Stewardship is an intentional choice of how to share our time, talent and treasure in support of what we value. UUCC members give ongoing support by attending Sunday services, participating in church programs, volunteering time and talents, and making annual pledges to the operating budget.

When we intentionally share our gifts, we experience the joy of giving and a sense that we are making a difference.

Members often ask about arrangements for paying their stewardship pledge or making other payments to the congregation.  Here are the options currently offered by UUCC. A copy of this information is available as a Google Doc online.

• Cash – for the most part we do not encourage cash gifts due to security concerns.  However, sometimes this is the most practical option for small amounts.  Be sure to put cash in a sealed envelope with the purpose of the cash and the dollar amount clearly marked on the outside, and put the envelope into the safe in the upper elevator lobby.
• Checks – you can write personal checks and mail them to the church.  To ensure they are handled properly by our volunteer staff, please write Attn: Safe as part of the address.  You can also put checks into the safe as above.
• Bill pay services through your bank. Most banks offer this service, and it is a great option because it is free.  The bank will mail a check to UUCC on request or based on a schedule you define.  All you need is the church name (you can abbreviate it UUCC), address, and phone number to set this up.
• Zelle – We have activated a Zelle account as of September 2025.  Our account is at donate@uucleveland.org, or you can use a QR code that is posted in various places.  Zelle is a free service established by a consortium of banks, most Cleveland banks participate.  However, you cannot schedule future payments via Zelle. Instructions available here.
• CashApp – our CashApp handle is $UUCC44122.  CashApp fees are 2.75% so we prefer that CashApp use be limited to small gifts like the Sunday Basket.
• Realm – This is the UUCC membership database, and you will need to set up an account if you don’t already have one. Contact Sharon Edmond (sharon.edmond@uucleveland.org) at UUCC for assistance.  Realm fees are about 1% if you pay from your checking account, 2.75% if you use a credit card.
• Stock gifts.  This is a great option if you have stocks that have appreciated (the more the better!).  The church receives the full current value of the donated stock, but you do not pay capital gains tax that would be due if you sold the stock.  In addition, if you itemize deductions you can deduct the full value of the stock, reducing your taxes even further.  See the “Stock Gift Instructions” section below for information on how to initiate a gift.  Don’t worry about the situation where the stock value exceeds your pledge, you can ask for the excess to be applied to the following year.
• Charitable gift trust.  Many of these exist.  In this scenario you give your appreciated stock to the gift trust, and then direct the trust to send money to charities you choose.  Again, you avoid capital gains tax.  You get the charitable deduction when you give the stock to the trust (you do not get a deduction when the trust gives money to the charity).  But you can use the gift trust money to support all of your charities, usually with a minimum dollar amount like $50.  The gift trust does charge an annual service fee – the fee structure varies between trusts.  Also, gifts to the trust are final.
• IRA Distribution.  If you have an IRA and have reached the age where there are Required Minimum Distributions (RMD), you can have the IRA administrator send the distribution directly to a charitable organization.  This will satisfy your RMD without incurring a tax on the amount (the gift to the Church is NOT deductible on Schedule A, however).  It is important to note that the money must go directly to a charitable institution (you can’t move this to a charitable gift trust).  We have found that some IRA administrators do not identify the donor on the check, so please let us know if you are initiating an IRA gift. 

To discuss any of these options further, or to inform us of an upcoming gift, please contact any of the following:

• Sue Lencewicz, Bookkeeper, at 216-751-2320 x105 or bookkeeper@uucleveland.org
• Justin Hunsaker, Treasurer, at justin.hunsaker@gmail.com
• John Bacon, Finance Chair, at baconj406@gmail.com

Stock Gift Instructions

The stock is priced according to IRS rules (based on the date received by Huntington), and you will get a confirmation from Huntington regarding the valuation.  You can make stock gifts to pay your pledge (current, past, or future), support a special fund-raiser, or endow a restricted fund (or any combination).

Instructions to your broker:
Depository Trust Company (DTC) Transfer
Huntington Investments
DTC# 2305 Inst 10048   
Investment Acct No. 1536000119 
Contact person: Apryle Lovelace
216-706-3760

Also, please send an email or call one of the above contacts to let us know the gift is coming.  We need to know what brokerage company is sending the stock.  It’s helpful (but not required) to know how many shares of what company are being transferred.  When Huntington receives the stock there is often no information about the donor, so we need to match you up to your gift so that we can send an acknowledgement and the value of your donation.  We also need to know how the proceeds are to be allocated – for example, to this year’s pledge, a capital campaign, a restricted account, or whatever.  Thank you for your gift!