‘Window of Opportunity’ Campaign

We are asking you to be part of making our Visionary Plan a reality by helping us raise an additional $400,000 by September 29th.

Due to the rising cost of construction materials, and the fact that we were ineligible to apply for the Inflation Reduction Grant, we have a gap between the funds raised and the funds needed.

How can I help?

Please give as generously as you can and know that every gift, no matter its size, is an essential step toward our goal.

How can I give?

Go to the Ways to Give webpage for information about the variety of ways to give, or contact Ericka LaValley in the church office at (603) 882-1091 ext 201 or uucnoffice@uunashua.org

Thank you for your dedication to our UU Nashua community. We are so grateful for you!

Details about the Window of Opportunity Campaign and FAQs are shared below. Let us know if you have any additional questions.

Background

The Original Plan

Beginning in 2019, as a congregation, we created a vision for what we wanted our church campus to reflect. We carefully considered our options and selected design improvements that promote our values of being a welcoming, accessible, and sustainable community of faith ready to meet a changing world.

Early on, these conversations and plans included updating the 75 windows for the White Wing and the Parish House. Surveys showed our #1 priority was to be more environmentally sustainable. These single-pane windows are drafty, difficult to open, have holes in their screens, and are all well overdue for replacing.

As we worked with our architects, we clarified and articulated different visions for our buildings. We discussed the merits of each idea and formulated scenarios. In 2022 we voted as a congregation to pursue an ambitious plan, the Visionary Plan, that fulfills our promises to the future to be more sustainable, accessible, and truly reflect a once-in-a-century investment in our future.  More details about the Visionary Plan can be found at the Building Our Vision webpage.

To prepare for fundraising, our architect worked with our Board of Trustees to create estimates and formulate a goal for fundraising. Using 2022 prices, the group did their best to forecast 2024 costs.

In 2023, the board recommended a fundraising goal of $2.2 million. It was based on the assumption that the windows would be covered under the forthcoming Inflation Reduction Act federal grant.

In 2023 our congregation voted to approve the capital campaign launch with the goal of $2.2 million. Within two months, we exceeded our fundraising goal, raising just over $2.3 million. Our successful fundraising secured the possibility to build a new entrance, create a new skylit connector between the Sanctuary and Parish House, and redesign the Sanctuary to create a narthex and ADA-accessible chancel.

Where We Stand Today

As for the windows, unfortunately once full details of the grants were released, UU Nashua did not qualify based on our location. While we can make enormous changes to our buildings, we do not have the funding to replace all the windows in the Parish House and White Wing. The windows in the Sanctuary, which do not open, will be addressed as part of the work in that area.

This summer, as preparations for construction began, a re-costing activity to present-day prices revealed that our 2022 estimates were short of the 2024 reality by 17%. In dollars, this means that our $2.3 million in committed funds is short by $400,000.

We have a $400,000 budget gap for Building our Vision that we must fund or we will have to reduce our plans.

The Board of Trustees and the Building Our Vision team have worked with our building contractor and architects to determine what, if anything, could be reduced from the project. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to unravel small parts of the project without putting major changes at risk. The only way to reduce the costs to match our $2.3 million available, would be to cut out major portions of one of the projects such as the new front entrance, the skylit connector to the Parish House, the expanded narthex, or the reconfigured ADA-accessible chancel. Should we find ourselves in this situation, the Building Our Vision committee would work with the architects to make recommendations to the Board of Trustees on what should be changed.

The Opportunity

Fortunately, we have a very generous donor who wants to ensure that our original visionary plan is fulfilled so we can meet our environmental goals.

They will personally cover the additional costs of replacing all the windows in the Parish House and White Wing, if as a congregation, we meet our fundraising goal of $400,000 by September 29th. This will fully fund our current construction plan.

We have already collected over $1.5 million of the committed $2.3 million due in 2026.

The opportunity is for us to join together to make our Visionary Plan a reality. Go to the Ways to Give webpage for information about the variety of ways to give.

FAQS

Am I going to be asked for more money every year?

No, this is a one-time gap we must work together to meet by the end of September. Now that the re-costing activity is complete, costs are firm and budgets have been written into contracts. Contingency funds set aside in the budget will meet the needs of future changes and unexpected gaps.

What is the difference between a ‘pledge’ and a ‘commitment’?

A capital campaign has certain features that distinguish it from annual giving. Your annual pledge goes toward funding the year-to-year expenses of operating the church. A ‘commitment’ schedules payments over a longer time and is over and above annual giving in response to a matter of significant need and long term improvement. Please do not reduce your annual pledge to give toward the capital campaign. Both forms of funding are needed to keep our church going strong.

What do windows have to do with meeting a budget gap?

Windows were always part of what we wanted to update on our campus. They make a significant impact in improving our heating and cooling costs. As we created different scenarios and negotiated pieces of the project, windows were determined to be the item most likely to be able to be funded another way. Unfortunately the grant did not become possible. They are too significant a cost to add back into the project on top of meeting a budget shortfall. Fortunately we have a very generous and motivated donor who is willing to cover the windows with the expectation that the congregation can raise enough commitments to fund the $400,000 budget gap.

What if we raise only a portion of the $400,000?

Unfortunately there is no slack built into the project. The only way to reduce the cost of the project is to look at reducing large portions of the scope including the entrance, the skylit connector, the narthex, and chancel areas. The BOV team will recommend and the board will decide what work to reduce in order to ensure that costs do not exceed the commitments we have received.

What happens if we raise more than $400,000 needed to fill the gap?

Every dollar we collect will be invested into improving our buildings. This may include new furnishings, curtains, carpeting, bathroom updates, and technology. The possibilities are very exciting. But first, let’s see how much we can raise in this limited ‘window of opportunity’.

Are you asking me for the same amount as I already committed?

No, we are asking you to determine what additional amount you are willing to give specifically to help us raise the $400,000 we need to fill the gap and earn our donor’s gift of including new windows to the scope of the project. If your gift is spread across three years, can you do a fourth year of giving? If you have already given your gift towards the capital campaign, could you commit to another one?

What do you mean by ‘extending giving to a fourth year’ in 2027?

When we launched our capital campaign in 2023, we were committing to giving a certain dollar amount over the course of three budget years from 2023-2026. Commitments made in the original capital campaign should all be given by June 30, 2026.

However, we are asking for new commitments in 2024 so we are giving the option to make this money payable by June 30, 2027. Providing the funds earlier than that is always helpful. It helps us pay off our loans sooner. But it is possible to think of this new mini-campaign as a ‘fourth year of giving’ since this new commitment won’t be due earlier than June 30, 2027.

What is our timeline for this fundraising effort?

We’ve given ourselves a deadline of September 29th to receive commitments towards this new effort. Our service that week will be our Climate Revival Event which is a great opportunity to renew our promise for a more environmentally conscious campus going forward.

How likely is it that we can raise $400,000?

Honestly, we can do this. We have added dozens of new members since our capital campaign launched in 2023, and we have many members who have already completed their commitments.

With over 130 committed donors already giving at all different levels and amounts, it becomes very achievable if we all do our part.

The gift chart shows how we anticipate reaching our goal of $400,000 through a variety of gifts of all sizes. As you can see every gift is a critical step toward our goal.