At a recent after services forum, the 3rd Board Forum in a series about growth, nearly 40 people met in person and online to hear about the Fundraising Policy adopted by the Board in January, and to talk about how growth affects OUUC’S “old” and “new” fundraisers. The new policy was adopted for several reasons including administrative – possible calendar conflicts, staff and facility demands; to make sure each fundraiser meets our values; to ensure there is sufficient leadership in place to run a successful fundraiser; and perhaps most importantly, to ensure precious volunteer resources are used wisely. (Read the policy on OUUC’s website: Bylaws and Policies. Click and then select Fundraising Policy.)
At the forum, board members introduced the policy and went through highlights, then attendees broke into smaller groups.
The new policy encompasses all fundraising including a long-standing event that benefits local non-profits – Books Brownies & Beans. In order to go forward in 2026, the longtime fundraiser needs to submit all the information requested in the new policy, including identifying the leadership team. As those who have been involved in BB&B for many years know, making this two-day fundraiser a success takes weeks of effort to collect, store, sort and move thousands and thousands of books and depends crucially upon hundreds of volunteer hours. That kind of effort takes a lot of coordination and a strong leadership team. Core people involved with managing and leading BB&B for years are ready to hand that off to others.
So, the question posed to small groups was – if BB&B doesn’t go ahead this year, what else do we want to do? There were some great book-related ideas including: periodically expanding the online Book Nook to occasional small one-room in-person sales; having an internal book exchange or perhaps partnering with other organizations that focus on books e.g. South Sound Reading Foundation. We could also host a flea market, arts and crafts fair, talent show, another choir concert, plant sale or bring in a big name speaker. Whatever we do, we want to continue to give back.
What are your ideas? If you are interested in working with others in a thought group or task force to come up with ideas which could include talking to other congregations about how they raise money, please contact Rev Mary.
