First Unitarian Universalist Society of Exeter

MINUTES, 162nd ANNUAL MEETING, June 4, 2017

Called to Order by Moderator, Caroline Siecke at 11:04 a.m.

Confirmation of a Quorum was established by Jane Oldfield-Spearman with 60 members present with 39 required for a quorum.

Proxy Voting. Tony Tufts was introduced as the Proxy Voting Agent and reported that three proxy votes had been received.

Acceptance of the minutes of the 161st Annual Meeting that was held on June 5, 2016. A motion by Tony Tufts was accepted from the floor that the 2016 minutes be approved. It was seconded and unanimously approved by a voice vote.

Treasurer’s Report and Presentation of the Fiscal Year 2018 (July 1, 2017 - June

30, 2018) Budget for Approval.

Treasurer Jim Breeling summarized important aspects of the FY-17 Budget, reminding

the congregants that figures supplied were a projection to June 30, 2017. Jim noted the

following:

He mentioned some of the major unexpected expenses during FY-17; namely, the burst water pipe and damage from the resulting flooding and the chimney repair costs. However, he also noted that insurance recouped a good portion of the flooding costs and “sweat equity” (notably Jonathan Winsor) reduced the chimney repair costs.
Over $12,000 of FY-17 pledges are still outstanding but are likely to be received before June 30. One’s FY-17 pledge status can be accessed on Elvanto.
The Grit and Grace fundraising efforts was a success raising over $10,000.
FY-17 Endowment has exceeded $340,000. The Finance Committee feels this fund could reach $600,000 to $800,000 within three to five years. At this level, interest income could help with operating costs.

A motion was made from the floor to approve the Treasurer’s Report and seconded. No questions were asked by members of the congregation. The motion was unanimously approved by a voice vote.

A motion was received from the floor to accept the FY-18 Budget as recommended by the Board of Directors (BoT). The motion was seconded and discussion ensued.

Jim provided a description of highlights of the recommended FY-18 Budget, including:

A 1% pay raise for staff who did not receive one last year.
Funds did not allow allocations for advertising expenses for FY-18.
We continue to pay our full share to the District UU but could not afford to pay our “fair share” to the National UUA.
The proposed budget kept our deficit below the 5% acceptable limit, at 4.7%
Compensation costs are not more than the target 75% of budget level.
Over the past several years, FUUSE has had a net loss of pledging households, but most pledging households have increased their pledge amounts.

Below are short summaries of comments and questions from FUUSE congregants during the discussion of this motion.

Mary Alice LaPoint, the outgoing Pledge Committee Chair, asked to be recognized to address the congregation. She expressed her disappointment that the FY-18 budget does not allocate funds for FUUSE advertising which she believes would help the growth of our Society. It is noted, with gratitude, that Mary Alice funded most of the budget for Facebook advertising this year.

Some in attendance expressed dismay that we are not funding our fair share dues to the National Unitarian Universalist Association. He understands the current budgetary constraints but would like this it be a FUUSE goal. Jim noted that paying our fair share has always been a goal but because of a shortfall in the pledge income for many years we have had to cut back our contribution.

A question was asked: Are the funds allocated to the Religious Education Program too high given that the average Sunday School attendance is of 22. Jim Breeling explained that our budget for RE was in line with UUA guidelines for a church our size. Denise Short noted that we actually have 61 children registered with RE but not all show up every week.Denise Short

A question was asked: what is the future of the music program given the fact that the position of Choir Director has been eliminated and the responsibility for choir direction will be resumed by the Music Director. It was explained by Jim Breeling that it is the intention of the BoT, the Minister and the Music Director to initiate a review of the Music Program to determine how to best allocate financial, staff and volunteer resources next year.

A question was asked: how many households pledged for FY-18. Answer: 125.

A comment was made that our fundraising efforts this year were very successful, citing the Grit and Grace basket raffle and storytelling benefit, but a larger budget to seed fundraising efforts would help us to improve outcomes next year. Jim Breeling pointed out that the FY-18 budget does allocate $500 for fundraising expenses.

