Channing Society

"The Channing Society provides an opportunity for members and friends of this church to perpetuate their commitment to the great value and importance of their UU beliefs. Channing Society funds create the Church’s endowment which will help to ensure a strong liberal religious program in the future for our community. I am pleased to be identified with the growing numbers who recognize the importance of helping to provide this financial strength for our church." Ray Ramseyer, Member, First UU Church.

Throughout our Church’s history, its members and friends have made charitable gifts to secure a strong future for our liberal religion and beloved Church. Each generation has helped to advance Unitarian Universalism and strengthen the First UU Church of San Diego by various means of gifting -- current gifts of cash, real estate, and securities, and planned bequests from wills, trusts, IRAs, 401ks, and other retirement plans, gifts of life insurance, and through other gifting arrangements, such as the UUA Pooled Income Fund and UUA Charitable Gift Annuity Fund.

Our church created the Channing Society to recognize, honor and thank the generous individuals who have made or arrange to make a lasting contribution to the First UU Church’s long-term financial survival and health. The Channing Society is named after William Ellery Channing (1780-1842), a noted Unitarian minister, poet, and author. 

Members of the Channing Society have their names placed on a magnificent sculpture entitled "Sustainers of the Flame" that is located in the Heritage Lounge beside Bard Hall. As of January 1, 2000, more than 90 individuals have been recognized as members of the First UU Church’s Channing Society. The Planned Giving Committee sponsors an annual reception to recognize and honor new members of the Channing Society.

Membership in the Channing Society is conferred on anyone who includes the First UU Church in their estate planning documents or makes a current gift or planned bequest to the church’s Endowment Fund. Individuals who make a planned gift to First UU Church through the UUA Pooled Income Fund and UUA Charitable Gift Annuity Fund also are members of the Channing Society. As a giving guideline, the Planned Giving Committee requests that eligible gifts and planned bequests exceed $1,000.

To assist in long-term planning, the Planned Giving Committee requests that donors share the pertinent language and details of their planned gifts in a confidential manner with the Committee. These documents are placed in a locked, confidential file maintained by the Church Administrator. By receiving a copy of the documentation, the church is better able to ensure that a donor’s estate planning gift is properly realized. 

A gift or bequest may be made or arranged in a number of different ways, many of which are described in the Planned Giving Committee’s Gift Administration Policies and Guidelines. Members of the Planned Giving Committee would be pleased to provide interested individuals with further information about planned giving options that benefit the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego. 

First Church Endowment Funds

First Church Estate Planning or Living Gifts