Dear fellow members and friends of EUU,

I am writing to you once again as your Pledge Drive Coordinator, following the Spring retreat, which enjoyed excellent registration numbers. The retreat produced a sizable surplus for EUU’s Social Action budget, as did our fall 2020 retreat. And last year’s pledge drive exceeded expectations, with a large increase over the disappointing outcome in 2019 – thanks to those of you who donated their fees when we had to cancel the spring 2020 in Prague due to the pandemic. I want to express EUU’s deep gratitude for your generosity during the pandemic.

As a result, we’ve been able to increase our Social Action budget for 2020 and 2021 and should be able to maintain a higher level in 2022 – a welcome change from previous years, when we had to cut our donations. EUU is proud to be giving more during the pandemic. We are busy researching new ways of putting our principles into action, especially in the area of food ethics, the theme of the latest retreat.

But a part of our Social Action budget still comes from our pledges. And we continue to have other ongoing costs, as well as a large at-risk deposit with a retreat site that was made before the pandemic. The site has said we can use it in 2022, but many such organizations are under severe financial pressures. Another crucial outlay is our support for other UU organizations, notably ICUU, whose future is currently under discussion because of its poor financial situation. We also wish to restart our longstanding exchanges with Unitarian students from Transylvania. In addition, we offer help to start-up and struggling fellowships in our midst. All EUU fellowships benefit as well from the UUA Ambassador program, whose costs we share; Rev. Diane Rollert will be back among us when travel restrictions are relaxed. Small budget lines support professional development for members of the Coordinating Council, such as our Music Director, the attendance of our leaders at the online UUA General Assembly and our contribution to the UU International Women’s Convocation. Finally, of course we have inevitable administrative expenses, including required liability insurance, quickly rising bank charges, publicity and ongoing IT costs.

All this to say that we continue to need your pledges as before. We do hope that as many of us as possible will be able to meet the suggested donation of 150 euros per family unit. I know that many of you continue to face uncertainties with your jobs and incomes at the moment, so we understand if a limited commitment is all you can manage until economic activity rebounds. Donning my economist’s hat, the good news is that the rebound looks imminent!

So please try to give generously again this year.

Let me and/or our treasurer, Jutta Hamm, know your intentions by email (peter@jarrett-net.com and treasurer@europeanuu.org). You don’t have to complete your payments until the fall, but we would appreciate knowing what you can manage from the current vantage point. Our banking arrangements have not changed. We no longer have a dollar account, so the only payment method is to transfer money to our account at ABN AMRO in Amsterdam: IBAN NL91ABNA0623863928 and BIC ABNANL2A. Please contact Jutta and me if you have any questions. As always, only the Treasurer and the Pledge Drive coordinator see your pledging information.

Many thanks!

In fellowship,

Peter Jarrett
EUU Pledge Drive Co-ordinator