New UU Crowdfunding Platform, and Faithful Risk Fund to honor Gini Courter

Update 6/26:  The Faithful Risk Fund is in Gini’s honor, not the platform… There was talk about a crowd sourcing platform as part of honoring her, but that was already in development by the Mass Bay and Clara Barton Districts.  So the platform is a collaboration with first $10,000 in donations supporting its development.

Friends, at our recent General Assembly conference a new UU crowdfunding platform was announced, as well as a “Faithful Risk” fund to honor Gini Courter, UUA Moderator. (UU World coverage).   Scroll down for how I want to raise $100,000 for this fund $5 at a time…   

DONATE $5 NOW

Inspired, in part, by the Minns Lecture I offered with the Rev. Naomi King, this fundraising platform and fund will allow Unitarian Universalists who are called to creative, innovative and experimental (a.k.a. risky) ministries and ministry projects to reach out to UUs for funding.

Before you surf away, do me a favor.  At a minimum share this post via your social media channels. Share it with someone you know who has $5.  Just scroll to end of post and click a few share buttons.  Thanks!  If YOU do that, and others too, we’re golden.  Like “UU love people shirt” golden…

Using this platform a project requiring $10,000 could be funded by 100 UUs offering $100, or 1,000 offering $10.  Projects could range from small amounts, or it could go bigger…. Who knows!  And that’s the beauty.  We don’t know what will happen or what kind of projects will come forward.  We just know that Unitarian Universalism needs them to come forward, and we need a way to make space for them, affirm them, support them, and to learn together through the process.

For the last two years I’ve had seminarians, lay ministers, and our clergy asking me about this sort of project.  So, I must thank the Rev. Naomi King for our collaboration on the Minns Lectures which helped inspire Gini, and to Gini for choosing to have this fund and fundraising platform be one of her many gifts to our association, and part of her and Naomi’s legacy to our larger faith.

$100,000 to honor Gini and launch fund

Now, to honor Gini appropriately I don’t think just having a dribbly slow start to this fund will do.  No… That will not do…  Do you?   I’d didn’t think so.

Together, I would like us to raise $100,000 to kick it off.  Doesn’t that sound good?  Wouldn’t that be a mighty accomplishment?  Wouldn’t you like to see the look on Gini’s face?

DONATE $5 NOW

$5 x 20,000 UUs = $100,000

Will you join me in donating $5 to support this new effort?  I’m looking for 20,000 gifts of $5.  You got $5?  Skip a couple Starbucks and we’re there. Right?  People, I need you on this one.  As Vanessa Southern said in her GA sermon, “Let’s dive in together.”

If you love Gini, if you love the idea of our using our funds to power new creative and innovative ministries that are just too small or weird or risky or whatever usually leads these important experiments NOT to be funded,  make a donation.

Thank you for helping us launch this big time!

In faith,Peter Bowden

PS – Below is our Minns Lecture video (full). You may watch in short segments here.