Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a partner and eligible agency?

There are several very important differences between Partner and Eligible Agencies.  To become and remain a Partner Agency, an organization has to comply with more stringent standards, ranging from fiscal management practices to personnel policies. 

Partner Agencies must also abide by the terms of a Partnership Agreement, which is renewed annually and requires agencies to participate in co-marketing and fund-raising activities to support United Way and to comply with numerous self-support policies that restrict agency efforts to raise funds independently.

Partner Agencies are permitted to participate in the annual Community Investment process by submitting applications and funding requests for one or more programs.  However, United Way provides no guarantee of funding. 

What are the promotional guidelines that apply to both partner and eligible agencies?

To protect the interests of all partner and eligible agencies and the overriding interest of the United Way campaign, all partner and eligible agencies must comply with the following promotional policies:

No promotional activities for designations to partners or eligible agencies are permitted.  These include any communication written or spoken in a public forum that encourages designations to any agency.

Agencies eligible for donor designations other than United Way partners may not at any time identify themselves as United Way partners or affiliated agencies, nor may they use the United Way logo or identification marks in any printed or other materials.

For eligible agencies, continued eligibility to receive designations is conditioned upon cooperation with these policies. For partner agencies, violation of these policies may adversely affect the agency's annual allocation as determined by the United Way.

What is Community Investment?

Community Investment is a process wherein a group of volunteers from our community allocate gifts to the UW funds to support a network of approximately 64 programs that are operated by United Way's 27 Partner Agencies.  Ordinary citizens all over the Valley review program applications, visit the program sites and make appropriate funding recommendations on an annual basis.

Groups of trained volunteers called Program Panels review a common set of program applications organized under a United Way Impact Areas. 

After each Panel reviews its set of programs, assigns scores and makes appropriate funding recommendations, the Community Investment Committee meets to reconcile any differences between Panel funding recommendations and the total amount of funds available for investment. 

Once funding recommendations have been finalized, they are forwarded to the Board of Directors for final approval for funding to begin July 1 and conclude June 30 of the following year.  Funds available for investment come from donations to the United Way Fund raised during the previous year's Campaign.

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What is the blackout period?

This is a time when partner agencies are restricted from conducting fund-raising activities to benefit their own organizations. It lasts from Labor Day through Halloween and is intended to keep the community’s giving focused on the United Way community campaign. 

How does United Way decide which programs to fund?

Volunteers decide. More than 100 volunteers from all walks of life review programs and determine which ones can provide the best match our community's needs. Volunteers spend two months reviewing funding proposals, conducting site visits before finally making funding recommendations to United Way of Roanoke Valley’s volunteer Board of Directors.

What happens when a donor designates money to my agency?

When a donor designates their gift to a Partner or Eligible agency, the money goes directly to the agency.  Volunteers do not make any decisions about how the money can best be used.  An administrative fee is deducted to cover United Way costs of processing the designated gift.

In reviewing program applications and funding requests from its Partner Agencies through the Community Investment program, United Way does not factor in donor designations to Partner Agencies. Dollars designated to a particular agency go on top of whatever amount is allocated by volunteers in the investment process.   

Donors also have the option of excluding a particular agency from receiving any of their donation. 

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