We’ve collected quotes and stories from administrators who have served in more than one UU faith community simultaneously, as well as from leaders and supervisors who have experience sharing an administrative role with another congregation.

How Do Shared Staffing Arrangements Come About?

Most commonly, one of the following happens:

1. A part-time administrator is interested in additional hours and finds another congregation (or two) seeking administrative support.
2. The ministers from two congregations are in relationship and discuss the possibility of having one person serve both places. (It seems to be typically the ministers, but it could be lay leaders, such as members of the board or finance teams.)

From administrators:

• I have one main congregational administration job, working part-time, primarily on site. I picked up additional hours doing bookkeeping at a UU 501(c)(3) as well as at another congregation, working fully remotely, largely in the evening and on weekends. While this may seem complex, my familiarity with UU systems and culture, along with my nonprofit management background, made it easy.
• I was the communications manager at a congregation. Another congregation in the area was seeking someone to fill a similar position. The two ministers are in regular contact and talked about having me fill the role in both places. (One of the ministers added that there was some discussion of making it a truly shared position, but they decided to keep it as two separate jobs with coordination as needed.)
• I’ve been the Administrator/Bookkeeper at a congregation since 2006. Since that time, I picked up a temporary administrator role elsewhere, along with bookkeeping hours at two congregations.
• One of our regional staff was aware of another congregation’s bookkeeping problems. That regional staffperson knew me and recommended me to help get them on track with finances and then to provide professional bookkeeping services on an ongoing basis.

Advantages of Sharing Staff

Supervisors and lay leaders report:

“A solid business arrangement that gives a strong staff member full-time work.”

“Sharing staff is vital to keeping our small congregation going.”

“It enables staff to receive better benefits.”

“Great idea to make best use of staff and budgets.”

Administrators have said:

“Having experience with UU practices and systems already made it easy to add hours in other places.”

“Fortunately, the two congregations I serve utilize the same newsletter software and bookkeeping systems. Extremely helpful!”

“I can share practices and learnings across congregations, including pros and cons of different technologies and systems. They both benefit and so do I.”

Learning Curves of Sharing Staff

From administrators and other staff:

“Even though I was doing similar work, the vibe felt different in the two congregations – ways of communicating, level of trust, etc. It took me a while to figure out what was needed from me in the second location.”

“The congregations I’m serving use two different website platforms, which was challenging at first.”

“Two half-time jobs can be more work than one full-time job.”

“I was concerned about feeling a sense of belonging at the congregation where I am primarily virtual. However, attending staff meetings (virtually) keeps me connected.”

“Make sure you’re very clear about what’s being asked of you and what you’re willing to provide. Have good boundaries. Especially working in a smaller congregation with many needs, it’s easy to get caught up in wanting to help them. (Example: If you are the bookkeeper, be the bookkeeper; resist the temptation to perform additional administrative tasks.)”

“If you’re unsure whether the position should be considered an employee or a contractor, read over the Worker Classification page and/or consult with the UUA Congregational Staffing Director (Comp@uua.org).”

“My hours at my first congregation were too low to be eligible for UUA Insurance and Retirement Plan contributions, but I became eligible for contributions after adding hours at another congregation. Neither congregation was prepared to pay for benefits. It’s a good thing to be prepared for that ahead of time. Fortunately, we worked it out!”

From ministers and lay leaders:

“Setting up benefits took some extra work, but it was worth it!”

“The coordination can feel hard sometimes.”

“Supervision can be tricky.”

General Wisdom Gleaned

Nonstandard arrangements take attention, but note that these are really things we want for all staff!

• Schedule regular check-in times.
• Provide clear expectations and boundaries.
• Be realistic about time needed for responsibilities.
• To the extent possible, make the work similar in the congregations.
• Keep lines of communication open between congregations, with a clear point of contact.
• Be prepared to undo broad assumptions you’ve made based on experience in a single congregation.
• Stay flexible as everyone learns what’s needed.
• Start from what your congregations have in common.