Author: Katie Watkins (Page 1 of 87)

Katie believes the best things in life are the result of collaboration and diverse perspectives coming together to produce something greater than any individual could. She is passionate about systems, efficiency and collaboration for better community outcomes. She loves dreaming up the big picture and drafting the roadmap to make it happen. She has a background in operations, fundraising, communications and program development, as well as over a decade of nonprofit management experience in Northern Colorado.

Her greatest joy in life comes from her family. Her husband, Steven, a principal at Wellington Middle School, and daughters Emmaline and Esmae are the lights of her life. Together they love mountains, music and all kinds of food. She is passionate about women supporting other women in all stages of life and especially through the critical moments that make or break us. She believes that one of the most important things in life is to be kind.

Being outdoors makes her soul come alive. It always roots her in gratitude and is one of the reasons she loves living in Fort Collins.

Notice of Meeting: Congregational Meeting, Feb. 23, 2025

February 5, 2025 /

NOTICE OF CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

The Board of Trustees announces Foothills’ will host a congregational meeting on Sunday, February 23rd at 1 PM. This meeting will be available to attend online and in person.  The purpose of this meeting is to vote on the annual operating budget for 2025, Q2-Q4. Please CLICK HERE to register for the Congregational Meeting.

Unitarian Universalist churches are independent and self-governing. Annually, each congregation must vote to approve its budget for the upcoming year.

Our bylaws require a quorum of 10 percent of our membership to convene this budget approval meeting. We encourage all friends members of the congregation to attend. Per our church bylaws, in order to vote in congregational meetings, you must be on the membership rolls at least 30 days in advance of the meeting.  If you are unsure of your membership status, please contact the Foothills office at (970) 493-5906.

In December, we voted to approve the Q1 Budget to allow us to address cash flow challenges – you can read more about that and the other topics covered here. The meeting agenda will consist of a review of 2024 yearend financials and update on cash flow, and details of the 2025 budget.

We look forward to seeing you at this important moment in the life of our congregation.

Mary Klecan
President
Board of Trustees

Simplifying Giving: New Names, Same Mission

January 27, 2025 /

At Foothills Unitarian, our commitment to unleashing courageous love is powered by your generosity. Whether you’re pledging, giving to the Sunday plate, or contributing to our Community Care Fund, your support makes a tangible impact on our community and beyond.

To make it easier for everyone—newcomers and long-time members alike—to understand what they are supporting, we’ve made some updates to the way we talk about our giving funds. Here’s what you need to know:

Pledges: The Foundation of Our Mission

Your pledge to the Operating Fund is the foundation of everything we do at Foothills. Pledges allow us to plan for the greatest possible impact in the year ahead. They fund our staff, programs, and operational expenses, from Sunday worship to small groups, justice work, and beyond.

Importantly, pledges do not cover all of our expenses. We also count on unpledged gifts to support our Operating Fund throughout the year. These gifts often come from:

  • Newcomers
  • Members or friends who didn’t pledge but want to give
  • Pledgers who have more capacity than they anticipated or want to support a specific initiative

On our Giving Page, gifts marked as “Operating Fund” or “Pledge to Operating Fund” first go toward fulfilling pledges. Once pledges are covered, they help close the gap on our remaining operating needs.

Sunday Offering Plate: Supporting Long-Term Partnerships with Local Impact

For years, our Sunday morning offering has been shared 50/50 with local partners through what we’ve called Share the Plate. While this name is familiar to long-time members, it isn’t as intuitive for newer givers. To clarify, recipients of these funds are long-term partners, local organizations that align with our values. We do ongoing work with these partners, that is funded by our operations, which is why 50% of the plate goes to Foothills Operating Fund.

The other 50% is given as a Community MicroGrant to one of our partners. These partnerships are strategic, ongoing investments in creating a more just, compassionate world—and your Sunday offerings make this possible. Our Community MicroGrants are only offered to these longterm partners, Unitarian Universalist collaborative funds, and on occasion, direct support in response to a severe natural disaster or urgent humanitarian need. 

Community Care Fund: Supporting Those in Need

Our Minister’s Discretionary Fund has a new name: the Community Care Fund (CCF). This fund provides one-time basic needs support within our Foothills community and beyond.

