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Workplace FAQ
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What is United Way?
Established locally in 1923, United Way of Santa Barbara County has been
working year-round to involve people—through contributions of money and
time—to provide a vital network of services to people in need.
Why give to United Way?
No other organization can leverage resources, public and private, for
our local communities like United Way. That’s our value. With one gift
to United Way of Santa Barbara County, you make possible a Network for
Caring focused on three major goals - children, community and crisis.
With every United Way contribution, more people are helped in more ways.
Isn’t it cheaper for me to just give directly to the charity of my
choice? That way I avoid
your overhead.
If you want to give a one-time gift directly to one charity, it
might be easier for you to do so directly – United Way supports your
desire for charitable giving no matter how you choose to make it.
But we truly believe that partnering with us, by donating to our
community care fund, is the best way to help the most people and
your gift through United Way will bring real, meaningful change to
issues affecting quality living for Santa Barbara County residents who
need help.
United Way of Santa Barbara County provides you with a convenient
service by directing your gifts to a number of charities whose programs
work at root causes and provide real, long-term solutions. You can, by
deducting a little money from your paycheck at a time, make a big
difference for people in need.
My favorite charity isn’t United Way of Santa Barbara County.
Why should I give to you?
Your favorite charity might address a specific issue, but it can’t
address every facet of that issue — no single charity can. Say you
support an organization that gives shelter to homeless families. While
we think that is a wonderful cause and a needed service, giving to
United Way of Santa Barbara County not only supports the homeless shelter,
it helps provide meals, child care and a summer program for the
children. It supports initiatives that provide health care to families.
We can, through the Power of Partnership™, successfully move a
mother and child from the ranks of the homeless (almost 30% of the
homeless population). It usually takes a variety of services from
several sources: food & clothing, child care and job training.
Through the Power of Partnership™, United Way of Santa Barbara County
brings in the kind of help that can help the homeless family with
solutions for more than just a night’s shelter.
How much of my contribution works to help people in Santa Barbara
County?
100%. With United Way of Santa Barbara County, your gift stays here.
What are your costs?
Our overhead is around 18%. For most charity monitoring groups and the
federal government, the generally acceptable overhead rate is between 25%
and 35%. A monitoring group you may wish to consult is the Better
Business Bureau. In terms of dollars spent, our overhead costs have
actually been flat or down over the past few years. However, in terms of
percentage, our overhead goes up and down depending on how much money we
raise in a given year, even when there is no change to our actual
expenses. United Way of Santa Barbara County is your best investment in
Santa Barbara County.
How does United Way save me time & money?
With over 1,000,000 charities in the USA and 40,000 new ones formed each
year, how do you know who’s doing a good job? Nearly one hundred local
volunteers provide investment oversight. They visit, examine and
evaluate hundreds of programs to pick the best and most needed ones.
These volunteers do what none of us individually has the time to do -
investigate every request for a contribution.
Who supports United Way of Santa Barbara County?
Over 12,000 of your neighbors, from Carpinteria to Santa Ynez, make a
contribution that helps improve the lives of more than 80,000 people
each year—more than one in three local residents.
May I direct my contribution?
Yes, you may direct your gift in a number of ways. You may designate/restrict your
gift to any qualified charity or geographic region in the USA. You may also
choose to designate to the experienced volunteers who will distribute it
community-wide where it will provide the most and best service. Finally, you
may designate your gift to a particular area of care such as fighting
alcohol abuse, or supporting seniors. You will need to complete a UWSBC Optional
Designation Form to ensure that your contribution goes where directed.
Request a Optional Designation Form.
You may also download a copy of the
2007-2008 Annual Campaign Gift Policy Summary.
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FAQ