Frequently Asked Questions
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Donor Options
Q: Who are the Charitable Partners in the Penn's Way Workplace Charitable Campaign and what role does United Way, Penn Medicine and the Center for Responsible Funding play?
A: The Penn's Way Campaign enjoys the support of three campaign management organizations: The United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania (UWSEPA), Penn Medicine, and the Center for Responsible Funding (CRF). There are sixteen funds and partner umbrella agencies highlighted by our giving partners and thousands of individual charitable organizations from which the Penn Community can choose to contribute.
The Center for Responsible Funding - The Center for Responsible Funding was incorporated as a nonprofit in 1980, the first nonprofit in the Philadelphia area devoted to promoting equity in philanthropic giving in workplace campaigns. CRF’s mission is to expand the fundraising capacity of grassroots non-profit organizations working for social and economic change. CRF fulfills this mission by opening workplace campaigns to funds and federations that represent progressive organizations.
PENN Medicine - Our very own world-renowned healthcare enterprise is a non-profit organization dedicated to three equally valued and inter-related missions: patient care, health education, and medical research. . Gifts to PENN Medicine organizations support a diverse range of urgent patient care needs.
United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania - United Way funds and supports a regional network of social service agencies to connect those in need with partners who can provide solutions; provides accountability for the dollars invested by focusing on investments with clear objective and measurable outcomes and focuses on long-term goals of education, health, employment and self-sufficiency.
Q: How long does the Campaign run?
A:The Campaign begins October 5, 2009 and runs through November 20, 2009.
Q: I don’t see my favorite charity listed via the Penn’s Way web site or anywhere on the Pledge Form. How can I donate to them through Penn’s Way?
A: Under each of the umbrella partners listed on the Penn’s Way web site and on the Pledge Form, there are many individual organizations and funds to which you can give. If you do not see a charity of your choice listed, contact the United Way Donor Choice Hotline at (215) 665-2598. If they are not able to help you, please contact one of the following: 1) Center for Responsible Funding at (215) 925-6140 or 2) Penn Medicine at (215) 573-4040 or 3) United Way at (215) 665-2598 to determine if your favorite charity is an eligible organization.
Q: I noticed three charitable partners noted for the Penn’s Way Campaign: Center for Responsible Funding; PENN Medicine, and United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Do I need to direct my funds to one or more of these organizations directly in order to participate in the campaign or can I still give to my favorite community or national organization?
A: The organizations noted are the three umbrella partners for the Penn’s Way 2008 campaign. These organizations provide potential donation options for UPENN & UPHS employees participating in the Penn’s Way campaign. Donors may direct funds to one or more of these organizations directly, which would enable the respective organization to allocate the funds as per their specific organizational guidelines or donors may select individual groups or organizations, on their own, and direct their charitable donations in that way. The choice for giving and how to give is up to each donor and is no way directed by the Penn’s Way campaign.
Q: What is the “overhead” associated with the Campaign? How much of my donation actually goes to benefit the organization’s work?
A: This question addresses the issue known in fundraising as an “Administrative Rate.” All organizations face the challenge of having to spend money to raise money. Development and fundraising are critical components of any non-profit’s operating budget. Workplace Giving is considered to be the most inexpensive method of raising money because it allows charities to reach large groups of people at the same time. The convenience of payroll deduction allows contributors to stretch their charitable dollar further than if they made a one-time gift. Also, most charities operate with a small finance staff and are not equipped to handle a large volume of small financial transactions. Even for those that are able to, numerous small transactions can be costly. Paying an administrative fee to a managing organization such as CRF or UW often decreases the operational costs associated with fundraising for charities since contribution processing and reports are aggregated.
The Center Responsible Funding administers a 12% administrative fee to all organizations that receive donations through the Penn’s Way campaign.
Gifts made to organizations of PENN Medicine are charged the UWSEPA 12.6% administrative rate. PENN Medicine funds are disbursed by UWSEPA and are obligated to incur the administrative fee at the UWSEPA established rate. In the Penn's Way 2007 Campaign, PENN Medicine entity funds were disbursed by the University of Pennsylvania Development Office and were not subject to an administrative charge. However, this funds disbursement option is no longer possible due to generally accepted accounting principles that prohibit one 501(c)(3) from disbursing funds on behalf of another 501(c)(3). A 501(c) (3) is an organization that is exempt from the federal income tax to non-profit organizations.
The United Way administrative rate is 12.6% - organizations that receive money through the United Way receive 87 cents of every $1.00 donated.
Q: Can I still give to United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania or my favorite charity?
A: Yes, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania Community Investment Fund is provided as an option for your donation or you can choose from over 5,000 agencies available through the United Way.
