Share the Plate Policy

The Greater Nashville UU Share the Plate program contributes half of the undesignated cash and half of designated checks from specific worship service collection plates to a designated 501 (c) (3) organization. In cases of emergency humanitarian relief the congregation will pass through 100% of the contributions to the relief organizations, as determined by the minister in consultation with the social action committee.

Definitions
- Designated checks have “Share the Plate” in the memo. 50% of these checks would go to the “Share the Plate” cause and the other 50% would go to “Plate Offering.”
- Undesignated cash is loose cash in the plate. 50% of this cash would go to “Share the Plate” and the other 50% would go to “Plate Offering.”

Purpose
The purpose of this program is to:
- Raise awareness within the congregation of social justice concerns in the region, nation and around the world.
- Give congregants an opportunity to provide direct support to social justice organizations.

Nomination Process

The nomination process:
1) Greater Nashville UU member or pledging friend submits the Share the Plate form via Breeze.
2) The Social Action committee review Share the Plate form requests and determines if the organization meets the eligibility requirements. The eligibility requirements are as follows:
a. The organization must be a 501(c)3 organization
b. The requesting sponsor must be a Greater Nashville UU member or pledging non-member
c. The organization must support the Greater Nashville UU mission
d. The organization must not receive funding more than once a year
3) The Social Action committee may ask the sponsor to make a presentation to the committee, especially if the organization is not known to Social Action.
4) The Social Action committee will prioritize the organization and develop a calendar.

Prioritization will be given to organizations that:
1) Align with Greater Nashville UU Social Action mission statement
2) Have organizational viability as demonstrated by:
a) Are not startups nor requesting seed money.
b) Have tools/systems for measuring their success and effectiveness.
c) For 501 (c) (3)s that are charities:
i. Keeping administrative costs at or below 25% of annual budget for programs/ services (as recommended by Charity Navigator, Kiplinger Report, Ric Edelman, Give Well, etc.).
ii. Earn a good rating from one of the major charity evaluators, i.e., Charity Navigator (at least two out of five stars), BBB Wise Giving Alliance (an accredited charity meets all standards), GuideStar (at least three out of five stars), CharityWatch, or GreatNonprofits.
d) For 501 (c) (3)s that are CBCO’s (Congregation Based Community Organizations), that they are affiliated with a network endorsed by the UUA.
3) Have relationships with Greater Nashville UU (collaboration with Greater Nashville UU or volunteers from Greater Nashville UU)
4) Exhibit a willingness to educate and engage Greater Nashville UU members in their work for social change.

Calendar emphasis may be aligned with funding drives for the organization. It is up to Social Action to determine how many consecutive Sundays to give to one organization. The maximum is 4 Sundays.

On a limited basis, the Social Action committee may consider funding outside of these areas.

Greater Nashville UU Sponsor Obligations
1) Apply via the Share the Plate form
2) Present information about the organization to the Social Action committee, upon request.
3) Introduce the organization and project/programs during Sunday Services.
4) Help with publicity about the organization and project/program (newsletter, weekly email announcements, Order of Service inserts)
5) Submit report to Social Action about project/program outcomes within 1 year of receipts of funds.