Sometimes, people fall into tough spots. The Community Care Fund ensures we can respond quickly and compassionately when there’s no other safety net. This might include:

  • Helping pay a medical bill
  • Providing moving assistance
  • Supporting unbudgeted needs within Foothills
  • Assisting organizations doing work aligned with our values

By renaming this fund, we hope to highlight its purpose: caring for our community with dignity and love. Foothills does not provide basic service support to the general community, as there are other organizations that fill this role. We always encourage inquirers for direct support to contact 2-1-1, the local resource hotline for this type of support. Regularly attending congregants and members may request support, and if it falls within the defined guidelines, receive a one-time gift to help with an urgent need.

Making Giving Clearer

We hope these updates make it easier for everyone to understand where their gifts go and the incredible impact they have. Whether you’re pledging to sustain our ongoing work, giving to the Sunday plate to support local partners, or contributing to the Community Care Fund to care for those in need, every gift matters.

Thank you for your generosity and your partnership in unleashing courageous love. Together, we’re building a stronger, more compassionate community.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out or explore our Giving Page.

Let’s continue to make a difference—together.

Shape the Future – Inform our Vision

January 11, 2025 /

Please join the Foothills Board of Trustees for important, discerning conversations (and yummy snacks!) about where we’ve been as a congregation, and where we’re going in the years ahead. 

How can we live out our faith through our daily life? 
How can we inspire others to become partners with us? 
How can we expand our push for courageous love into Northern Colorado and beyond? 

Every person who attends this meeting will help us inform the important work we will shoulder together in the future as a church. Our most recent round of visioining led to the building of our new sanctuary, an important juncture for our community. Together, we’ll take stock and begin to inform what set our sites on next. 

We hope you’ll join us for one of these sessions: 

Wednesday,  Jan 22nd 10:00-11:30 AM

Thursday,  Jan 23rd 6:30-8:00 PM

Sunday, Feb 2nd 10:15-11:45 AM

Register to Attend

Congregational Meeting Review

December 24, 2024 /

This past Sunday, we held our second Congregational Meeting of the year. We took time to celebrate all that has come to fruition this year and to discuss the resources necessary for our work in 2025.

And what a year 2024 has been!

In our first full year in our new space, we’ve already seen the incredible ways it is expanding our capacity to live into our mission of spreading courageous love. Just this year, we have:

  • Hosted large-scale events, including two critical ISAAC gatherings and a regional UU conference.

  • Welcomed record-breaking attendance at Sunday services, with many newcomers each week.

  • Over 700 people participated in small groups, with our building in use every night of the week.

  • Exceeded 2024 budgeted revenues by 10%—a sign of your extraordinary generosity and commitment.

We’ve been celebrating this growth, while also navigating unanticipated challenges:

  • $200,000 of attrition in capital pledges (pledges made in 2019 to be paid by 2024) will not come in due to members moving, dying, or experiencing financial hardship.

  • A $47,000+ plumbing repair to fix a critical sewer line.

  • Uncertainty surrounding the solar panel rebate $60,000 due to changing federal administration priorities.

Why This Matters

These challenges add up to $300,000 less in our cash reserves than anticipated. Cash reserves are an important part of managing our annual expenses. (Learn more about this in our Meeting Packet) Without raising these funds, we will not have the resources to meet our financial responsibilities past the first quarter of 2025.

The good news is that we’ve already secured $150,000 thanks to the quick and generous response of a handful of members. Now, we need to raise the remaining $150,000 through a matching challenge by February 1st to stabilize our cash flow and avoid painful cuts to staff and programming. If necessary, these cuts would undermine the growth and momentum we’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Immediate Action Steps

At the meeting, we shared a few clear ways you can help right now:

  1. Make an End of Year Gift: Can you give from your investments before the year ends? This may provide you with a capital gains tax benefit.

  2. Accelerate or Increase Your Pledge: If you are able to give more of your pledge upfront, it will significantly help with cash flow. Or set up regular ACH payments, so your pledge comes in steadily out the year, as we have expenses. 

