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Friend,

I hope spring is treating you well. For some it's already shorts-and-T-shirts weather. For others it is still snowing. Either way the days are growing longer and we've all moved our clocks ahead. This spring brings another reason for celebration:

Enrollment in Faithful Sustainers—our monthly giving program—surpassed 1,000 active members for the first time ever!

This is a remarkable milestone when you consider the average monthly contribution is $20. In fact, over the past five years our sustainers have contributed $1 million.

That speaks to the wonderful deep commitment you, our donors, have to the Unitarian Universalist Association and to our UU faith. It's our 1,000+ sustainers and donors like you who make the UUA's work possible. Work that includes:

• The recently-released worship services, Side with Love Sunday and Loved into Being, with music and recorded sermons your congregation can use as is or mix and match.
• LeaderLab has new resources for congregations and UU communities who are deciding whether, and how, to gather in person this spring and summer.
• UU the Vote achieved remarkable electoral engagement by UUs, helping to turn out the vote in key states around the country. 

There are many more programs and possibilities supported by your gifts, and we'll continue to do our best to share these stories with you. 

We are all in this together. Take care of one another, dear friends.

General Assembly Choir Registration is Open

Giving through your IRA: Qualified Charitable Distribution

Are you 70½ or older, and have an Individual Retirement Account (IRA)? 

If so, you have the option to donate through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), sometimes referred to as an IRA Charitable Rollover. A QCD can help you support the UUA while maintaining tax advantages.

Consider these factors (and talk with your tax and/or financial advisor) when deciding whether a QCD would be right for you:

• The IRS allows donors 70½ or older to transfer up to $100,000 directly from their IRA to charity each calendar year.
• Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are back for 2021 after being paused in 2020, and QCDs count toward your yearly RMD.
• 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 on your tax return.
• You can make an outright gift to the UUA or make a payment on an existing pledge.

Contact your IRA plan administrator and specify that you want to make an IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution. Advance notice helps us properly credit your gift, so be sure to notify us if the funds will be sent directly by your IRA plan administrator.

QCDs are not for everyone, so check with your tax and/or financial advisor to see how a QCD might fit into your plans. If you have any questions about utilizing IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, please contact us at (888) 792-5885 (select option 3) or legacy@uua.org.

UUA Disaster Relief Grants for Winter Storms in Texas

Coming to Your Mailbox: Matching Gift Challenge

Seasons of Giving is the monthly e-newsletter from the UUA's Stewardship and Development Office. 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.