The UUCF Board of Directors has now established the Congregational Restructuring Advisory Team (Advisory Team) charged with studying UUCF’s staffing and programs. Specifically, the Board has asked the Advisory Team to do a comprehensive study of UUCF’s personnel expenses and make recommendations for reducing them. An integral part of the study will be a thorough examination of the functions and duties of UUCF’s staff to identify potential efficiencies and reductions.
The Advisory Team, created after UUCF called for volunteers, is made up of the following members: Karen Wolf, Mark Monson, Jeanette Walton, Dillon Ginley, Kaye Cook and Anthony Salvi, who is serving as team chair. UUCF’s Senior Minister Rev. David A. Miller is serving as ministerial/staff liaison. The Advisory Team’s first meeting was Wed., Aug. 16. It will continue to meet weekly until the review and subsequent recommendations are completed.
In conducting its study, the Advisory Team will keep the following question in mind as its touchstone: “If we were building a congregation from the ground up to meet the needs of where we are going, versus where we have been, what staffing structure, job descriptions and programs would be essential to serve the UUCF mission?”
To assist the Advisory Team in its study, UUCF staff and lay ministers have been working on identifying future program needs, using the following framework:
Core Efforts – Activities/functions they do in their program areas that the congregation cannot do without.
Essential But Not Core – Activities/functions they do on an ongoing basis or should do that aren’t completely necessary but would be a loss for the congregation if we didn’t do them.
Good To Have – Activities/functions they do that bring life and meaning to the congregation but, if necessary, we could forego.
Icing – Activities/functions they probably don’t need to do but are really nice or meaningful when they’re done.
No Longer – Activities/functions they have done but should no longer do as we move forward into the next phase of our congregational journey?
In the coming weeks, the Board and Advisory Team will include a process for engaging the congregation in providing input to this effort.
By the end of November 2023, the Advisory Team will provide its recommendations to the UUCF Coordinating Team and the Board for reaching a balanced and sustainable budget that both meets UUCF’s mission and goals and provides equitable compensation to the staff.
The intention is to have this work completed before the end of calendar year 2023 so that a revised staff structure, if required, will be implemented effective Jan. 1, 2024. The months ahead will be challenging, but the Board and Advisory Team are committed to determining the best way forward to better serve the UUCF congregation of today and of the future.
As we navigate these challenging times, we’d like to express our deepest appreciation and respect to the entire UUCF staff. They are a top-notch team playing a vital role in the success and positive visibility of UUCF.
The Advisory Team will be providing future updates on the progress of its review.