Build UUSC Membership to 100%

The following points are suggested for those Local Representatives eager to raise their congregation's UUSC membership level and one day attain the 100% membership.

Encourage friends and visitors

Encourage friends or visitors to contribute to UUSC at membership levels. As long as they contribute through your congregation (are identified as being affiliated with your congregation), they will count toward the 100%.

Recruit students

Student memberships add to your total UUSC membership. And they get the next generation of UUSC supporters started. Friends, visitors, and students count toward UUSC membership but are not counted in your congregation's membership as reported to the UUA, so they are very helpful in reaching the 100% level.

Supplement Guest at Your Table donations

Occasionally GAYT boxes are turned in with cash enclosed but with no name on the box form. Use those cash contributions to supplement other contributions which are somewhat below the UUSC membership requirements. For example, if an adult contributes $30, supplement that contribution with $10 from the miscellaneous cash contribution. Check with the donor before doing so, or inform them that you have done so. You can also use some of that cash to pay for youth memberships for families who may find it a hardship otherwise. Our minister has also offered some of her "minister's discretionary funds" to use for "scholarships" in hardship cases (for any category of membership.)

Keep careful records!!

If the Guest at Your Table box form is not completed and the donation is a check, use the enclosed check to complete the Tally Sheet sent to UUSC. If the contribution is in cash, get the donor's information from them or from your congregation's directory. UUSC must receive the donor's information and donation information in order to acknowledge the gift or credit membership.

Keep useful records

Keep your own database of contributors, amount contributed, and category of UUSC membership (if any). Get from UUSC their record of givers and membership status and compare the two. You can request an Excel or PDF members and supporters listing from UUSC by contacting UUSC Volunteer Services. Omission of two or three people from UUSC's list could cause you to narrowly miss out on the 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% level; mistakes can happen! The records kept by the Local Rep or UUSC's records can also be used to determine which previous UUSC members could benefit from a gentle reminder that their membership has expired.

Invite a UUSC guest speaker to help keep up inspiration

When your congregation is close to the 50%, 75%, or 100% level, arrange for a UUSC staff person to speak at a Sunday service. This can be arranged through UUSC's speakers bureau, Rights Aloud. Not only can they speak vibrantly and passionately about UUSC's human rights work, they can also inspire those your congregation to become new UUSC members. Learn how to invite a UUSC guest speaker.

Keep UUSC publications and donation envelopes at hand

Whether you follow some or all of these recommendations, be sure to have plenty of current UUSC publications and membership donation envelopes on hand throughout the year. You can view and order them free of charge.

By Jack Stiefel
UUSC Local Rep for Vero Beach, Fla.
National Co-chair for Central Territory