion of Sunday services is available at any time for supporters to use as a quick and convenient way to give from anywhere. On any mobile device with a messaging app, just text UUCHURCH and your donation amount (e.g. “UUCHURCH $20) to 73256. You’ll receive a return text with a link to click to complete your gift. The first time you use "text to give," you will need to set up a payment method the same way as described above under "Credit Card or Debit Card" or "Direct Debit." Your payment method will be remembered along with your texting contact information when you use "text to give" next time.

Donor Advised Funds

Many households contribute money to a donor advised fund (DAF) managed by a financial institution such as Vanguard or Fidelity, or by a large nonprofit foundation, such as the Seattle Foundation. These funds hold a donor's contributions in their name until they are ready to direct the fund to release some amount to a qualifying nonprofit or charitable organization. Churches are one such qualifying charitable organization, and annual pledges are non-binding agreements that qualify as a purpose for release.

If you have access to a donor advised fund and wish to issue grants from that fund to UUC, please give the church's tax ID 91-0593062 to your managing institution for verification. Please note that because participants in donor advised funds receive tax deductions when they contribute money to the fund (not when money is released from the fund), the church must record such donations as nondeductible in donor records.

Retirement Accounts

There are two ways to make gifts to the church from a retirement account, depending on your tax strategies. Please consult with your retirement account manager and your tax accountant before making a decision about donating from your retirement account. The information below is offered for general understanding and is NOT professional financial advice.

The first method is to make a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) directly from your retirement account to the church. When you request such a distribution from the firm that manages your retirement account, the money is withdrawn from your account and sent directly to the church in the financial institution's name. While this is recorded as your gift at the church, it is not considered a distribution to you and therefore does not get included in your annual income for tax purposes.

The second method is to write a check that draws directly from your retirement account and make UUC the payee. Such a check, signed by you, is considered a withdrawal for your benefit, and is considered a distribution of income. The church records the donation as a deductible gift, so you will be able to deduct it from your taxable income. But in contrast to a QCD (see above), it will be included in your annual income for tax purposes.

If you decide that a gift using either method is a good option for you to give to UUC, please give the church's tax ID 91-0593062 to your managing institution for verification. They will lead you through the process of issuing a gift.

Gifts of Stock

Many supporters who have appreciated equities chose to donate those equities to the church. The market value of the equities at the time of donation are deductible from your taxable income, but you will not have to record or pay taxes on any capital gains due to market appreciation. This can be a significant advantage if you have such an opportunity. Please consult with your financial adviser and tax accountant if you are considering such a gift to ensure it is an appropriate option for you.

UUC has a Schwab investment account set up specifically to receive gifts. This account is managed by Trillium Investment Management along with the church's endowment investment accounts. The investment manager has standing instructions to immediately sell all equities received in the gift investment account. Proceeds of sales are transferred to the appropriate church accounts as instructed by the donor. The value of the gift recorded for the donor is determined by the mean of the high and low prices on the day the stock is transmitted to Schwab.

If you wish to make a gift of stock to the church, please contact Byron Krystad, Director of Operations, at the church office so he can share the appropriate directive information with you to give to your brokerage.

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to consider your opportunities to give your financial support to UUC. These are the most common ways that supporters make donations, but there are certainly other options. If you have an opportunity to give using a means not described here, please contact the church office to discuss and prepare for such a donation.

Each of us also supports UUC and its mission through our myriad volunteer efforts as we work for justice and equity, teach and mentor children and youth, share the inspiration of worship and music, offer our leadership and service, volunteer our time in support of church operations, advocate for those whose voice needs our support, and reach out to one another in care and compassion. Thank you for all the forms of your generous and joyous support of UUC.