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“In what ways can the UUA help your congregation?”
It’s a question that appears in the congregational questionnaire section of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s annual certification process, which collects congregations’ official membership numbers and financial statistics and offers valuable information about the makeup and needs of UU congregations.
In 2025, rather than simply using the questionnaire feedback to inform the UUA’s work, the Congregational Life team curated a new online collection of frequently asked questions and requested resources: the Partnership Portal.
“Through the Partnership Portal, congregations get the quick answers they need, along with easy access to folks who can help,” said Lillian Drab-Braddick, who is dean of LeaderLab and the UU Institute and is on the UUA’s Congregational Life Staff in the Southern Region. “The door to this Portal is wide open; inside you’ll find useful resources and connections to Congregational Life staff partners.”
In 2025, the most requested resources on the congregational questionnaire were about outreach, growth, and membership; leadership development; worship resources; community resilience, mutual aid, and safety in the current political climate; and compensation and benefits. However, Partnership Portal resources also cover topics from livestreaming and multiplatform worship to fundraising and planned giving.
“A lot of congregations are realizing members want to include the congregation in their estate planning, so highlighting our planned giving resources was timely,” said Rev. Renée Ruchotzke, the UUA’s Website User Experience project manager and the originator of the UU Institute.