The History Leading up to the Future Home Team
or
Where We Thought We Were Going
and
How We Got Here Instead
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The Board became concerned about several trends:
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2018
JULY |
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Our annual operating deficit was depleting our reserves at a pace that would cause us to become homeless within 2 to 3 years.
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Our rent expense had risen 36% during the 11 years of our lease and would continue to increase by 3% per year.
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Our beloved rental facility was becoming increasingly cramped, with a corresponding increase in a zero-sum competition for space
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OCTOBER-
NOVEMBER |
The Board invited Barry Finkelstein, UUA Stewardship Consultant, to host a “New Home Envisioning” workshop in March 2019.
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2019
MARCH |
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Mr. Finkelstein met with 47 members and, sifting the estimated 94 different opinions, concluded that we were ready for a successful Capital Campaign for a new facility.
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A reasonable target for Capital Campaign goal might be 3-5 times our annual pledges (~$600,000 to ~$1,000,000).
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We needed to meet several goals before he could return to prepare a Financial Feasibility Study
for a Capital Campaign: o To agree on a primary approach for obtaining our new home, o To define an organizational structure to plan and conduct a successful move to a new home, o To define and estimate costs for our dream facility, o To create a long-range financial and resource plan. |
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SEPTEMBER
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The Future Home Team hosted an envisioning meeting to discuss potential courses of action for achieving a future home.
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In a non-binding “straw vote” the Congregation preferred the following 3 parallel courses of action: · Launch a Capital Campaign to raise money · Discuss with TAO Center possibility of sharing space · Discuss with UUCFL possibility of sharing space |
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MARCH
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The pandemic got real - and the kick-off for the Capital Campaign was put on hold until Autumn.
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River of Grass moved to online worship services and gatherings.
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APRIL
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Capital Campaign accounts at Bank of America and TD Ameritrade were established.
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JUNE
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· The Board agreed to accept our landlord’s offer to terminate our lease on July 31, 2020 (vs February 2022) with no penalty.
· A Moving Storage Team was established, responsible for vacating our 595 POC facility by July 31, 2020. · |
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2022
MARCH |
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The team met with Rabbi Mark of TAO to discuss a possible joint venture of the two congregations.
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APRIL
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The Future Home Team and members of the Finance Committee and Capital Campaign Team met with Elisa Gaspart, a Principle with Strategic Consulting Group. Elisa specializes in helping religious organizations find financing. Her thoughts:
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NOVEMBER
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A possible future home was identified. Work is ongoing to identify funding.
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2023
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MARCH |
Several members of the Capital Campaign and Future Home Teams met with members from TAO on Tuesday, March 14, to move forward with our prospective partnership and property purchase. We engaged in an extensive and sometimes intense discussion regarding an agreed path forward. Details are still being worked on, but we are closer. And we are not done yet.
While this update may sound vague, there are too many factors in process to offer more details at this time. Please know that your Future Home Team and Capital Campaign Teams are working towards the best possible agreement for both partners. Any partnership/purchase agreement requires a congregational meeting and vote, which will be called promptly when any agreement is reached. We remain hopeful and excited for this opportunity, and grateful for all your support – fiscally, spiritually, and emotionally. Please stay tuned. - Kathy Jens-Rochow, President (president@riverofgrassuu.org) |