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 30 agencies and programs targeting the areas of health, education, and financial stability.  To view a list of our partner agencies, click here.

Additionally, St. John United Way invests in programs, not provided by any other local agency, that targets a specific need.  One example is its latest program targeting early childhood education/literacy, Imagination Library, which provides a free, high quality book every month to any preschool children, age birth to five in St. John Parish. 

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.  Partner Agencies are chosen out of an annual application process that includes reviews from local volunteers.  Agencies are also requited to submit quarterly reports to remain accountable for the services provided in St. John Parish through United Way funding. A few examples of our partner agencies are Second Harvest of GNO, Metropolitan Centers for Community Advocacy, 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 are your "overhead" costs?

St. John United Way works to keep our operating costs as low as possible in order to ensure we can provide maximum impact in St. John Parish.  A non-profit is considered "healthy" if its administrative costs are under 25 percent.  Currently, our administrative costs are at approximately 7 percent. 

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.  Less than one percent of SJUW funding is paid to United Way Worldwide for membership dues.

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.