Compensation Consultant

Debra Boyd is our new compensation consultant. She is the person to contact if you have questions about compensation or the UUA Health Insurance Plan.

You can contact Debra by email at dboyd at ohiomeadville.org

Here is information about the current recommended salaries increase. You can download the salary tables at the UUA website at http://www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/compensation/index.shtml

Here is Debra's column from the May issue of District Doings

Are You A Fair Compensation Congregation?

Maybe you are asking "what is a fair compensation congregation?" Fair Compensation Congregations provide their employees & ministers with pay and benefits that are within the recommended compensations levels provided by UUA. These recommendations are based on national research within our congregations, other churches, and not-for-profits regarding compensation
levels. More information can be found at www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/compensation/

As the new fiscal year for many congregations is approaching & some of our congregations are in search for ministers & other high level program staff, I am happy to sit down with your search team, board or congregation to discuss how you can best position your compensation to attract & keep the great staff you need to have your congregation thrive.

If you are interested in learning more about compensation because you are in search or because you want some assistance reviewing your current compensation or because you want to seek the "Fair Compensation Congregation" designation, please contact me via email to set-up a time to talk.

Here are the Steps to Becoming a Fair Compensation Congregation

These considerations will point your congregation in the right direction:

1. Review the Fair Compensation Report and Guidelines. The Guidelines recommend equitable pay ranges and an array of benefits for clergy and church staff. They were developed from a survey in which 80% of UU congregations with employees participated. Non-profit salary research by the Abbot-Langer Co. was also factored into the recommended ranges for comparable jobs.
2. Review the article "Compensation Management for UU Congregations", which explains worker classifications-employee or independent contractor, discusses taxes, benefits, professional expenses, the clergy housing allowance and provides sources for additional information.
3. Match the staff positions in your congregation with the Capsule Job Descriptions. They may not be perfect matches but an 80% level of congruity is acceptable.
4. What employees earn in various jobs may vary considerably from place to place. The Guidelines take this into account by identifying a Geo Index-data developed by the Economic Research Institute-for the location of your congregation. Ohio and Pennsylvania are Geo Index 3-the national average; West Virginia is Geo Index 2.
5. The salary recommendations show a range of pay-minimum, midpoint and maximum, for each position according to the six levels of church size. While membership is not a perfect indicator of a congregation's use of staff and availability of financial resources, it is used widely and is highly accurate within our religious movement.
6. Human Resource professionals indicate that 80 to 90 percent of employees who start at the minimum of the pay range should reach the midpoint over time, usually three to seven years. The maximum is intended to be a goal but not a ceiling for an employee's pay level.
7. In many instances it may take several years for a congregation to "grow into" the recommended Guidelines. Those that have developed a plan for achieving Fair Compensation within three to five years are designated as "Committed". Congregations who have met the salary and benefit recommendations are "Participating". The Fair Compo Self-Assessment Worksheet has more information on the process.
8. Seek my guidance as your Ohio-Meadville District Compensation Consultant. I am a volunteer who has been trained by our Association and receive reimbursement for expenses from either the UUA or the District. My services are provided through your APF payments and District dues.

All the resources referred to above-the Fair Compensation Report and Guidelines by the five Geo Indices, the Compensation Management article, Capsule Job Descriptions, Geo Index listing of communities and the Fair Compo Self-Assessment Worksheet are available for downloading from the UUA Website at www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/compensation or from the Compensation Consultant.