Frequently Asked Questions
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- Who does Greater Gallatin United Way serve?
- Why should I give to Greater Gallatin United Way?
- Who governs Greater Gallatin United Way?
- How is Greater Gallatin United Way associated with United Way of America?
- How much of my donation will leave the community?
- What is your overhead?
- Why should I give to Greater Gallatin United Way when I already give to my favorite charity?
- Isn’t this an expensive way to fundraise?
- Can I make a contribution to my favorite nonprofit through Greater Gallatin United Way?
- What if I feel pressured to give?
- What oversight does your financial reporting receive?
- We aren’t comfortable asking our employees for money when we haven’t been able to provide raises or have forced them to absorb the cost of insurance or have had layoffs. What is your response?
- How do I know that the money really goes to people who need help the most?
- What happens if I change jobs while giving through payroll deduction?
- Why do some nonprofits that receive Greater Gallatin United Way dollars still hold fundraisers?
- I would like to volunteer. How can I find out where to help?
- How can my nonprofit receive a grant from Greater Gallatin United Way?
At the request of the community and donors, our focus is to serve people by ensuring the provision of human services that address high priority needs. Our geographic service area is Gallatin, Park, Madison, and Meagher Counties. We track annually how many people from those counties are served by Greater Gallatin United Way funded programs.
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Greater Gallatin United Way works for you. We act as a catalyst for positive change, helping to create and build the resources necessary to improve the quality of life for those who live and work in our area. Research shows that people care about their communities and want to help. But not every person or business has the time to investigate the value and accountability of the organizations who ask for their support. That is the job we do for you, the donor, as our customer.
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Local volunteers who have the autonomy to make decisions that connect donor intentions with community needs. The Board of Directors is compised of 26 diverse representatives of the greater Gallatin area.
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Greater Gallatin United Way is part of a national network of locally governed organizations that operates like a trade association. United Way of America helps local United Way’s accomplish their missions by providing research, national advertising, training, technical support, and other important services that local UW’s cannot do cost-effectively. None of your dollar pays for the NFL Football/United Way commercials, for instance; that is funded by the NFL through a relationship developed by UWA.
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Greater Gallatin United Way pays one cent per dollar of the amount raised in the annual fund drive for United Way of America services and to use the national brand. There are less than 200 employees operating the entire national office; yet, because of their services and the combined efforts of 1285 local United Ways, we raise about 4 billion dollars annually, for local communities.
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The cost of fundraising and management has not exceeded 10.4%. You can view our IRS 990 form on the website under Accountability. We keep our expenses exceedingly low through efficient management practices, a high level of volunteer participation, templates and tools from United Way of America, and over $50,000 of donated services provided by local businesses.
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If you have the knowledge of and passion for a specific cause, then you are already set. If you want to increase the impact of your giving beyond a specific charity, we can help you invest in creating lasting change, improving lives, and building stronger communities in the region.
This is a ‘locally owned’ business and a ‘one-stop shopping’ opportunity where one gift is invested in many programs and initiatives that do make a difference. People enjoy the ease of writing one check and letting us do the work of investing. In addition, they keep their names off of numerous mailing lists.
Your gift, no matter the size, has a larger impact when combined with those of the other 3000 donors. That is why it is called the United Way and we encourage you to Live United.
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Actually it saves the community a great deal of money. Because of our valued relationship with businesses, our communitywide fundraising model reaches more than 100 workplaces and a large portion of the residential community. If nonprofits had to hire additional staff to raise the funds they receive through our grants or add to the number of fundraisers in the community beyond what is already in place, it would increase their costs and take their focus away from delivering services to the community.
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Greater Gallatin United Way has chosen to not actively solicit gifts to any organization to enhance their fundraising goals. Our ‘donor designated’ funds are less than 1% of what we raise each year – possibly the smallest of any UW in the nation. We have worked hard to earn the trust of our donors. We don’t want to raise our overhead costs to process designated donations, and when we report to the community how much we raised, we want them to know that those funds are available to invest and are not already spoken for, so to speak.
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Greater Gallatin United Way does not endorse or support coercion in any form. Our community impact is made possible because so many people give voluntarily. Any semblance of pressure (whether real, implied, or perceived) is contradictory to our organizational values. Your giving should be a choice, be personal and be from the heart. When setting up workplace giving, we are very direct with employers about those values. Employers should let employees know that they give and they support Greater Gallatin United Way, but they should allow workplace campaigns to be employee-driven. If you feel that you are being pressured to give by your employer, please contact your Human Resources Department.
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The Board of Directors oversees the management and has enacted both internal and external systems to ensure full accountability and transparency in financial reporting. Greater Gallatin United Way staff handles some pledge processing transactions and deposits. An outside accounting firm is hired to perform monthly compilations and disbursements. An annual audit is conducted. Very importantly, the Board keeps an active Finance Committee comprised of 3 accountants who review financial reports with the President and CEO monthly.
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Time after time, we find that those who have the least to give - give the most. They understand how important the ‘safety net’ services are to making it in a paycheck-to-paycheck economy.
Most employers feel that this is an added benefit for their staff, to offer them the opportunity to give back to their community through payroll deduction. Many employers give more when their employees can’t, understanding that their employees are benefiting from the work of Greater Gallatin United Way. Offer opportunities to educate your staff about what is happening in the community. It will be employees decision to support us or not, not yours, and you will never know until you ask.
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Each year more than 60 local volunteers take a close look at programs and services requesting funding. These programs are scrutinized for effectiveness, efficiency and whether or not they meet identified needs in our community.
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Your payroll deduction will stop when you are no longer on the payroll. When you begin your new job, ask for a new form or contact the UW office.
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In a world where there is not enough money to go around, Greater Gallatin United Way does not raise enough to fund 100% of even the highest-priority services. Fundraisers by non-profits raise community awareness of their services and can build long-term support for their services. Fundraisers can also support other aspects of their organization, such as capital expenditures, special projects, or unexpected expenses.
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If you want to volunteer with Greater Gallatin United Way, just let us know. We need a wide range of volunteers, during March and April, to be part of teams that review grants and make recommendations to the Board of Directors for funding programs.
Volunteer Connections of Greater Gallatin United Way (www.volunteerMT.org) and montana211.org are sites where local volunteer opportunities can be found. If you can’t find the right match, call us and we will help you.
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To be eligible for a grant, your organization/program must be aligned with our mission and focused impact areas. You may contact our staff to receive a copy of the Community Investment Policy and eligibility criteria. On our website under the "Community Impact" tab we have include a brief description on how to "Request Greater Gallatin United Way Funds."
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