Goal, Mission, Process and Timeline

Our Goal:

Each year the Nominating Committee seeks nominations to the Board of Trustees, the Legacy Committee, the Nominating Committee, and the Office of Treasurer. NomCom begins the process in the early fall, and finishes in the spring, announcing the nominees to the voting members of the congregation at least 30 days prior to the annual meeting in June. All new nominees begin service on July 1 (the beginning of the next fiscal year).  If you have a suggestion for a nomination please contact any Nominating Committee member or fill in this form.

Brief Description of positions to be filled:

Board of Trustees (9 members): The Board, on behalf of MDUUC, shall have general charge of all its administrative, property, and business affairs, subject to the provisions of the church bylaws. Members serve a three-year term and are eligible for a second three-year term. The Board elects its own officers (President, Vice President, and Secretary). The congregation elects the Treasurer. Board Officers attend a monthly Executive Meeting to set the agenda for the monthly Board meeting. The other (non-officer) Board members typically each have an area of responsibility, that may include being a liaison to committees/interest groups, such as social justice, membership, or fund raising. All Board members are expected to be active in the life of MDUUC, attending Sunday services, events, and monthly Board meetings.

Treasurer (one of the 9 members of the Board): The Treasurer is a voting member of the Board and is elected at the annual meeting of the congregation for a one-year term. A member may serve no more than four consecutive one-year terms as Treasurer. The Treasurer is a member of the Finance Committee and works with the Legacy & Endowment Committee to maintain complete and accurate books of accounts of the Endowment Fund. The Treasurer monitors the payment of bills and investment of MDUUC bank accounts (excluding the Sammons Endowment Fund), coordinates the work of the bookkeeper, keeps a complete account of the finances of MDUUC, provides financial reports to the Board as needed, and interprets the reports for the Board. In the execution of these and other duties, the Treasurer may be required to come into the Church Office at least once a week.

Legacy Committee (7 members): The committee solicits contributions (cash and stock donations) to the David Sammons Endowment. They also work with church members to assist them in the establishment of legacy gifts to MDUUC. The committee keeps accurate and complete records of the Endowment Fund and Legacy commitments. Members serve a three-year term and are eligible for a second three-year term. The committee elects a chair, a recording secretary to maintain complete and accurate minutes, and a financial secretary to assist the church treasurer in maintaining complete and accurate books of accounts of the Endowment Fund.

Nominating Committee (9 members): The committee nominates candidates for the Board of Trustees, the Legacy Committee, the Nominating Committee, and the Office of the Treasurer. Members serve a two-year term and are eligible for a second two-year term.

Mission:

The Nominating Committee's primary mission is to identify lay leaders to be nominees for service on the Board of Trustees, Legacy Committee, Nominating Committee, and for the Office of Treasurer.

Qualifications of Nominees:

Considerations include commitment to UU values and the MDUUC mission and goals, acting consistently with the MDUUC Covenant of Right Relations, involvement in MDUUC activities, and being recommended by multiple people. Importantly, we also aim to nominate members who represent the diverse range of our congregation. The MDUUC By-Laws require all nominees be voting members of MDUUC for at least one year.

Process:

At the Annual Congregational Meeting each June, members will be asked to vote for the entire slate of candidates nominated to serve on the Board, Nominating Committee, Legacy Committee, and the Office of the Treasurer. Election is by simple majority. This is the final step in a nine-month process by the MDUUC Nominating Committee.  The Nominating Committee is a congregational committee as defined in the MDUUC By-Laws, meaning that they work for the Congregation rather than reporting to the Board.  The committee has nine members and elects their own chair.

The Nominating Committee relies on recommendations from Board members, Legacy Committee members, the Ministers, the Director of Religious Education, the Music Director, and Members of the Congregation to help identify qualified lay leaders for these important volunteer positions.   A request for nominations is also published in the Beacon and the This Week at MDUUC email. Nominating Committee members also speaking during selected congregational forums, as all members of the congregation are invited to make recommendations and/or self nominate!

Once the Nominating Committee has a solid list of potential candidates they evaluate the knowledge, skills, ability, and best fit (for a given position) of each person. The selection process includes a first round of ranking by each member of the committee to group people into the four categories (Board, Nominating, Legacy, and Treasurer). A second round of ranking by each member of the committee is done to determine the rank order of the people in each category, which determines the order that people will be contacted and asked if they are willing to serve. Each round of ranking includes discussion by the committee of the relative strengths of each candidate.  Spouses, partners, or relatives are generally not asked to serve on the same committee at the same time. Also, during the discussion of candidates, Nominating Committee members will excuse themselves from discussing anyone who is their spouse, partner or relative.

NomCom committee members work collaboratively throughout the year, usually considering over 150 recommendations, and using a detailed process to generate a slate of candidates, for which the congregation as a whole votes at the Annual Meeting in early June. Incumbents who are eligible to serve another term are contacted to ask if they wish to self-nominate. Nominees whose names appear in the slate have already agreed to serve if elected by the congregation.