SHARE THE PLATE
SHARE THE PLATE
Policy & Procedure
Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Policy
Title: Share the Plate
Approved by Board: November 2024
One Sunday (or once) each month, the Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (GUUF) Share the Plate program will contribute 50% of its non-pledge Sunday plate collections (including Sunday non-pledge Pay Pal donations) to a local charity that is in line with our UU values.
The purpose of this program is to:
• Raise awareness within our fellowship of social justice concerns and needs in our region.
• Increase our connection to local charitable organizations.
• Live our value of generosity by giving our members the opportunity to contribute to charitable groups that align with our UU values.
The core team that will oversee this project will include a representative from the Finance Committee, a representative from the Social Justice committee and the GUUF Past President or their designee and will report to the Program Council. Recipient organizations will be selected by the core team. Up to four organizations will be selected for each calendar year. In this way, each organization can be featured three times in the year. The core team will facilitate a process to accept suggestions for organizations to include and then encourage congregants to choose/vote for the organizations that are on that option list. The final choices will be shared with the GUUF Program Council by the December Program Council meeting of the year. Yearly totals of $ amount of contributions made will be shared with GUUF Program Council and the Fellowship.
The criteria for selection include:
• Organization must be a Nonprofit Organization.
• The contribution must be for an organization, not an individual.
• Organization purpose must support UU/GUUF values.
The planned list of organizations to support will be presented to the Program Council for endorsement each year.
One Sunday a month, the designated local charity will be highlighted. A short description of the charity will be included in the Order of Service. A member of the charity / organization will be welcome to join our coffee hour after the service to meet and greet GUUF members and friends. The bookkeeping and handling of these donations will follow GUUF’s internal accounting processes.
From the collection plate:
• No checks written directly to the charity will be accepted (per offering call instructions).
• All funds designated “pledge” by the donor will go towards member pledges as usual.
STP COMMITTEE Monthly Tasks:
1. Submit announcements to Karen for Enews and MailChimp (OOS) on 1st Sunday of month (see Template Examples pages).
2. Speak To the Worship Associate on 2nd Sunday:
a. Ask them to use the approved short script template, updating only: (see Template Examples pages).
b. The charity name in the first paragraph
c. Add a new second paragraph describing that month's charity.
3. Ensure script is printed & placed in pulpit for Worship Associate
4. If possible, a committee member should be present on the 2nd Sunday to support the Worship Associate
5. Notify ushers about STP collection day for cash counting preparation.
6. If charity sends representative:
a. Coordinate table setup in Fellowship Hall.
b. Meet and assist representative.
c. Help facilitate conversations about the charity during coffee hour
7. Review and approve monthly donation check amount via email
8. Submit monthly donation totals to Karen by Thursday (prior to the 3rd Sunday) for inclusion in the Order of Service (OOS) and MailChimp (to maintain congregation enthusiasm)Annual STP Committee Tasks: (October -December)
• Solicit charity suggestions from congregation for following year using Google form:• Create system for collecting and reviewing congregation suggestions for future charities (committee or google form).
• Organize congregation voting process (2025 method uses penny voting/selection)
• Present selected charities to Program Council per policy.
• Inform Charities that they have been chosen. (See Template Example pages).
• Provide Karen with complete list of selected charities for the upcoming year
• Submit December annual report to Program Council and congregation detailing total donationsKey Roles & Responsibilities:
- Share The Plate Committee Members:
• Maintain script availability and delivery
• Support Worship Associates
• Liaison with charity representatives
• Review and approve monthly donation checks sent to the charity
• Coordinate annual charity selection process - Karen (Administrative Support):
• Manages and handles placement in ENews, MailChimp & Order of Service announcements
• Processes donation
• Maintains charity suggestion form - Worship Associates:
• Deliver STP collection instruction using provided script - Ushers:
• Share-the-Plate Sundays will follow the same procedure as regular Sundays, although there may be more than usual money collected. If there are any checks NOT made out to GUUF – DO NOT STAMP THE BACK OF THE CHECK, just place them in the collection envelope (to be taken care of by the office.)
Template and Script Examples
Voting Process
FOR TODAY: Please, after the service, all GUUF Members and Friends are invited to visit the Share The Plate table in the Fellowship Hall to vote for the charities GUUF will be supporting throughout [YEAR]. Please select a maximum of 4 charities (out of 6) by placing one penny in the box of your choice. Share The Plate Donations will begin the second Sunday in January.
We thank you for participating!
Worship Associate / Collection Sunday
** Today is a SHARE THE PLATE Sunday: Half of today’s offering will be shared with our community partner, [Name of Charity].
[Charity’s] mission is to […..]
If you are contributing to your pledge today, be sure to write “pledge” on your check or cash envelope. All other funds received will be split 50/50 with our Share the Plate recipient. Since this initiative emphasizes sharing, please do not write checks directly to the charity. The offering will now be gratefully received.
ENews Announcement (to Admin):
(1st Sunday of month – Insert Charity name and mission)
Share the Plate This Sunday
[Two months ago] in December, our Fellowship chose 4 charities that we would help support in 2025. Jasmine Road, Project Host, Soteria, and Village Engage were the winners.
This Sunday, February 9th, [insert Charity name] will be the [2nd] charity to benefit from our UU shared values. Their mission is to [insert mission]. Please be generous; it’s a win/win for both GUUF and [Charity].
Remember:
1) Do Not Write the check directly to the charity.
2) ALL funds designated “pledge” by the donor will go towards member pledges as usual.
3) All Cash will be split 50/50.
Our Share The Plate (STP) Team:
Lynn Cusick
Bo Boghani
Pat Chaney
Mailchimp Friday blast / OOS
Same as above without 1st paragraph; keep very short.
Letter to Chosen Charity
Greenville UU Fellowship
PO Box 4518
Greenville, SC 29608
[Date]
[Contact Name]
[Position]
[Charity Name]
[address]
[email address of contact]
Dear [Contact Name]
On behalf of the Greenville Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, I am very happy to inform you that your organization has been selected as a recipient of our Share the Plate program for this year, 2025. [Charity Name] reflects our congregation’s commitment to supporting vital community organizations that align with our values and mission.
You will receive donations collected during our Sunday services three times throughout the year. Our Fellowship members and friends are enthusiastic about supporting the important work that you do in our community because it resonates deeply with our UU principles of inclusion, compassion and justice.
We look forward to partnering with you in this way. If you’d like to provide us with informational materials or pamphlets, we could share those in our Fellowship Hall. Additionally, if you have a representative who would be interested in joining us after the service during coffee & conversation, we would welcome that opportunity as well.
For coordination purposes, please confirm receipt of this letter and provide the best contact person for future specific communications regarding our Share the Plate program.
In fellowship,
Lynn Cusick
Share the Plate Team
Greenville UU Fellowship
(864) 377-5214
[email protected]
MailChimp and Order of Service Announcement
(Sunday after Collection)
Our immense JOY this morning is because of YOU, our congregation. You, our Fellowship family, lives out GUUF’s mission of generosity, respect and the building of community.
Our SHARE THE PLATE last Sunday was a huge success … a generous win/win for [insert charity name] AND our Fellowship.
On a typical Sunday, GUUF collects between $150-$350 in cash/undesignated money. This past Sunday, the cash amount (not including pledges) was [insert amount]; so our donation to [Charity name] is [insert $ amount]
We are rooted in LOVE and GENEROSITY. Thank you GUUF!
— Lynn Cusick, Bo Boghani and Pat Chaney