The Endowment Fund was proposed by a group of WUU members and established by congregational vote in 1996. Its goal, then and now, is to assure the future of WUU as a liberal religious community.

A five-member Endowment Committee, elected by the congregation and overseen by the Board, manages the Fund and encourages contributions from WUU members and friends. The bulk of the Fund’s assets are invested through the Unitarian Universalist Common Endowment Fund (UUCEF), which is professionally managed to generate long-term growth by investing in a globally diversified and socially responsible portfolio.

The Endowment Committee works to grow the Endowment Fund in two ways:

• by encouraging cash donations to celebrate events, mark important occasions, honor friends and family, or remember deceased members; and

• by encouraging members to name the Fund as a beneficiary of a future bequest or other planned gift from their estates.

Both forms of giving reflect our congregation’s desire to sustain WUU for generations to come.

The WUU Board determines the amount and timing of distributions from the Endowment Fund, subject to congregational By-Laws. To date, the Board has requested one distribution to purchase a new chalice. On the recommendation of the Endowment Committee, the Board intends to follow UUA guidelines and postpone further distributions until the Fund equals at least twice the WUU annual operating budget. Thereafter, the Board may request distributions in amounts consistent with continued long-term growth of the principal and for purposes not already funded through the annual operating budget.

Members of the Committee would be pleased to speak to anyone with questions about the Fund or about making a legacy gift. Contact endowment@wuu.org for more information.

If you would like to make a gift in memory of, in honor of, in appreciation, or just because, please fill out the endowment contribution form below.