Creating Opportunities for a Better Life for All

Berwick Area United Way works hard to identify the unmet needs of our community and to develop ways to address those needs.  Over the last few years, our volunteers have worked with Bloomsburg University and Bucknell University to conduct focus groups, survey local residents and interview our stakeholders to determine what our community needs and resources actually are.   As a result of that research, Berwick Area United Way identified support for working families as our major focus.  These are the neighbors and friends who work hard to support their families and build a better life but who sometimes need a helping hand.  In the last few years, you helped us bring a free state and federal income tax filing site into the Berwick area.  In 2011, 309 families received almost $500,000 in tax refunds and saved tax preparation fees.  With our free prescription drug discount card, you helped more than 10,000 families saved almost $111,000 on prescription drug costs.  You helped us fund a financial literacy program at the Family Center and offer that program to the Women's Center and Beyond Violence.   None of this would be possible without the support of donors like you.  You helped 14 families when their homes were destroyed by fire.  Because of you, 65 seniors, handicapped and home bound neighbors received a hot meal and a visit from Books on Wheels.  You supported working families with subsidized quality child care, before and after school programs, summer programs and a summer lunch program.  You and donors just like you have done so much for our community and we thank you.   Advancing the common good is less about helping one person at a time and more about changing systems to help all of us. We are all connected and interdependent. We all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, when people are healthy.  With your support we can achieve these goals. Please consider United Way in your year-end giving plans. Give as generously as you can – a gift to United Way is 100 percent tax deductible.   Berwick Area United Way’s goal is to create long-lasting changes by addressing the underlying causes of these problems. Living united means being a part of the change. It takes everyone in the community working together to create a brighter future. Give. Advocate. Volunteer. LIVE UNITED.

A How-To Guide for Charitable Giving

As the nation’s largest charity, United Way Worldwide understands the impact that charitable giving has on improving communities and helping individuals. United Way also understands how important it is to choose the right organization to donate your hard-earned dollars. As you prepare to make any type of charitable gift, we urge you to follow the simple guidelines below.

1. View Your Donation as an Investment. Any gift to a charity should be seen as an investment, and you want to invest in a charity that will make a major impact on its recipients while also giving you personal satisfaction. An investment approach to a particular group or cause will ensure a more meaningful experience for you.

2. Do Your Homework. When selecting where to give, it is important to gather all the facts. Conducting thorough research prior to giving will help you separate legitimate charities from frauds, as well as reassure you that your donation is truly helping those who need it most. To avoid fraudulent charities, make sure your chosen charity has met the following criteria: registered as a charitable organization in the State of Pennsylvania, maintains 501c3 status with the IRS, files annual state and federal reports including the IRS Form 990, has an annual audit prepared and prepares an annual report.  All of these documents should be readily available at your request.

3. Track the Charity's Activities.  Check what percentage of the organization's funds go to administrative costs.  Guidestar recommends no more than 25% of the gross income of an organization go to administration.  Anything more may be a tipoff to excessive salaries, poor management or poor financial administration.  Read the organization's annual report to see what activities and services the organization provided and how many people were served.  Did the activities and services match the stated mission and objectives of the organization?

4. Local Activities.  Think about keeping your gifts local.  While every community in our country has similar problems, the issues are not always the same.  Gifts to local organizations help local residents and deal with local problems.