How is the Stewardship Campaign coming along?  Good news and good lessons…

Good News — Pledging has been faster this year than ever before, and many supporters have already made their pledge commitments for the 2021-22 budget year.  We have received 223 commitments totaling $432,000 good progress toward the goal of $575,000!  Among pledges received so far are several from first-time pledgers and several increases over last year’s pledge amount.  In the Stewardship email blast going out today, you can read names of those who made pledges in recent days and gave permission to be listed.  We listed 64 names in the March 30 pledge drive email. There are new names here and we will provide more in a future email.  We give thanks for every pledge!

Good “Lessons” — In this first-ever online Stewardship Campaign, we are learning as we go.  We appreciate your patience and your feedback, and we apologize for any confusion.  If the following questions and answers don’t clear up everything, feel free to contact our Stewardship Chair at .  As in previous years, our telephone volunteers will soon begin making follow-up calls to households who have not told UUSS of their pledge intentions for the new budget year.  Making a pledge before April 12 will save time for our volunteers as well as you.

Is it secure to make a pledge online?  Who can see it?

The online pledge form at uuss.org asks only for the monthly and yearly amount of your pledge and your contact information, but not any personal financial information.  Your pledge amount and contact information are not stored on the uuss.org website but transferred offline to our Stewardship Chair and Bookkeeper.  However, if you prefer you may instead 1) print out a 2021-22 Pledge Form, write on it, and mail it to UUSS or 2) email () or call Michele Ebler, our Bookkeeper, with your pledge information.

How do I set up my secure payment information?  Do I need to do it again?

Note that setting up your payment information is a separate process from indicating your pledge amount.  If your payment information is not already set up with the UUSS Office, it can now be done through a secure website by a financial services company, which is new this year.  That secure site is reachable through a link on the Pledge Form at uuss.org/pledge.

However, if you already have been making automatic payments to UUSS through your bank or credit card, you can leave that as is.  You don’t have to set it up again unless you want to make changes in the method or card, but do let Michele know that you are doing that for your pledge payments for 2021-22. (You may also provide bank or credit card information in writing—not electronically—to Michele in the UUSS office, 2425 Sierra Blvd., Sacramento 95825.)

If you wish to increase your pledge amount but leave your existing bank-draft or credit card payment information and arrangements as they have been, you can fill out a Pledge Form online or on paper, or directly notify Michele of your new pledge amount.  Thank you!

When will I get an acknowledgment and confirmation of my pledge for 2021-22?

You may have received an email from a Stewardship Committee member thanking you for having made your pledge.  If you make a pledge by US Mail or phone, you will get a post card this month.  In either case, if you do not get an acknowledgment, we want to know.  We want to correct our process AND we want to say thank you!

For those who have not yet pledged or who submit a revised pledge now, on Wednesday we were able to add a new feature to the online pledge process.  Now you will automatically receive an email with your pledge form responses.

The Office will send out confirmation letters in June to thank everyone who has made a pledge and to confirm your pledge amount before the 2021-22 fiscal year begins.  Before that letter arrives, if you have a question about your pledge, your pledge payments or any contributions, please feel free to contact Michele.

Why do I keep getting Stewardship emails when I have already made a pledge?

Two reasons. Our Stewardship emails rely on the same program as our Weekly Message, which has more than 1,000 addresses in it. Hence, everyone receives the same thing.  Because of the software, our volunteers are not able to select out those who have pledged (which would be laborious if it could be done).  Moreover, we think that the brief, heartwarming testimonial videos by UUSS families and members (and the UUA message to us by the Rev. Vail Weller) are inspiring. They are well worth watching even if you have already made your pledge! See them here.

Why is my name not listed as a pledging donor?

It could be a matter of timing—that is, if your name was listed on a previous email or if it is scheduled to be listed on a future email. If you did not use the online pledge process, your pledge may take longer to process. It might also be that you did not specifically give permission to list your name, or we missed it.  If you want to be sure that your name will be listed, you may email our chair at to request that.  We appreciate all pledges to UUSS.

Thank you for your generosity!