2025: A Banner Year for UHCA
As part of our commitment to full transparency, the UHCA officers and board are compiling our second annual report for fiscal year 2025 which covers November 1, 2024, through October 31, 2025. During our annual strategy-setting meeting last month, we reflected on some of the highlights from the past year and areas we can improve. We are so happy with how our entire organization—leadership, volunteers, members, and businesses—came together to help shape UHCA into a more solid, active, and effective community association.
The full report will be released in mid-February (www.uhsd.org/leadership, at the bottom of the page), but we wanted to share some of the highlights here.
Record Number of New and Renewing Members
We have only been able track accurate, detailed membership information since 2021, and while 2024 was a record-breaking year for new and renewing memberships, 2025 set a new high. We’re really thrilled with the number of business members joining or rejoining UHCA, thanks in large part to the Party on Park event and our increased focus on helping our local businesses.
Memberships are a key source of funding for UHCA, representing about 30% of our total income, which helps fuel all of our activities. The remainder of our income comes from a healthy balance of advertising, events, merchandise sales, one-time donations, and sponsorships.
Total Income Grew and Finances Are Healthier
Our income broke records, thanks to increased memberships, advertising, events, and merchandise sales. This dramatic turnaround after the past two years of declines was the result of the generosity and trust of our supporters and a lot of hard work invested by our all-volunteer board and leadership team.
This income funded all of our events and programs including beautification, clean-ups, UH News, banners (south of Meade), our website and technology, and also included one-time donations targeted specifically for Native Plants, Garden Club, Birney Giving Tree, and other causes.
The annual report will fully detail income and expenses, and by also carefully managing expenses, we are proud to say that we have begun to replenish our reserves, which in 2024 were dwindling to a dangerously low level. We still have a way to go before we consider our fiscal situation completely solid, but the progress made over the last 2 years has made a significant difference.
Other highlights from 2025:
We had a record-breaking number of attendees at our events: more than 1,000 at Party on Park, 300 at the Lights in the Heights Bike/Walk/Run, 400 at Movies in the Park, 300 at the UH Bike Clinic, and increased attendance across all of our events including mixers, Garden Club, and meetings.
Our social media reach has exploded, more than doubling in number of followers and increasing posted content by ten-fold.
We revamped and relaunched our website, www.uhsd.org, including bringing articles from UH News into a searchable News Center section.
We partnered with UHCDC to bring in additional sponsors and helped drive attendance at the Summer Concerts in the Park.
Our volunteer recruiting efforts have brought on scores of new people who want to work together help make UH a better place.
We have partnered with other groups like Hugs & Bags, Birney Beekeeper Alliance, and the Alice Birney Elementary School, and SD Community Wealth Building Coalition to promote and in some cases help fund-raise for their causes which help all of UH.
UH News expanded to 16 pages every month and grew both advertising and circulation with additional pick-up spots.
Our beautification team’s efforts brought artists together to turn more than 60 utility boxes into works of art. The trash angels and trash talkers helped remove over 100 pounds of trash from the Vermont Street Bridge and the 163/Washington St. Intersection area.
We will have much more in the full report, but we hope that sharing these initial results and highlights will show that together we are making a difference, and it’s thanks to your support and involvement. Thank you, members, for your generosity and trust, and thank you, volunteers, for your energy and efforts as we work to fulfill our shared mission of making UH a better place for all.