Click here to view the proposed 2023-24 JUC Operating Budget.
Introduction
The proposed budget presented here was developed with the following considerations:
- Estimates of expected income
- Program and facility budget information provided by staff
- Salary comparison data by position
- National and local measures of cost-of-living increases
- Supervisor pay increase recommendations
- Leverage points to balance projected income and expenses
The financial effects of the pandemic are being felt more now than over the last three years. Inflation has been high, and we have had a lag in adding members due to being closed for a prolonged period. That said, we remain in good financial condition with healthy reserves and a generously pledging congregation.
Making Room
The effort to swap church properties with Lakewood Church of the Nazarene has been on hold for the last three years. Whether to reinitiate that project is part of this Spring Congregational Vote. Any financial considerations will be considered after we determine if the Congregation wishes to pursue the possibility of the move. Thus, this budget does not contemplate any costs due to moving.
Budget Details
Income
Pledging is projected to be lower than the budget for 22/23 mostly because of a net decrease in members. People have increased their pledges, but we have lost some larger pledges and have also dropped in membership and pledging households. We are currently seeing a large number of visitors and we have a large group of people on the “path to membership,” so we are hopeful that numbers will rise.
The special matching email asks we did at the ends of the last three years were extremely successful, and very easy to manage. We plan to repeat that strategy again between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. We also repeated the paddle raiser as part of the auction with the funds going to operations rather than a special project (as had been the prior practice) and also plan to continue that.
Like last year, we have included an allocation from the COVID Recovery Funds as part of the budget. JUC received Paycheck Protection Funds of $141,000 in 2021, $94,000 of Employee Retention Credit Funds in 2022, and we expect an additional $31,000 from the Employee Retention Credit sometime in the next few months. $122,500 of the reserve generated by these funds is employed in the proposed budget. $50,000 was allocated for the 22/23 budget.
Expenses
Program expenses remain relatively flat in this proposed budget as are church operations expenses.
The pledge to the UUA Annual Program Fund has been dropped from the full ask of $53,888 to $10,000. We pledged a reduced amount in the prior two years as well, but this is a more significant reduction.
Personnel expenses are budgeted to increase 6.7% over last year. The largest pieces of this increase are a 4% cost-of-living increase for all positions (note that inflation was 6.9%) and increases in the cost of health insurance. The budget also includes bringing the Assistant Minister to full-time from part-time.
Conclusion
We welcome your questions. Carol Wilsey, our Business Administrator, can take your call (303-279-5282) or email (carolwilsey@jeffersonunitarian.org) if you have any questions about the numbers or details in the proposed budget.