How much of my contribution stays local?

Ninety nine cents out of every dollar stays right here in Northumberland, Snyder and Union Counties, helping to improve the lives of thousands of people in our community every year. United Way is focused on advancing the common good in the Susquehanna Valley by creating opportunities for everyone.

Why should I support United Way instead of giving directly to other agencies?

The stability and strength of our community depends on our ability to meet people’s needs and to encourage their self-sufficiency. The scope of problems such as substance abuse, illiteracy and poverty is so great that no one agency can solve them alone. That’s why the best investment in our community is an investment made through United Way. Through United Way, we can mobilize many individuals, agencies and resources to tackle some of our community’s toughest problems. United Way is working on a regional level, with non-profit and for-profit and businesses, member agencies, private and public funders and representatives from local government to ensure that our efforts complement one another and are inclusive. By working together, we can leverage our resources, focus them where they are most needed and measure their impact.

United Way:

• Identifies the most pressing community needs, establishes priorities, sets community goals and develops and/or funds programs and initiatives to work toward achieving these goals.
• Convenes and supports local organizations that are able to make the biggest impact in the most positive and effective way.
• Cuts fund-raising costs through a united campaign and consolidating back office resources.
• Offers Donors the convenience of payroll deduction.

How much of my contribution will go to support human services?

Because it is largely supported by volunteers, United Way incurs extremely low overhead costs. Eighty seven cents out of every dollar raised goes to support programs and services that improve lives right here in our local community. United Way is recognized as one of the most effective, cost-efficient human service organizations nationwide.

How do I know that the money I contribute really goes to providing services?

United Way is held accountable for the money it raises by a group of informed community volunteers who form the board and allocation review committees. These volunteers allocate money based on community needs to make sure that designated funds are distributed according to contributors’ wishes. United Way strictly adheres to stringent standards of accounting and financial reporting which govern the fiscal affairs of voluntary health and human service organizations.

May I designate my gift to a specific agency? Who decides what agencies receive funding?

While you may designate your gift to a specific nonprofit health and human service organization, we strongly encourage you to consider the benefits of pooling your contribution with the thousands of other United Way donors who are making a real difference in our community.

Experienced volunteers who are knowledgeable about local needs monitor agencies and ensure that undesignated United Way contributions are well spent. These volunteers study the impact of each agency’s services on community needs. They review agency budgets and funding requests and make sure that agencies are well managed, have an annual independent financial audit, and maintain a policy of non-discrimination. Your United Way contribution is a guaranteed investment in improving the lives of your family, friends, and neighbors right here in the Susquehanna Valley.

Why aren’t all agencies included in United Way?

United Way operates on behalf of the residents of the Susquehanna Valley, and our commitment is to invest your United Way donations into the most highly performing programs meeting the most pressing community needs.

Some agencies cannot meet United Way membership requirements, while others follow national policies requiring them to operate independently. Still others are not admitted because their programs closely resemble or duplicate existing programs, or they cannot consistently demonstrate significant and measurable improvement in the lives of their clients.

With limited resources at our disposal, it would be impossible to effectively support all of the hundreds of local nonprofit agencies.

How much of my contribution pays for the NFL commercials?

United Way does not pay for the NFL commercials. Players donate their time to make the commercials and the NFL provides public service time free of charge to air them during NFL games on behalf of United Way. As part of their public service programming, newspapers, television and radio stations often include public service announcements for United Way and affiliate agencies free of charge.