Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the United Way?
There are about 1300 independent United Way organizations throughout the country. St. John United Way serves only St. John Parish and is governed by a Board of Directors who are volunteers from this community. In addition, St. John United Way is independently audited yearly and adheres to the highest level of ethical standards.
What does St. John United Way do?
St. John United Way provides funding and support to over 24 agencies and programs targeting the areas of education, income, and health. To view a list of our partner agencies, click here.
Why should I donate to St. John United Way instead of just donating to a particular agency?
We would never tell you not to donate to an agency you feel strongly about; but by donating to St. John United Way, you can be sure of the following:
- St. John United Way provides a lot of oversight and asks for reports from our partner agencies to ensure your funds are being protected and used as promised.
- St. John United Way works to avoid "duplication of services"- in other words, we try to work with agencies to avoid having several agencies doing the same thing. For example, it's inefficient to have 3 agencies providing one service and none providing another important service. St. John United Way works to coordinate these things.
You can still donate to St. John United Way and still designate your funds go to a particular agency.
What is a "partner agency"?
A partner agency is an agency that St. John United Way works with to serve the community. A few examples of our partner agencies are the Boy Scouts, American Red Cross, and St. John Ministry of Care. To see the complete list of our partner agencies, click here.
Is my donation tax deductible?
Yes. Our organization is a 501(c)3 and your donation is tax deductible.
What percent of my donation stays in St. John Parish?
All of it, unless you ask us to send it to an agency outside of St. John Parish.
I heard a story about a United Way that did not fund Boy Scouts or wasted money on this or that- is that true?
Our United Way is St. John United Way and only serves St. John Parish. All United Ways conform to certain standards, but we are all independent 501(c)3 organizations. So, if you read a story about a United Way; make sure it is about St. John United Way.
Every decision about the operation of St. John United Way is made by local leaders in our community.
Oh, and we do fund the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H, YMCA, and many more agencies providing great services to our parish.