Member Volunteer Honorarium and Contracting

The UUMA is grateful for and dependent upon the many members who give of themselves to help lead the association. We believe there are limits to what may be reasonably expected of volunteers and are committed to honoring work done on behalf of the association when warranted. This document is not intended to be a perfect – or even fair – system, but a place to start to become more transparent and consistent in our honoraria. We have categorized work into three categories: Contracted, Volunteer, and Temporary Staff.


Contracted Work: From time to time the UUMA contracts with its members, and others, to provide services. The below chart reflects recommended minimums for this contracted work and is based on the UUMA Scale of Recommended Fees. It is understood that when contracting work, terms may be higher based on event, skills, etc. When a contract is based on an hourly rate the contract will specify the anticipated hours and what time (preparatory time, presentation time, etc.) is included.

Volunteer Honorarium: The UUMA is grateful for and dependent upon the many volunteers who give of themselves to help lead the association. An honorarium is intended to be a symbol of thanks, and not reflective of the amount of work done. In addition to monetary honorariums volunteers who make an annual commitment can access special pricing for UUMA Events and Services. Definitions for different volunteer positions follows the scale. For purposes of honorarium, tasks have been categorized in three levels.

  • Level I: Chapter Liaisons, Vocational Advisor, MFN Discernment Groups
  • Level II: Peer Coaching, Care/Covenant, and Organizational Navigators Good Offices specialists
  • Level III: Right Relation Specialists, Contract/Call Negotiation Support Specialists

UUMA Temp Staff: We believe there are limits to what may be reasonably expected of volunteers and are committed to honoring work done on behalf of the association when warranted. UUMA members who volunteer during UUMA events and whose work is expected to exceed 10 hours, and/or requires significant preparation time, will be considered Temporary Staff and will receive an honorarium based on the chart below and published for each event. Temp staff whose travel is not covered from a separate funding source may apply for a housing & travel stipend. Since we expect most temporary staff are UUMA members planning to attend the events, stipends are intended to defray only a portion of costs. Those temporary positions that do not carry a Travel & Housing stipend will be reimbursed for expenses based on the UUMA reimbursement policies and procedures. Registration fees are waived for all temporary staff. Temp Staff positions include: Admin Coordinators, Exhibit Support, Retreat Coordinators, Retreat Leaders, etc. Ministry Days Temporary Staff positions and application process. 

ServiceContracted Temp StaffVolunteer*Offset*Notes:
Committee Volunteer$150
Level I  Volunteer Annual Service$150$225Administrative and Low level advising in nature
Level II  Volunteer Annual Service$250$375Mid level advising in nature, requires training
Level III  Volunteer Annual Service$350$525Higher level advising, requires training
Half Day Workshop/Webinar$500
Full Day Workshop/Webinar$750
Worship Service$350
Sermon/Keynote 
/Theme Talk
$300Keynote or Talk (length of a typical sermon)
Level I Contracted Hourly Services$100Consulting, Professional Coaching, Curriculum Design and Instruction
Level II Contracted Hourly Services$50Pastoral Care, Spiritual Direction, Project Management
Level III Contracted Hourly Services$30Care and Covenant Team
Level I Temp Staff (hourly average)$20General Administrative Coordination
Level II Temp Staff (hourly average)$25Administrative Coordination (requiring specialized training)

*annual commitment

Definitions:

UUMA Committee Volunteer: Committee volunteers do not receive honorarium for the work they are doing as part of a UUMA elected or appointed committee and will be reimbursed for expenses based on the UUMA reimbursement policies and procedures and qualify for the Volunteer Appreciation Discount on UUMA events and programs.

UUMA Program Volunteers: UUMA members who volunteer to support our programs on an annual basis will receive honoraria for their time and efforts per the above schedule. In addition program volunteers will be reimbursed for expenses based on the UUMA reimbursement policies and procedures and qualify for the Volunteer Appreciation Discount on UUMA events and programs.

UUMA Event Volunteer: Volunteers at UUMA events who are expected to work fewer than 10 hours over the scheduled programming and have no, or very minimal preparation time preceding the event, do not receive honorarium. Volunteers are not compensated for travel or housing but may be given priority if seeking scholarship assistance for the event. Event Volunteers include: AV Assistants, Small Group Facilitators, Registration Helpers, Event Hosts, Accessibility Assistants, Ushers, Panel Participants, Retreat Guests, etc.

Offset Scale: We recognize that for some populations of our membership it is more difficult to volunteer. The offset scale has been created to recognize this and to help include those voices in the work of the association.

Community Ministry and Economic offset: Members who are self employed, earn less than $25,000 a year, or work in community ministry that does not count time volunteered to a professional association as work time will receive an honorarium on the offset scale.

Structural oppression offset: Recognizing the impact of social systems of oppression and the added costs to volunteer time, members from marginalized groups (including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, Trans/Non-Binary and Disabled members) will receive honoraria on the offset scale.