Donation FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions)
1) Why should I support the Local Community Fund?
By giving to the United Way Local Community Fund, your donation has the added benefit of oversight by dedicated volunteers and professional staff who work year-round to assess needs of the people in Skagit County. For starters, we verify the agencies’ non-profit status to be sure your dollars are tax-deductable, and that they are listed with the Washington Secretary of State as a “charitable organization.” Then, we meet with agency directors to learn about the effectiveness of their programs and to ensure they are partnering with other local agencies to best serve the needs of our community. Our goal is to give grants for the greatest impact and to monitor and measure results. Individually, we may not be able to do a lot for our community – but when combined with thousands of other donations, our gift is magnified. We CAN address hunger, housing and health issues in our community by enhancing the life-skills of youth, families, and seniors to create positive, sustainable change in people’s lives.
Click here to see how donations were distributed in 2011.
2) Can I designate part of my donation to a specific non-profit
Yes. It is the goal of United Way to provide sustainable, consistent grants to our partner agencies through the Local Community Fund. However, we understand donors have favorite agencies. Here are a few facts:
- The minimum donation amount to designate to a given agency is $100.
- Cash/check/one-time credit card donations are paid within 90 days of the end of the campaign.
- Payroll deduction donations are paid out quarterly following the close of the campaign.
- Your designation is recorded in United Way’s records and your name, address and donation amount is reported to the agency in January at the close of the campaign.
- Designated donations are assessed a 15 percent cost recovery fee for fundraising, collection loss and management/general expenses, based on actual historical costs, in accordance with United Way Worldwide Membership Requirements. No fee is charged on designations to other United Ways in Washington State.
You should know that gifts designated to non-partner agencies do not receive the same level of monitoring that United Way provides for contributions given out through Community Fund grants.
3) Can I have my donation taken directly out of my bank account on a monthly basis?
We do not currently have the ability to withdraw directly from bank accounts. This option is not offered by our online merchant nor through our bank at this time. It is highly expensive and our United Way is always monitoring to keep our expenses as low as possible. If you have a debit card attached to your bank account that card can be used to have monthly amounts taken from your account via the credit card company. And, of course, you can have your donation paid monthly, quarterly, or annually on your credit card account via our online DONATE NOW service.
4) Is there a fee for credit card donations?
No, we don’t charge a fee for credit card, check, or payroll deductions.
More Questions?
Do you have a question not answered here, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.
