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Seasons of Giving | November 2020

Stewardship and Development News

Friend,

Thanksgiving will be different in our house this year, as it will be for many.

It’s usually a noisy affair, replete with grandparents, cousins, masses of food and our dog Ella in the middle of it all, barking, barking, barking. I will miss the ruckus very much, but I trust it will return.

This year, as we head into a holiday season unlike any other in our lifetimes, I wish for you experiences of kinship and connection across distance. And may there be spaces of gratitude for the blessings that are yours.

This holiday season, I am grateful for the many Unitarian Universalists who have given generously to support our faith and its work in the world. Thanks to you, thousands of UU’s engaged in the most important election of a generation through UU the Vote.

Thanks to you, our Association and most of our congregations will make it through this hard winter. We will gather again in fellowship and service. We will sing and serve and listen and speak.

As Susan Frederick-Gray puts it, "This year, let us be mindful that many hearts in the Indigenous communities of New England and across Turtle Island ache on Thanksgiving Day every year." You can find her full message here.

There have been losses, to be sure, and there will be more. We honor those who have passed, giving thanks for their presence in our lives even as we dare to hope that better times are ahead.

We will know these blessings again—the simple beauty of gathering in sacred space, or a home filled with familiar faces and the dog barking, barking, barking in the background.

May you and yours be well and safe this season.

In faith and love,

Rev. Lauren Smith
Director of Stewardship and Development

P.S. The 51st National Day of Mourning begins at noon ET in Plymouth, MA. You may wish to learn more from the UU Ministries for Earth, or view events directly on the United American Indians of New England website.

The UUA will be closed for the winter break starting Monday, December 21, and re-opening on Monday, January 4, 2021.

Stewardship and Development staff will be available via email (development@uua.org) and phone (888-792-5885) to assist with year-end giving questions from 9am - 5pm Eastern Time between December 21 - 23 and December 28 - 30, and from 9am - 4pm Eastern Time on New Year's Eve.

UUs Make 3 Million Voter Contacts

The year-long UU the Vote campaign (mostly) wrapped up its work earlier this month having achieved remarkable milestones in UU volunteerism and voter engagement:

3 million total voter contacts
1.2 million letters and postcards sent
700,000 phone calls
300,000 text messages

More than 450 UU congregations took part in UU the Vote, including contributing over $100,000 to the campaign via special collections.

Donate to UU the Vote

Since November 3, UU the Vote staff and volunteers have continued to mobilize voters in Georgia for the dual Senate run-off election on January 5. In addition, the campaign has supported Election Defenders' work to protect the results of the presidential race.

Want to get involved with the Georgia run off? Sign up to send postcards to unlikely voters and give them a personal nudge so that they turn out to vote on January 5.

Giving Tuesday 2020

Giving Tuesday, on December 1, kicks off the holiday giving season for many nonprofits, including the UUA.

All Giving Tuesday gifts support the UUA's three core mission priorities: equipping congregations for vital ministry; supporting and training lay and professional leaders; and advancing UU values in the world.

Thanks to the generosity of the UU Veatch Program at Shelter Rock, your gift will be matched and doubled, up to a total of $25,000.

inSpirit Bookstore 2020 Holiday Guide

Make the holiday season a little easier this year with inSpirit bookstore's holiday guide!

We’ve highlighted some of our favorite gift ideas in the guide and hope these small joys bring some comfort and delight in these challenging times. There is free standard shipping in the US on orders of $50 or more through December 13.

You can also browse beautiful and ethically made holiday cards and check out new books for children and teens. Your purchase from inSpirit contributes directly to the work of the UUA to support our congregations.

We wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

The star of Julián Is a Mermaid makes a joyful return - and finds a new friend - at a wedding to be remembered. (Ages 4-8)

Order a copy

$300 Deduction Expires December 31

The CARES Act, passed by Congress earlier this year, temporarily allows non-itemizers to take a charitable deduction of up to $300 per taxpayer for cash contributions made in 2020. This one-time allowance expires December 31, 2020.

Previously, charitable contributions could only be deducted if taxpayers itemized their deductions.

For more information, visit IRS.gov or see "Do You Qualify for a $300 Tax Deduction Under the CARES Act?" from Kiplinger.

For the purposes of this deduction, qualifying organizations are those that are religious, charitable, educational, scientific or literary in purpose.

Seasons of Giving is the 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. You can also follow the UUA on Facebook.