  3. Share the Opportunity: Do you know someone with significant giving capacity who shares our progressive values and commitment to courageous love? If so, let us know.

Why Your Gift Matters

Foothills has proven this year that we are a vital community in Northern Colorado and beyond. We show up—in solidarity, in ministry, in community. Moments like last Sunday, when we stepped up to host over 140 immigrant families at a Know Your Rights training with ISAAC, or events like A Drag Christmas Spectacular, which joyfully centers LGBTQIA+ stories and belonging, remind us why this work matters so much.

Foothills is an important and emergent leader in unprecedented times. We are responding to challenges with resilience, courage, and a deep commitment to our mission. Together, we are showing what is possible when a community boldly lives its values and answers the call of courageous love.

This is a moment of opportunity and challenge. With your support, we can meet this moment together and ensure that Foothills continues to thrive, grow, and serve.

If you’re ready to make a gift, please give here or reach out to our team to discuss the best way to give.

Together, we can raise this $150,000 and enter 2025 strong.

With gratitude and hope,

Mary Klecan
President, Board of Trustees

Review the Meeting Slides

While we typically offer a recording of the meeting, our last minute change to make the Sanctuary available for ISAAC to use for their “Know Your Rights” training meant we did not have access to the tech we normally use to make this possible. In lieu of the recording, we’re sharing amended slides that include commentary from the notes that were used to present. If you are interested in more or have any questions, please reach out to Katie Watkins, Director of Finance and Operations at katie@foothillsuu.org.

Review the Congregational Meeting Packet

Congregational Meeting + Packet

December 11, 2024 /

Dear Foothills Community,

We are eager to meet with you in our upcoming Congregational Meeting and provide you with the information in the Meeting Packet to prepare for our discussions.

However, we must first provide an important update:

Our Congregational Meeting will now begin at 2:00 PM this Sunday to accommodate a critical event supporting our immigrant neighbors.

On Friday, we received an urgent call from Arpi Miller, Executive Director of ISAAC. Their space for a scheduled Know Your Rights training, led by immigration attorney Kim Medina, fell through at the last moment. This training, vital for over 200 families seeking guidance during these uncertain times, needed a new home.

After reflection, it became clear that saying “yes” to this request was exactly why we built our new sanctuary: to provide a resource for moments just like this. It’s also a powerful opportunity to embody our mission of solidarity and support for our immigrant neighbors—work that has been a core part of our identity for decades.

While hosting this event requires some adjustments, including moving our Congregational Meeting to Unity Hall and delaying our start until 2:00 PM, we are confident in our community’s capacity to meet these challenges with grace.

Sunday’s Updated Schedule

  • 12:15 PM: Second service concludes; coffee hour proceeds as usual
  • 1:00 PM: We invite Congregational Meeting attendees to arrive early and help welcome our guests. 
  • 1:15 PM: Families begin arriving for the ISAAC event.
  • 1:30 PM: ISAAC event begins
  • 2:00 PM: Congregational Meeting begins.
  • 3:30 PM: Both events conclude. ISAAC will distribute “preparation packets” in the Entrance Hall.

What This Moment Represents

This Sunday is a vivid reminder of why our ministries and your support are so vital. As we gather to plan and fund our mission for the coming year, this real-time example underscores the importance of our work and our collective investment in making our vision a reality.

Pre-Meeting Information and Discussion Opportunities

The packet for the Congregational Meeting contains essential information about the past year, our current financial position, and plans for moving forward. Please review it before Sunday so we can come together prepared to discuss and act.

If you have detailed questions and are interested discussion ahead of the meeting, we invite to join us for an in-depth review of the packet contents, 2024 financial impact, 2025 budgeting and Q&A this Thursday at 12:30 PM online via Zoom ONLY.

Register to Attend the Congregational Meeting
Register to Attend the In-Depth Budget Discussion (online only)
Review the Meeting Packet

We are deeply grateful for each of you and the ways you step up to meet these moments of need and opportunity. Together, we are living our mission of courageous love and making an impact in Northern Colorado and beyond.

With gratitude and hope,

Mary Klecan, President of the Board of Trustees
Rev. Gretchen Haley, Senior Minister
Katie Watkins, Director of Finance and Operations

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