UUFVB members have many ways to help each other – and their communities – to lead lives of justice, love, learning, and hope. Our Endowment Fund is one such welcome method.
Or Read the Fund History Below:
History:
At the April 2001 Annual Meeting, the Fellowship approved establishing an Endowment Fund and the Endowment Committee. A special resolution defined the mission, committee operating rules, and how members are chosen. Jim Brewer was the first Committee chair.
A mere four months after its inception, a miracle happened! The Endowment Fund received an unexpected and very generous initial donation of $248,000 from the estate of former members Carl and Florence Arnott. What a grand start! Carl and Florence Arnott’s contribution in 2001 is still paying dividends and still building a formidable legacy as new projects are funded.
The Fund’s principal has grown since, and all members are encouraged to consider the Endowment in their estate planning! ute.
Consistent with the original April 8, 2001 Fellowship resolution establishing the Fund, endowment income shall only be used for Fellowship programs, building and landscaping improvement, capital purchases, unusual educational opportunities for the congregation, or other special needs that may arise. The Endowment Fund is separate from the Fellowship’s operating budget, building funds, or special funds. Use of Endowment funds must benefit programs which are beyond the scope and means of the Fellowship’s operating budget.
Endowment Committee:
The Endowment Committee manages the Endowment Fund. The Committee consists of seven members of the Fellowship appointed by the Board of Trustees for overlapping two-year terms. The Fellowship President and the Minister serve as Committee advisors. The Committee reports to the Board on a quarterly basis and to the congregation at each annual meeting. Endowment Committee reports and minutes are available to members in this website Member Area.
Fellowship Committees May Apply for Endowment Funds:
Fellowship committees may apply to the Endowment Fund for program support using the Application Form on the Member Area Endowment page. Only Committees may apply for Endowment Funds. Applications must describe a lasting benefit to the Fellowship mission?.
Past Projects:
In 2005 UUFVB Fellowship Members made the far-sighted – but audacious – decision to purchase an abandoned church building in Vero Beach covering 33,540 square feet in its main building alone. Rehabilitation of the property required significant investments and many hours of volunteered labor. Re-named the “Emerson Center” after Unitarian minister Ralph Waldo Emerson, the Center serves as the Fellowship home and a major cultural venue for the community. Each year, numerous concerts, lectures, and other public events are held at the Emerson Center.
Mortgage Payoff:
Many Fellowship Members contributed both time and money to complete the purchase and payoff the property mortgage. The Endowment Fund contributors represent one set of these generous contributors. The Endowment Fund played an important role in helping payoff the mortgage and place UUFVB on a more secure financial footing.
The Bicycle Rack:
In 2021 the Endowment Committee quickly endorsed a Facilities Council request to fund adding a bicycle rack for the congregation and visitors. The bicycle rack honors departing senior minister Reverend Scott W. Alexander. Many Fellowship volunteers pitched in to bring the idea to fruition, including Al Parmentier, Jack Siplak, Mark Hornbuckle, Jim Brewer, Dick Atkinson, Al and Lin McNabb, and Nancy Stiefel.
At a ceremony held on March 7, 2021, UUFVB member Jack Stiefel presented the honor, explaining: “It all started with an idea expressed over a year ago by Angie Love that the Fellowship needs a bike rack. Then, with the announcement that Scott would retire this summer, it occurred to me that a first class bike rack might be a good way to honor Scott.”
Reverend Alexander was a mainstay of the congregation for 13 years. A former runner and avid bicyclist, he biked across the United States three times raising funds to end hunger.
Build Your Own Legacy:
Unitarian Universalists have a rich history of contributing to society. They do this through current ACTS and CONTRIBUTIONS. Through such acts and contributions they benefit people in the present and in the future, leaving a legacy that redounds to the advantage of many future generations.
The Endowment Fund also provides a way to continue the legacy of individual Fellowship Members and their families, including those who have preceded us. Contributions of principal to the Fund are intended to be permanent, but the accrued interest and earnings become available for endowment projects.
You have the opportunity to establish your own personal legacy that will further the UUFVB mission. We think of Endowment Fund contributions as “gifts that keep on giving.” We preserve the principal of each contribution, and make earnings from that principal available to projects sponsored by UUFVB Committees. Each of those projects, in turn, is obliged to demonstrate that it will generate enduring benefits to the Members and the UUFVB Mission, separate from the normal responsibilities of the UUFVB operating budget.
We invite you to be part of this tradition. There are many ways to contribute, including:
- RIGHT NOW! To make an immediate contribution via credit card or PayPal, please click here.
- You may also send a check to the Endowment Fund, UUFVB, 1590 27th Ave, Vero Beach FL 32960.
- NOW for the FUTURE: And/or, you may wish to make the UUFVB Endowment a beneficiary of your Estate, life insurance policy, IRA, deferred compensation, will, or other policy where your contribution is recorded now but activated in the future according to the conditions you specify.
For the following types of gifts it is important to notify UUFVB of your gift. We also recommend that you consult an attorney or a professional estate planner; and ensure that the UUFVB Endowment Fund is designated as the recipient.
Upon making any of the following gifts you will become a member of the UUFVB Legacy Society. The Legacy Society is comprised of those UUFVB members who have made inter vivos gifts or included the Endowment Fund in their Estate plans.
- Outright Gifts: An immediate transfer of property (cash, stocks, bonds, real estate). Gifts must be made to the UUFVB Endowment Fund.
- Bequests: A gift through the distribution of property at death under a will or a trust. You may designate a specific dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or the balance after other bequests are made. Bequests must be made to the UUFVB Endowment Fund.
- Deferred Gifts: A gift whereby you arrange to retain use of your asset (for example: a home, land or income from securities) during your lifetime. The gift becomes the property of the Fund at your death. There are many types of deferred gift plans that can be used.
- Retirement Funds/IRA: You can bequeath all or part of your retirement fund/IRA by naming the Endowment Fund as a beneficiary.
- Memorial/Testimonial Gifts: A gift given in memory of a loved one or a gift given to honor a living person (which can be made using any of the options described here).
- Life Insurance Policies: The Endowment Fund is named as a beneficiary of your insurance policy.
If you have questions or would like to discuss the Endowment Fund, please feel free to email us at endowment@uufvb.org