Offering Outreach
MLUC's Offering Outreach program selects one charitable organization per month to receive half of the money from the Sunday collection plate. By supporting organizations that address social justice and humanitarian needs at the local, state, national, and international levels, we demonstrate our values as Unitarian Universalists.
To contribute to the offering, click here.
To contribute to the offering, click here.
Our February, 2025 Offering Outreach Participant: New Voters
In 2016, Jahnavi Rao was a high school student in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. She was 16 years old, too young to vote. She watched with feelings of helplessness as the presidential election unfolded. She was inspired to transform New Voters, a high school club registering eligible students to vote, into a non-profit organization. In 2020, New Voters launched nationally. Now Jahnavi is a Harvard College graduate and her vision has taken flight. Her hope is that, through the work of New Voters, US high school students will be inspired to turn out to vote and to have a voice in their government. Since its inception, New Voters has impacted over 300,000 high school students and worked with student leaders in 39 states. They have also expanded to involve students in government policy formulation and implementation, political research and civic technology.
New Voters was nominated as this month’s Offering Outreach recipient by Betsy Plume. Its work aligns with UU principle #5: “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.” More information can be found on the New Voters website.
New Voters was nominated as this month’s Offering Outreach recipient by Betsy Plume. Its work aligns with UU principle #5: “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.” More information can be found on the New Voters website.
How Organizations Are Selected
Do you volunteer for a charitable organization? Is there an organization that has helped you in the past? Have you recently stumbled upon a new and noteworthy nonprofit? We welcome any and all MLUC members to submit nominations!
Submit a nomination using the form, below.
Submit a nomination using the form, below.
The Offering Outreach Committee will review the forms and select nominations based on the following criteria:
Qualified nominations are coordinated with sermons, related educational programming, or active service opportunities, whenever possible. In order to support a wide variety of organizations, themes or categories of nominations are usually rotated from month to month. Examples of such themes are children and families, hunger, disabilities, prison, violence prevention, immigration, physical and mental health, and LGBTQ issues. Nominees not immediately selected will remain on file for future consideration.
Questions or Comments? E-mail Mary Ann Miller-Messana.
- The organization’s mission must be consistent with Unitarian Universalist principles.
- It must be registered as a 501(c)(3) corporation.
- The organization must demonstrate good stewardship of its finances.
- The size and budget of organizations are important, because we would like our donation to be meaningful and make a difference. We feel that we can have the greatest impact by supporting smaller organizations; however, a specific program within a larger organization can be considered.
- We welcome international nominations, as long as they have a Unitarian Universalist connection.
- To avoid a possible conflict of interest, we ask that church members refrain from nominating an organization where they are currently employed as a paid staff member.
- Sometimes the committee can also make a decision based on immediate needs, such as relief from natural disasters.
Qualified nominations are coordinated with sermons, related educational programming, or active service opportunities, whenever possible. In order to support a wide variety of organizations, themes or categories of nominations are usually rotated from month to month. Examples of such themes are children and families, hunger, disabilities, prison, violence prevention, immigration, physical and mental health, and LGBTQ issues. Nominees not immediately selected will remain on file for future consideration.
Questions or Comments? E-mail Mary Ann Miller-Messana.