Generosity at the Fellowship
Annual Giving, Endowment, Fundraisers, Share the Plate
Street & Mailing Address:
General Contact:
Supporting Our Shared Ministries
At the heart of Unitarian Universalism—and our Fellowship in particular—is a deep commitment to generosity as a spiritual practice. In fact, Generosity is one of our core UU Shared Values, with Love at the center. Giving is an expression of gratitude, hope, and shared purpose. Your financial support helps us welcome seekers, build loving community, and act courageously for justice, both within and beyond our walls. We support our congregation’s ministries, one another, and our wider community through various ways of giving.
Pay Fees or Donate Directly
Our online payment portal, hosted by Vanco, is an easy way to pay via credit or debit card for event tickets, religious exploration or camp registrations, donate to our Share-the-Plate, Ministers’ Discretionary Fund, or give directly to the Operating Budget. The portal allows you to select one-time or recurring payments, and gives you the option to offset the card fees so the Fellowship can receive 100% of your donation.
A few notes about online payments:
- If you are paying your recurring Annual Gift, please use Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) Form instead of the Vanco portal, to save on both effort and fees.
- Donations, such as to the Ministers’ Discretionary Fund, Operating Budget, or Share-the-Plate, are considered charitable donations and will be noted on your end-of-year tax statement for deduction purposes.
- Fees or payments, such as for Religious Exploration, camps, events, retreats, or fundraisers (youth pie sale, auction, etc) are not considered charitable donations because you receive services or goods in return for the payment.
Text to Give
You can also donate using the text-to-give on a smart phone, using Vanco’s GivePlus Text function.
Text 833-278-1690 and in the body of the message put the amount you wish to donate, and the fund code where you want the donation to go, with a space between.
For example, text these to 833-278-1690:
- 50 IMJ to donate $50 to Immigration Justice
- 25 MDF to donate $25 to the Ministers’ Discretionary Fund
Current Fund Codes:
- Oper = Operating Fund (for annual giving)
- Share = Share-the-Plate (Sunday offerings)
- MDF = Ministers’ Discretionary Fund (to support people in need)
- IMJ = Immigration Justice (to support our ministry to immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, etc.)
- PCC = Partner Churches (to support our international UU partners)
Annual Giving: Fueling Our Mission Day by Day
Annual gifts to our operating budget are the cornerstone of our Fellowship’s ministry. These gifts support our worship, religious exploration, pastoral care, social justice initiatives, and more. Your annual commitment ensures that we can continue to offer a spiritual home that welcomes all who seek meaning and connection.
A few notes about Annual gifts:
- These fund 97% of our Fellowship’s budget, providing fair compensation to our staff, supplies needed for programs, utilities to keep our building comfortable, and more.
- It is a requirement of our bylaws that to maintain active membership status, a gift to the operating budget must be given annually. Whatever amount is right for your household is welcome, or a pastoral waiver can be requested if you are experiencing significant financial hardship.
- There are many ways to give– most people sign up for EFT or Electronic Fund Transfer (click the button), in which a stated amount is withdrawn monthly from your bank account. This is the easiest method of giving, and it provides consistent, low-fee income to the Fellowship.
- People also give by check (written to FVUUF with “Annual Gift” in the memo line), regularly or in one or two lump sums, set up automatic bill-pay through their bank, or they make a stock transfer, or charitable contribution from an IRA.
- Cash, undesignated checks, or online gifts given to the Share-the-Plate offering will not be counted toward your annual gift unless you clearly indicate “annual gift.”
This handy “Fair Share Giving Guide” from UU Stewardship for Us can help you consider what level of giving is right for you.
Giving Intention Forms
A Giving Intention lets us know how much you plan to give, and it is immensely useful in allowing us to budget responsibly. Please let us know your financial commitment annually, and keep it updated by letting the office know if you need to pause, change, or stop your giving.
Questions, need help, or need to make a change to your giving? Contact Laura Kallio, Finance Manger, at laura@fvuuf.org.
Help us plan our budget responsibly by completing a Giving Intention Form:
Planned Giving: A Legacy of Love and Justice
Planned gifts to our endowment help secure the future of our mission. Whether through a bequest, life insurance designation, or other legacy gift, your generosity ensures that future generations will have a place to build beloved community and work for justice with courage and compassion.
Every gift, given during someone’s lifetime or as a bequest after their passing, is kept in perpetuity in our Endowment Fund. The principal is never withdrawn, only the interest, and that is only by Board approval for mission-related and future-oriented expenditures. As the Endowment grows, that amount that can be used to fund our Mission will also grow.
Our endowment is a reminder of the words of UU minister Rev. Peter S. Raible, who was paraphrasing Deuteronomy 6:10-12:
“We build on foundations we did not lay.
We warm ourselves at fires we did not light.
We sit in the shade of trees we did not plant.
We drink from wells we did not dig.
We profit from persons we did not know.
We are ever bound in community.”
Give to the Fellowship’s endowment today, or let us know if you have named the Fellowship in your estate plans, and you will be a member of the Acorn Society.
Fundraisers: Giving with Joy and Purpose
Our community fundraisers are opportunities to support the congregation while connecting with one another in celebration and fellowship. Whether it’s a concert, auction, or seasonal event, each gathering strengthens the loving community we are building together. To learn more about this year’s fundraiser, click the auction button below!
Share-the-Plate: Extending Our Values into the World
Each month, we share half of the total Sunday offerings with a partner organization aligned with our values. This ongoing practice is a tangible way we act courageously for justice and extend love and support into the broader community.
So far this program year (beginning September 2026) we have contributed to the following partner organizations:
- United Way Fox Cities Tornado Relief Fund
- League of Women Voters (Fox Cities chapter & Winnebago chapter)
Last year (2025-26) through our share-the-plate program, we gave financial support to the following partner organizations, totaling $11,151 shared and the same amount added to our Fellowship’s operating funds.
- Diverse & Resilient UU Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM)
- Fox Valley PRIDE
- Double Portion Soup Kitchen
- Hope & Help Together
- ESTHER Interfaith Community Organizing
- Pink Haven Coalition
- Community Mutual Aid Fund (Fellowship direct-aid fund)
- Menīkānaehkem
- Wisconsin UU State Action Network (WUUSAN)
Click the button to see previous’ years partner organizations and financial impact.
Thank You for Your Generosity!
Your financial support—whether large or small—is a vital part of our shared mission. Together, through your gifts, we welcome seekers, build loving community, and act courageously for justice.
Thank you for being a part of this generous, spirit-filled community.
