Remembering Elandria Williams, UU the Vote Week of Action, Giving and your IRA, and more
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Seasons of Giving | October 2020
Stewardship and Development News
Friend,
We are living through an era of serial traumas. It is easy to feel that nothing we do is enough—that any action taken is just a drop in the bucket, inadequate.
It is true that we will not accomplish everything we would wish on any given day. Our ability to navigate this time calls on our ability to reckon with our limitations, accept them, and grieve. We do this, in part, so that we celebrate with gratitude all that we are able to do and value all that we are as human beings.
To lay leaders and clergy in our congregations, finding ways to help Unitarian Universalists connect and serve, thank you for your dedication and creativity. Thank you for weathering challenges, disappointments and failures. Thank you for your resilience. You are a good gift.
To community ministers working in our hospitals, hospices and community organizations, thank you for your commitment and care. Thank you for all the ways you show up for others and for the ways your care for yourself. You are a good gift.
To all the volunteers turning out in record numbers to UU the Vote, thank you for your presence, humility and flexibility. Thank you for doing your part to combat voter suppression and advocate for UU values. Thank you for serving with grace in a turbulent time. You are a good gift.
To you, the donors, who give in these volatile times, who contribute to strengthen Unitarian Universalism, our communities, and our democracy, thank you for your generosity of spirit. You are a good gift.
Last month, Unitarian Universalism lost a passionate and skillful leader, Elandria Williams. A deeply caring person who pursued equity and justice fiercely, Elandria’s legacy is a Unitarian Universalism pointed more resolutely toward a vibrant, diverse, and purpose-filled future.
As we navigate the days ahead—the tense times before and after the election, the current phase of the pandemic, the trials of the budding school year—know that you are valued not only because of what you give, but because of who you are.
When the demands of daily life leave you feeling inadequate, remember Elandria’s words, part of a message shared during General Assembly 2020:
We are worthy
Not because of what we produce
But because of who we are
We are divine bodies of light and darkness
In faith,
Rev. Lauren Smith
Director of Stewardship and Development
In Memoriam: Elandria Williams, UUA Co-Moderator, 1979 - 2020
The UUA shares in the heartbreak of the profound loss of recent past Co-Moderator Elandria Williams, a dear friend and incomparable leader of our faith, who died on September 23, 2020. We will be forever grateful for Elandria’s legacy in our faith tradition. Read more.
Image: New Economy Coalition
UU Office at the UN Event on Thursday 10/22: The UN at 75
This year, the United Nations is celebrating its 75th birthday. The Unitarian Universalist Association Office at the UN (UU@UN), in collaboration with the Canadian Unitarian Council, will be commemorating that anniversary with a special virtual event co-sponsored by the UN NGO Committee on Human Rights.
"Our Goal of World Community: the United Nations at 75" will be held on Zoom this Thursday, October 22, 2020 from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm EDT.
Register here to receive Zoom information.
UN Sunday is this coming week, on October 25. Here's a brief video for you and your congregation about supporting this work.
In the current moment of simultaneous global political, social, economic, health, and climate crises, continued involvement with and investment in international cooperation could not be more critical. During this event we'll talk about how Unitarian Universalists can make our mark for global justice.
Reaching 2 Million Voters by November 3
It's an all-hands-on-deck moment, as we head into the final two weeks before November 3.
To date, more than 450 congregations across the US have activated to make more than 1.4 million voter contacts by letter, postcard, phone calls and text.
Week of Action events include:
A national phonebank to Florida and Wisconsin voters, as well as an interfaith-led phonebank to low-propensity voters in Philadelphia—followed by the national UU the Vote virtual worship service on October 25, and a closing #VoteLove Pledge Rally on October 26.
Sign the #VoteLove Pledge to receive UU the Vote updates and an invite to the inspirational October 26 online rally.
New Study/Action Guide for Widening the Circle of Concern
We’re excited to announce the release of a Study/Action Guide to the Widening the Circle of Concern report!
Many of you are looking for ways to bring the hard work and findings of the COIC into the life of your congregation or UU community. This new guide provides 11 session outlines for a group or taskforce in your congregation to break down the various components and recommendations of the original report.
More than a discussion guide, this Study/Action provides framing and helpful hints on how your community can actively participate in transformative liberation.
Widening the Circle is joyful change work that’s deeply rooted in our shared UU theology. We hope that engaging this guide offers your community an opportunity for meaningful connection during this time of isolation. The UUA offers many thanks to the commissioners and professional group leaders who came together quickly to develop this additional resource.
Your IRA and Charitable Giving
Jay Pacitti
Director of Donor Relations
If you are age 70½ or older and have an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), you are likely familiar with the option to donate through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), sometimes referred to as an IRA Charitable Rollover.
With a QCD you can support the UUA while maintaining tax advantages.
Consider these factors when deciding whether to make a QCD contribution:
- The IRS allows donors 70½ or older to transfer up to $100,000 directly from their IRA to charity each calendar year.
- You pay no income tax on amounts you donate using a QCD. The transfer generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction, so you can benefit even if you do not itemize deductions.
- You can make an outright gift to the UUA or to make a payment on an existing pledge.
Contact your IRA plan administrator and specify that you want to make an IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution. If your IRA custodian has given you a special checkbook to write QCD checks directly, your check must clear your IRA account no later than December 31, 2020 to count for 2020—so it’s best to mail QCD checks well before the end of the year!
Be sure to notify us if the funds will be sent directly by your IRA plan administrator; advance notice helps us properly credit your gift. As with any gift that may have tax implications, check with your tax and/or financial advisor to evaluate whether a QCD is right for you.
If you have any questions about utilizing Qualified Charitable Distributions, please contact us at (888) 792-5885 or legacy@uua.org.
UUA Common Read for 2020 - 2021
Emotionally raw and deeply reflective, author Imani Perry issues an unflinching challenge to society to see Black children as deserving of humanity. She admits fear and frustration for her African American sons in a society that is increasingly racist and at times seems irredeemable.
However, as a mother, feminist, writer, and intellectual, Perry offers an unfettered expression of love—finding beauty and possibility in life—and she exhorts her children to find the courage to chart their own paths and find inspiration in Black tradition.
Discussion materials are available for download at UUA.org/read.
Sing along with Heartfelt Humor's Nancy Kepner, performing the "yoU yoU the Vote" song, commissioned by the UU Church of the North Hills in Pittsburgh.
Seasons of Giving is the quarterly e-newsletter from the UUA's Stewardship and Development Office. We are publishing monthly during the COVID-19 crisis. Questions can be directed to Suzanne Murray at development@uua.org or (617) 948-4392.
Check UUA.org and UUWorld.org, as well as UUA regional websites, for the latest updates. You can also follow the UUA on Facebook.