Q: How were the organizations in Penn Medicine chosen?
A: In previous campaigns of the Health System and University, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Wissahickon Hospice and Abramson Cancer Center were eligible options for donors as agencies registered with United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania. As UPHS, joined the Penn’s Way campaign these same organizations continued as choices for donors and have now been categorized as giving options under the umbrella of Penn Medicine.
Q: What is the campaign's position on facilitating donations to Boy Scouts?
A: In 2003, Penn's Way decided not to include the Boy Scouts as eligible organizations to receive funds through the campaign because their practices and policies did not comply with our own University community non-discrimination policies.
On-Line Pledging
Q: What should I know before filling out an Online Pledge Form?
A: You should know the following:
- Your PennKey and password combination.
- If you need help with your PennKey:
- UPENN employees go to www.upenn.edu/computing/pennkey
- UPHS employees go to www.uphs.upenn.edu/pennkey
- Your PC must have Netscape 7.0 (or higher) or IE 6 (or higher)
- Your Mac must have Netscape 7.0 (or higher) or IE 5.0 (or higher)
- The organization codes to which you wish to donate or
- Know a key word associated with the organization’s name and you can use the search function once you log in.
Q. How do I enter the On-line Pledge Form?
A. You will need to use your PennKey and password. You will use the same PennKey and password that you typically use to access Knowledgelink.
Q: Why isn’t the Penn’s Way search box working?
A: You must enter only one single keyword to search. Entering multiple words in the search criteria will result in no search results being returned.
Q: Why does my Penn’s Way Captain or Coordinator keep asking me to participate? I am certain that I already filled out the Penn’s Way Online Pledge Form.
A: You must select “ACCEPT” on the summary page to record your participation. Failure to select the “ACCEPT” button, regardless of the payment method chosen, will result in your participation not being recorded.
Q: I have already completed my On-line pledge and chose to give by “Check” but now I want to have my gift deducted from my paycheck. Can I change this option?
A. Yes, you can change your pledge amount or the method for payment at any time. However, you have until December 2, 2009 to choose payroll deduction as your method of payment.
Q: Can Part-Time Employees, Health System House Staff, Work Study Students, Student Interns or Contracted Employees contribute to Penn's Way?
A: Yes. This year Penn's Way packets are being mailed to all Penn and Health System Employees, including part-time employees, this does not preclude work study students, student interns, or contracted employees from participating.
Student workers and contracted employees can now use Penn's Way Online, if they have a PennKey and password or can complete a paper pledge form, with PENN ID.
Student workers and contracted employees cannot give via payroll deduction, they must donate via the other methods of payment: cash, check, or credit card.
Q: Why is my phone number wrong?
A: For University employees the phone number listed in your Penn's Way Online contribution page is the phone number Payroll has on file for you. If it is incorrect, please alert your Business Administrator. Please also change it in the text box on the contribution page
For UPHS employees, phone number is not tracked by the Payroll Department and therefore we are not able to populate this field in the on-line system. .
The format to change your telephone number is xxx-xxx-xxxx. If you enter your campus phone number using 5 digits (starting with 3, 8, 7 or 6), the application will transform the number into a Penn phone number.
Q: Why isn't the search box working?
A: You must enter only one single keyword to search. Entering multiple words in the search criteria will result in no search results being returned.
Q: How do I know what contribution code to enter?
A: You can find the 5 digit code online, then just type the code and the dollar amount. You can also use the search function, just type a key word into the search box and click GO. To choose an organization from the search results, just click on its code number and it will fill in on your contribution page.
If you are contributing elsewhere and/or want to use the application just for entry in the raffle, do not enter any contribution codes or amounts; leave everything blank. Otherwise you will get an error message.
Note: If you enter duplicate contribution codes for an organization – with different (or same) amounts – the application will combine the amounts into a single contribution for that organization, and will display accordingly as one contribution on the confirmation/summary & contribution page.
If you do not enter any amount associated with a contribution code, you will receive an error message, and will not be able to continue with the application.
Paper Pledging
Q: I am filling out the Paper Pledge Form and need to know my Penn ID number – where do I find out what that is?
A: For University employees - your Penn ID number can be found in two places – on your PennCard and on your paystub. On your PennCard it is the middle string of 8 digits. On your pay stub it is listed under your name (above your federal tax status) on the bottom left.
For Health System employees your Penn ID has been printed on a lable affixed to the top of you pledge form. If you have misplaced your pledge form and do not know your Penn ID, please contact your entity coordinator for assistance.
Q: Where can I get extra Penn's Way packets?
A: Ask your campaign coordinator if they have any extra packets of materials.
Q: Are payroll deductions taken before or after taxes?
