Answer:

United Way of the Greenbrier Valley is committed to Advancing the Common Good  focus on education, income and health. These are the building blocks for a good life - a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health.

Through your support, United Way provides funding to programs and services that address our Common Good goals. In addition, United Way has several initiatives including Warming Hands & Hearts (emergency home heating assistance), Born Learning (early childhood education), and FamilyWize (a free (prescription drug discount card).

Answer:

Functional expenses for the United Way annual report ending December 31, 2011:
Administration & General    7%
Fundraising                            6%
Programs                                79%
United Way Worldwide         1%.

Answer:

Your gift is pooled with all other gifts and then allocated to programs and services that address our most critical needs in areas of education, income, health and basic needs. Your gift, along with others, supports an entire network of services for residents in Greenbrier, Monroe and Pocahontas Counties.

Answer:

Volunteers serving on the Community Investment Council make recommendations for funding based on agency site visits, program proposals, and interviews with agency representatives. Recommendations are presented to the United Way Board of Directors for final approval. The Community Investment Council has representation from Greenbrier, Monroe and Pocahontas counties.

Answer:

Past history of campaigns allowed donors to designate to specific agencies, but with our new Community Impact model, the practice is discouraged for several reasons. First, we do not know what agencies in the community will be seeking funding from United Way until after the campaign. If you designate to an agency that does not submit a request for funding, United Way merely becomes a ‘pass through’ organization, which is outside of our mission statement. Second, United Way went through an extensive process within the communities in the Greenbrier Valley to learn about our most critical issues in the areas of education, income, health and basic needs. Our goal is to fund programs that address these issues so we can make help make the Greenbrier Valley a better place to live for all residents. By giving to United Way and entrusting the Community Investment Council to determine the most effective way to distribute those funds based on funding requests and needs, you are making the best investment you can in the Greenbrier Valley.

Answer:

When you give to United Way, you are supporting a specific set of programs and services that address our goals to help advance the common good. Our goals are:

Education: Increase the Greenbrier Valley high school completion rate.

Income: Increase the number of income opportunities in the Greenbrier Valley that offer a liveable wage.

Health: Increase the number of citizens in the Greenbrier Valley who are healthy and avoid risky behaviors.

Basic Needs: Assist families in crisis and in meeting their daily needs of food, clothing, and shelter.

The Community Investment Council scrutinizes each funding request to make sure the programs and services address our goals, are effective and efficient, and are doing the job they are supposed to be doing.

Answer:

United Way of the Greenbrier Valley is a member of United Way Worldwide. One of the criteria of membership is one percent (1%) of annual campaign proceeds to the national office. This covers a host of services including staff training, advertising, marketing & branding, publicity, national corporate relationships such as the NFL, and national account maintenance. The remaining ninety-nine percent stays here locally and is  allocated by local volunteers and members of our community.

Answer:

We are happy to talk with you about any questions or concerns you might have, and there are many options for contacting us.

By phone:
304-647-3783   
Monday - Friday   
8:00 am - 12:00 Noon

By email:
United Way of the Greenbrier Valley                             unitedwaygreenbrier.org
Laura Lee Haddad, Executive Director                        lauralee@unitedwaygreenbrier.org
Carol Cales, Office Manager                                         carol@unitedwaygreenbrier.org
Peggy Crowder, Resource Development Director    peggy@unitedwaygreenbrier.org

By mail:
United Way of the Greenbrier Valley
PO Box 572
Lewisburg, WV  24901

Answer:

While cash is the most popular form of charitable gift, gifts of non-cash assets such as publicly traded stocks or bonds can be attractive because of the favorable income tax treatment they may bring.

If you own securities that have appreciated in value over time, you may owe a substantial capital gains tax if you sell them. But, if you use such assets to fund a charitable gift, you may completely avoid the capital gains tax while enjoying a federal income tax deduction for the full value of the securities. Giving securities helps conserve cash for other uses. You also may be able to make larger gifts than you thought possible.

Answer:

For maximum tax benefits, it is usually best to give securities that have increased in value the most since you have owned them. Or you may wish to give a particular security as part of efforts to simplify your portfolio.