Last month, we (Rachel and Kay) attended UUA General Assembly where we facilitated a workshop together with Jessica York, Director of Congregational Life at the UUA on Money, Power, & Meaning. We had a marvelous time in Spokane learning from other sessions and seeing many folks from the congregations with whom we work. It is always good to see YOU and to be in ministry together!
Approximately 70 people participated in our workshop, exploring how to manage the dynamics of money and power in their congregations, starting with examining their own individual relationships to money and giving. We looked at how we can keep our values and our money aligned, using an example of how a UU congregation is allocating some of its resources to ministry focused on social justice work and a mission-centered budget. The goal of the workshop was to think about the power dynamics we sometimes encounter when financing our congregations and to better connect the spiritual and financial components of generosity and giving.
The workshop was discussion based, in pairs and as a larger group, with some overview slides you can access here. As a follow-on, we sent out a resource crafted by Jessica titled Creating Your Money Story. We also provided questions to use in facilitating discussions in your own congregations so you can help make discussion around money easier and to live more fully into your missions and your power together.
Kay has more than 23 years of successful professional fundraising experience. She is passionate about helping organizations fund their mission through customized campaigns. Reach her at kay@stewardshipforus.com.