| Who pays for the report meeting breakfasts? | All meetings are sponsored by local companies who give “over and above” their normal corporate donations. No campaign money is ever used to feed volunteers. |
| Does the money raised here stay to help the people in Venango County? | Yes, absolutely. You can see from the campaign brochure that these are local non-profit organizations that are here to help people in this community. |
| Can a contributor designate to a specific United Way Partner Agency? | Yes, any contribution of at least $25 or more may be divided among the Partner Agencies as the donor indicates on his/her pledge form. |
| How will I know if the agency I designated receives my donation? | United Way provides each agency with a list of names of those individuals who designate their agency. The agencies are then encouraged to send a “thank you” to everyone who chooses to designate their agency. |
| Can an employee designate to another United Way outside of Venango County? | Absolutely! All an employee needs to do is to indicate the name of the United Way or community on their pledge form. Another United Way will be honored but the employer must supply the Venango County office with a list of designations. |
| Can designations be made to an organization outside the Partner Agencies listed on the brochure such as American Cancer Society? | Unfortunately, no. If an employee would like to donate to an agency outside the United Way Partners, they must do so directly. Their United Way contribution cannot be forwarded to any agency outside of the sixteen organizations listed on the campaign brochure. |
| Can an employee designate to a specific program/service that is offered by one or more of the sixteen Partner Agencies? | No, all donations must be designated to a specific agency but not to a specific program offered by those organizations. The United Way Funds Distribution Committee will determine which programs/services will be receiving funding during 2010. |
| Who runs the local United Way? | A twenty-four volunteer board of directors and two staff. |
| What are the UWVC administrative costs? | The overall cost of operations, campaign and administration are twenty-four percent. |
| Who decides where the money is allocated? | The Funds Distribution Committee which is made up of approximately thirty people from all walks of life who serve as volunteers on this very important committee. These individuals annually review the agency requests for funding. The agencies must provide their proposed budget, annual audit, Form 990 and support materials. |
| Why do some of the Partner Agencies conduct fundraisers when they receive money from United Way? | There is no way that the United Way could meet all the financial requests of the Partner Agencies. Therefore, many of them do annual fundraising activities to make up their budgetary shortfalls. |
| Why aren’t all local non-profit organizations supported by the United Way? | Non-profit organizations must meet certain criteria and guidelines to be a United Way Partner Agency. They must apply in writing and submit documentation of the need for funding. The applications are reviewed by an Admissions Committee and their recommendation is taken before the United Way board for approval. Due to the economic recession, United Way is not currently taking any new applications due to its inability to meet the full requests of the current Partners. |
| How much should a person give? | Giving is a personal choice, as is the amount to give to any charitable organization. When giving to the United Way, please remember that your one donations goes to support sixteen different non-profit agencies. |
| Can an employee or individual be forced to contribute? | Absolutely NOT! United Way is always concerned about the use of undue pressure in fundraising and opposes any type of coercion. Any semblance of pressure -- whether real, implied or perceived --- is contradictory to the operating standards of Untied Way. Coercion creates animosity, hinders communication and understanding and eventually leads to decreased support. |
| Will the names of contributors be circulated to other organizations? | Absolutely NOT! All contributors names are kept strictly confidential by United Way. |
| If a person wanted to volunteer their time to United Way or one of their sixteen Partner Agencies, what should they do? | All non-profits are always looking for good volunteers. All a person has to do is to call the office at 676-6545 and tell the staff what type of volunteer work you are looking for. The staff will direct you to the type of volunteer work you wish to perform. |
| Does the United Way of Venango County meet the Standards of Excellence set forth by United Way of America? | YES! The United Way of Venango County annually has met the Standards of Excellence. |
| What should a person do if they have more questions about giving to the United Way? | All a person has to do is to call the office. The number is 676-6545. Your questions will all be answered by the staff. |
| Where is the United Way located? | The office is located at 1999 Allegheny Blvd., in Reno, PA. Office hours are 8AM to 4PM, Monday through Friday. |