Join us for a 1-hour “Lunch & Learn” on the 4th Weds of each month at 2 pm Eastern on Zoom.
April 24: Using Trello to keep track of rentals
May 22: AUUA Code of Ethics
More details here: https://www.auua.org/lunch-learn/
Time to Register for Professional Day 2024
AUUA PROFESSIONAL DAY & ANNUAL MEETING: Thursday, June 13, 2024 via Zoom
Professional Days 2024 will look a little different this year, and we hope it’s a change that’s going to help more administrators attend and help us find more balance in our work. This year, rather than 2 full days of online trainings we are splitting the Professional Days program into two 1-day sessions.
One will be held on June 13 with the theme ADVOCATING FOR OURSELVES. A second Professional Day session will be held in October 2024 (date and theme to be announced).
Register by April 30 to receive a special swag box: https://www.auua.org/prodays/
2023 Report of the AUUA President
2023 Report of the AUUA President, Christina Fulton
What an amazing organization the AUUA continues to be! It has been an exciting year to be a member of your Board. I began the year as your Vice President, looking forward to focusing on professional development opportunities for our members. And now here I am, writing the President’s report for our Annual Meeting. Go figure. But what I can say is that I am proud to be the President of this organization and represent all of you each and every day. I have been a member of this organization for nearly 25 years, and I can tell you that respect for administrators and the hard work they do has never been more prevalent in Unitarian Universalism than it is right now. It’s exciting to sit in meetings with other UU religious professionals and have them ask how they can support us. They see the value that each of you provides when you go to work and they all want to see us be successful in our jobs. They feel that way because of you. You each bring the highest level of professionalism to the difficult work of administration, and the world sees that. I see that. It’s what makes me want to serve this organization.
I would like to thank all the volunteers that make the AUUA shine. Volunteering in some way to the AUUA is the best way to turn your colleagues into friends. To get to know other administrators on a deeper level. From the members who meet monthly on your board, to the amazing group who plans Pro-Days, to our amazing Good Officers, to the people that plan professional development opportunities, to the people who run our Soul Matters groups. You all are the biggest treasure that we have. If you want to connect with the AUUA on a whole new level, volunteer. Most of these jobs don’t take that much time, but I promise you will not regret it. The next time we put a call out for volunteers, take a chance on us and say yes!
As you will hear from our Treasurer soon, the AUUA is financially strong. We keep our dues low in order to allow as many administrators as possible to belong. We are stronger when we have all of you with us. We offer many opportunities for financial assistance for membership dues, Pro-Days, General Assembly, and professional development opportunities. We are here for you when you need the assistance of a Good Officer. Our Listserve and FaceBook group are the best instant resource you will ever have. Many of our professional development opportunities are free for members or at a very low cost. If you know of a UU Administrator that is not a member of the AUUA, please encourage them to join us. There is no bigger bang for your buck.
Your Board will be meeting in-person prior to General Assembly in Pittsburgh later this month. It’s the first time we’ve met face-to-face since before the pandemic. We have a full day and a half planned to figure out our plan for the coming year. If there is something you’d like to see the AUUA doing, please be in contact with any of the Board members so we can discuss it at our meeting. We will also have a booth at GA! So if you plan to attend GA, make sure to come visit us at the booth, or better yet, volunteer to spend some time there welcoming visitors!
I look forward to serving you for the next two years, and working with you all to continue to promote excellence in administration.
Christina Fulton, President
Farewell from Carol Marks
After 30 years of working as a church administrator (administrative assistant, church administrator, and finally director of administration) at the same congregation, I decided earlier this year after many months of discernment that I would end my employment as of December 31, 2022. For the most part, this has been the most fun I have ever had at work, and I’ve enjoyed working with a variety of interesting ministers and other church staff over the years. I have also been thankful for the AUUA all through those years, for providing me with colleagues who really “get” what we do for a living, listening ears, and a lot of mighty fun times. I am happy with the kinds of opportunities the AUUA continues to provide for its members in the form of training, shared resources, and good offices assistance.
I will be leaving the AUUA Board and taking some time away from Unitarian Universalism for a while, to clear my mind and figure out what is next for me, but you are in good hands with our remaining AUUA Board members. They are all insightful and helpful people, and it has been a real pleasure to work with them. I have known Christina Fulton for over 25 years, and she is truly a leader in her field. She will be coming in from serving as Vice President, to become President of AUUA, as I step away after five and a half years of service on the Board this time around.
I wish all of you the very best in your professional endeavors, with regular substantial raises in pay, generous vacations, healthful working conditions, congenial co-workers, and UUs around you who are all trying to make the world a better place.
Happy trails!
Carol Marks
AUUA President June 2021 through Dec 2022
UU World LGBT Article
From the AUUA Board
March 8, 2019
As a professional organization within the UUA, we, the Board, on behalf of the members of the Association of Unitarian Universalist Administrators (AUUA), are called to seek the best in our fellow religious professionals, to work to uphold the Unitarian Universalist Principles and to ensure that our colleagues within the organization, those serving as other religious professionals, our congregants, and indeed the world at large, are treated with dignity and respect. Our own Code of Professional Practices calls us to strive to be models of ethical leadership and to honor our liberal religious imperative to work for social justice.
The events of the past week surrounding the After L, G, and B article in the Spring issue of UU World have raised many challenges for each of our congregations, our denomination and for many of our own administrative professionals. It is not our place to judge the intentions of the article, but rather to recognize the impact on our peers and on many in our congregations.
Members of the transgender and genderqueer community, including those within the AUUA, are feeling pain, anger and betrayal. A community that is already marginalized feels excluded, unseen and unheard. We want our transgender and genderqueer colleagues to know that we have heard them. We will commit to follow their lead by encouraging members of AUUA to read the TRUUsT (Transgender Religious professional Unitarian Universalists Together) response and their suggestions for how to be better allies. We recognize the inequalities endured by our transgender and non-binary gender colleagues. We pledge to do better at recognizing and naming these inequalities and truly working to ensure the inherent worth and dignity of all.
From Your Board
March 7, 2018
Dear AUUA members,
Last week, our colleague Christina Rivera, Director of Administration and Finance at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church in Charlottesville, VA, was the target of a racist note received in her mailbox. Once again, we are reminded that we have a great deal of work to do within ourselves and our congregations to address individual and systemic racism. Continue reading “From Your Board”