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Planning FAQs
“Our small group became familiar with UUSC through my early Sunday worship service. I will be doing this until I get too old to talk!”
—Pat Hullum
All Souls, Fla.
Guest at Your Table 2012-2013
Here we respond to common questions about planning a congregational Guest at Your Table program. We encourage you to carefully review your planning guide (available online in the early fall) as well as the following questions and answers, to help you coordinate a successful and meaningful program.
Q: How do I obtain a planning guide?
A: In early fall, the planning guide will be available for download from this website, which you can also print as needed. In an effort to lessen our environmental impact in all areas of our work, we are providing most planning materials resources in electronic form. If you are unable to access the electronic files from our website, call us at 617-301-4366 to request printed copies by mail.
Q: Will UUSC send me or my church Guest at Your Table materials automatically?
A: No. Your supply needs and UUSC's available materials most likely change from year to year, so we ask that you place an order for Guest materials. We recommend one donation envelope or box per family, one Stories of Hope booklet per family, and one poster per congregation. If you have any questions about ordering, e-mail UUSC Volunteer Services or call 617-301-4366.
Q: To become UUSC members, do participants have to make a gift in addition to the contribution in their box?
A: If the contribution in their box reaches membership level or higher — levels are listed below — it earns the participant (and family members, if applicable) UUSC membership. In other words, Guest at Your Table gifts are membership gifts. Please ask participants to indicate on their boxes which membership types they have earned. If a participant is only a few dollars short of a membership-level gift, please encourage that supporter to increase the amount of the gift so that UUSC membership can be awarded.
Annual UUSC membership rates are $40 for an individual, $75 for dual membership, $20 for a senior, and $10 for a youth/student.
Q: If someone asks me about how the donations are used, what do I say?
A: Donations made through Guest at Your Table are unrestricted funds, which means that UUSC will use them where the need is greatest. Visit How Donations are Used to see some tangible examples of where and how UUSC puts donations to work.
Q: I organized a unique activity that worked really well in my congregation. How can I share it with others?
A: We love hearing about creative activities that our coordinators develop, and appreciate being able to share them with others! Please e-mail a description of your activity (and photos!) to volunteerservices@uusc.org. Read about other congregations' activities on the Inspiring Guest at Your Table Activities page.
Q: How is UUSC working to make Guest at Your Table more environmentally friendly?
A: We have created several options to honor the environment while conducting Guest at Your Table:
- Program materials can be downloaded to help save paper.
- We encourage you to re-use last year's materials if you have extras-however, please do not use any Guest at Your Table materials printed prior to Fall 2011 because our mailing address and key information has changed. You may wish to order the new Stories of Hope booklets to show the new guests, who are also featured in our online resource at uusc.org/myguests.
- Consider incorporating multimedia resources into your service. This can help you showcase UUSC's human-rights work without the need to print images.
- When you wrap up your program, you can give us feedback online rather than printing out the evaluation form and mailing it.
Q: Can Guest at Your Table donations be made online?
A: Yes. Guest at Your Table donations can be submitted privately and securely using our online donation form at uusc.org/givetoguest. This option may be especially useful for those unable to be physically present at church during Guest at Your Table time, and the congregation will still be accredited toward its total Guest at Your Table contributions when individuals list the church name on the form. The form includes a line to list the congregation, so the congregation will continue to be credited for donations submitted
Q: I have a question that is not answered here or in my Guest at Your Table Planning Booklet. Who should I contact?
A: Please call 617-301-4366 or e-mail UUSC Volunteer Services. We will be happy to help you!
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