Making Your Year End List… A Note from our Director of Finance and Operations
We are grateful for the generous support from all who have contributed to the Fellowship thus far in 2022 with time, talent, and financial resources. Thank you for all you do and all you give.
As we approach the end of the calendar year, I would like to remind those of you who have not yet made your monthly, quarterly, or annual operating contribution to the Fellowship and are financially able, that there is still time to make a contribution for the 2022 tax year. So go ahead, send your contribution to the Fellowship today and check that box off your list!
Your contributions to our operating budget, endowment, and our Fellowship special collections and fundraisers, support the continuance of our flourishing, loving, and welcoming community. Your donations make a difference by helping the Fellowship...
● Offer creative worship services and programs in online, in-person, and hybrid formats
● Offer community and care to those in need
● Provide a fair compensation and benefit package to our staff
● Ensure that our facility stays functional, clean, and welcoming
● Support the UUA and the wider UU community
How can you give? Here are some of the ways to make a financial contribution to the Fellowship:
● Sign up for the Fellowship’s automatic monthly electronic funds transfer (EFT) option. This is the most cost-effective and easiest way for you to give to the Fellowship. Electronic fund transfers are generally safer since they do not require as many human touchpoints along the way and are not subject to the various types of check fraud and scams.
~ You select either the 5th of the month, the 20th of the month, or both depending on what works best for your financial situation.
~ Once the EFT authorization form is completed and submitted the rest is done - no checks to write, no stamps to buy! Your contribution will continue automatically until you notify us to cancel it.
~ The Fellowship also benefits from reduced processing cost and a steady and more predictable cash flow.
~ Join the almost 200 members and friends taking advantage of this time-saving, money-saving, and more secure option.
~ Contact Phyllis@fvuuf.org, to request an electronic form or call 920-731-0849 to be sent a paper EFT authorization form to complete.
● Send a check payable to Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (FVUUF) to 2600 E Philip Lane, Appleton WI, 54915.
~ This can be a check written by you or sent from your bank’s online bill payer system.
~ You will incur the cost of checks and mailing if written by you or a fee from your bank if applicable.
~ Though it may seem convenient to “drop off” your check in the Fellowship mailbox, please remember by law, a mailbox is intended only for receipt of postage-paid U.S. mail.
● Use one of our electronic options to GIVE via credit or debit card.
~ Click on the link above or go to www.fvuuf.org and select the Giving button to learn more about the options - online, mobile, or text to give.
~ A fee of 2.75% of the amount donated + .45 per transaction is incurred by the Fellowship. However, the donor has the option to offset these fees as part of their donation.
● Make a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA, if you qualify.
~ This can fulfill the IRS annual minimum distribution requirement for your retirement funds.
~ There can be a tax advantage for you. The funds would need to be disbursed directly to the Fellowship. Consult your investment broker or tax advisor for guidance on this option.
● Donate shares of stock to the Fellowship.
~ Stocks donated to the Fellowship will be liquidated as soon as administratively possible.
~ There can be a tax advantage to donating shares directly to the Fellowship versus selling them yourself. You will need to consult your tax advisor for guidance on the best option for your personal financial situation.
~ There may be more cost to the Fellowship since the value of stocks can fluctuate and there are brokerage fees that the Fellowship will incur.
~ Contact Phyllis, Phyllis@fvuuf.org, or call 920-731-0849 for more information.
We invite you to choose the method of giving that is easiest for you and most beneficial to the Fellowship.
What else should you know? Other important things to consider and final dates for your 2022 contribution:
● The Fellowship’s bylaws require a financial contribution to the operating fund in the previous two years for continued membership. This requirement can be waived by a minister and all are welcome at the Fellowship regardless of financial contribution. Membership ensures your right to vote on all Fellowship business at our annual meeting.
● Contributions via check received in the mail postmarked December 31, 2022 will be credited to tax year 2022. Any contributions received after that time will be credited to tax year 2023.
● Contributions initiated and processed through our online giving platform on or before December 30, 2022 (please note this differs from mailed contributions due to processing time) will be credited to tax year 2022. Any contributions received after that time will be credited to tax year 2023.
● All contributions without a designation, and not made from a will or bequest will be assumed to be for the operating fund. However, a gift clearly marked “operating” will take the guesswork out of it on our end.
● All references to the tax deductibility of your donations made above are based on general tax knowledge. Since everyone’s circumstances are different you should consult your tax advisor regarding deductibility for your specific financial circumstances.
Contribution statements were recently sent detailing your giving from July 1, 2022 – November 21, 2022. This is the beginning of the Fellowship’s fiscal year, which runs from July 1 – June 30. These statements are not intended to be a statement of your calendar year giving.
If you have questions about your current 2022-2023 giving or your calendar year giving, please contact me via email, at Phyllis@fvuuf.org, or leave a message at the Fellowship office, 920.731.0849, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Wishing you all the best of the holiday season and thank you for your generous support! - Phyllis Schmitt