A motion was made and seconded to approve the budget. No further discussion ensued. The motion was carried with a show of hands vote with one “no” vote.

The Nominating Slate was introduced by Denise Short of the Nominating Committee. A motion to accept the slate was made and seconded. There was no discussion. A unanimous voice vote was made to approve the slate of nominees. The board slate was as follows:

FUUSE Nominating Committee Report and Slate of Nominees 2017-2018

The Nominating Committee is grateful to the following FUUSE members for offering to serve on these committees upon which we rely for the spiritual, physical and financial functioning of our community.

Board of Trustees thanks its members who are continuing terms:

Kristin O’Gorman, Jane Oldfield-Spearman, John Giglio, Roy Jones, Jonathan Winsor, and Jim Breeling.

Board of Trustees thanks for completing his term: Tony Tufts

FUUSE Slate of Nominees for Board of Trustees and Standing Committees

Board of Trustees

Board Chair Jane Oldfield-Spearman (new role)

Member at Large Karen Patnaude

Member at Large Jan Stephens

Treasurer Jim Breeling (extending current term by one year)

Property Committee Jay Mainz

Jonathan Winsor

Finance Committee Paul LePage

Moderator Caroline Siecke

Nominating John Giglio

Personnel Roy Jones

Stewardship Committee Wayne Loosigian

Stephanie Marshall

Karen Patnaude

Respectfully submitted by the Nominating Committee:

Margaret O’Day (Chair), Denise Short, and Tony Tufts.

( Biographies were also presented and are available in last year’s materials.)

Campaign Feasibility Study Report

Skip Berrien of the Capital Campaign Feasibility Study Committee and Kristin O’Gorman of the Renovation Committee introduced the report from Cornerstone Fundraising of the Capital Campaign Feasibility Study. For some years now, members of FUUSE have discussed the possibility of much needed renovations of our church buildings. With a portion of an anonymous donation, Cornerstone was hired to complete a feasibility study for FUUSE in March. Based on estimates of the cost of renovating our sanctuary and the attached parish hall, community room, kitchen and basement, a desired goal of $750,000 was given by the Renovation Committee. After the Cornerstone analysis, a goal of $375,000 was determined. Interviews with FUUSE members, focus groups and an on-line survey led to several salient findings:

Most FUUSE members understood the need for renovations with a range for the scope of such renovations.
Ninety-six percent (96%) of FUUSE members who responded to a survey said they would contribute to a capital funds-raising campaign. It was noted that most church congregations across all denominations have difficulty raising annual operating funds. However, a capital fundraising is a separate endeavor and does not necessarily result in diminished operating funds being raised.

Skip reported our capital campaign goal will be set at $375,000. Plans for the renovation of our church must be revised with this budget goal in mind by members of the Renovation Committee. Once this is completed, the Board of Trustees will introduce these plans to the congregation and propose the initiation of the capital campaign The hope is to be ready to hold a special meeting on this subject in the fall of 2017. We may decide to enlist Cornerstone in assisting a steering committee in running the capital campaign when it commences.

A question was asked: at what point in the capital campaign would construction begin> Skip stated that this has yet to be determined.

A question was asked: what was the cost of hiring Cornerstone to conduct the Feasibility Study? Skip reported that an anonymous donor offered to pay the $4,500 fee for this study.

Passing of the Gavel. The passing of the gavel (change in the Chair of the Board of Trustees) from Kristin O’Gorman to Jane Oldfield-Spearman concluded the 162nd FUUSE Annual Meeting.

A motion was made and seconded to adjourn at 12:00pm. The voice vote in favor of the motion was unanimous.

Upcoming Scheduling Requests

Social Justice - Invites you to journey beyond FUUSE

Welcoming Circle Role Descriptions and Instructions

The Minutes of the Annual Meeting draft, June 4, 2017

The Nominating Committee Slate for the Annual Meeting on June 10, 2018

Agenda of the Annual Meeting June 10, 2018