A: Penn’s Way payroll deductions are on an after-tax basis.
Q: Should Penn’s Way 2010 contributions count as deductions for my 2009 taxes, even if I contribute by check, and the check is dated in 2009?
A: Penn’s Way 2010 contributions made via payroll will be taken out of your 2010 paycheck(s), and therefore count as 2010 deductions. For contributions made via check, credit card, or cash, please consults your accountant or tax advisor.
Q: What payment options are available?
A: There are four payment methods available to those participating in Penn's Way:
- Payroll Deduction: Only employees who are part of the University or Health System payroll system can choose this method. You must select whether you would like an equal deduction from each pay, one deduction from a single pay, or an equal amount from a specific number of pays. Logging into Penn's Way Online is by far the easiest most effective way to donate via payroll deduction. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us. Note: If you choose equal deduction, your Total Contribution amount will be divided by the number of pay periods in the calendar year, and that will be the amount deducted from each pay.
- Check - Make your check payable to Penn's Way Campaign.
- Cash - We encourage you to utilize other forms of payment, but if you choose to donate cash, all University paid employees must hand deliver their form and cash to the Payroll Department, 310 Franklin Building.
- Credit Card - This is a one-time lump sum charge to your credit card. Due to administrative costs, we suggest a minimum credit card donation of $25. You may use either your Visa, MasterCard or American Express. If you choose to pay by Credit Card, you must fill out your billing address
Q: Should I keep a copy of my Pledge Form after I have completed it?
A: Yes, you can keep the bottom copy of the pledge form. Please return the top copy of the form to the campaign.
Q: Where should I send my paper pledge form?
A: For Health System employees, please turn in your completed pledge form to your captain or entity coordinator. Please be sure to attach your check or cash to the form if applicable.
A: For University employees, please return your completed pledge form in a WHITE CONFIDENTIAL INTRAMURAL envelope. Print your name and School/Center on the front, upper, left hand corner of the envelope. Cash donations should be hand delivered to the PENN’S WAY 2009, c/o Payroll Department, 310 Franklin Building. All other donations may be sent, via Intramural Mail. Pledge envelopes remained sealed until they reach the bonded agent within Penn’s Payroll office who ensures that your donation information is kept confidential and secure.
Q: Can I turn my pledge in after the campaign is over?
A: We highly encourage everyone to turn his or her pledge in by the end of the campaign. This is necessary for the timely processing of pledges via the payroll system. We will continue to accept donations via means other than payroll deduction through the end of the calendar year.
Raffles
Q: How can I qualify to win raffle prizes?
A: To qualify for the weekly raffle, you must participate by completing an on-line form by Friday at 5:00 pm each week or your paper pledge must received by 12:00 pm on Friday. Inaccurate, incomplete, or illegible pledge forms will not be entered into the raffle. Once you have completed your form you are eligible for the weekly raffles.
All participants, including, weekly winners will be included in the Grand Prize Drawing at the end of the campaign.
Q: Do I have to give in order to participate in the raffle?
A: NO. Those of you who are contributing elsewhere are encouraged to participate using the “Contributing elsewhere” button marking your participation and eligibility for the raffle. Pledge information remains confidential. Penn's Way administers the raffle and as such has the names of Penn's Way participants and their school/center, but the Penn's Way campaign administration staff does not have access to participating individuals' giving information. The raffle is an incentive to encourage participation by as many employees as possible and a way to generate publicity for the campaign.
Q: Once I am entered into the weekly raffle, am I only eligible for that week's raffle or am I eligible for all subsequent weekly raffles?
A: Once you qualify as a participant, you are eligible for all subsequent raffles, unless you win a weekly raffle. All participants, including the weekly winners are eligible for the Grand Prize drawing.
Q: When are the raffle prizes awarded?
A: Raffle winners will be randomly selected on the Monday after the raffle deadline.
Q: How are winners notified?
A: The Penn's Way website, The Almanac and the UPHS newsletters will publish the available prizes and highlight the winners that were drawn, Winners will be notified within one week of the raffle drawing and they will have until January 29, 2010 to make arrangements to claim their prize.
Q: Is there anything new this year about the raffle process that participants/winners need to know?
A: The Internal Revenue Service requires that income tax be charged for any prize that can be considered easily convertible to cash, or above a de minimis value (usually anything over $100). For this reason, we have tried to keep the value of the raffle prizes this year below $100. The exception is the Grand Prize. The Grand Prize winner will be notified of the amount of income tax that would have to be deducted from the employee’s paycheck, when it would be deducted, and be given the option of refusing the prize. In the event that the prize was refused, another winner would be drawn at random, and the same procedure followed.
