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Frequently Asked Questions
The State Employee Combined Appeal (SECA) was established in 1977 as the only charitable campaign allowed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in its offices statewide. This yearly drive in the fall means minimal workplace disruption and administrative costs. Commonwealth Employees have contributed over $80 million through the SECA campaign over the past 29 years. On behalf of the countless number of recipients who have benefited from your generosity, thank you for your gift. SECA supports the work of eight participating organizations/funds and their member agencies. There are over 1,400 agencies participating in the 2007 campaign. The valuable services they provide ranges from conserving our natural resources, providing assistance to the elderly, finding a cure for cancer, to providing shelter for a needy family in Pennsylvania, across the nation and around the world. For more information about an umbrella organization, fund or specific agency please refer to the SECA brochure or click on the link below to visit the organization/fund page:
Giving is a personal matter, and you should contribute what you feel comfortable giving. Did you ever consider becoming a Diamond Donor? Diamond Donors are employees that contribute 6/10 of 1% of their annual salary. If every employee gave at the guideline level, SECA has the potential of raising over $27 million! At the end of each campaign, Diamond Donors receive a special token of appreciation from the SECA Capital Region Chair and Statewide SECA Manager. Use the chart below for guidance. Or, visit our Diamond Donor page.
HOW DO I COMPLETE THE PLEDGE CARD? Detailed completion instructions appear on the back of the pledge card. If you need further assistance, ask your agency coordinator or contact the SECA office at (717) 238-7365 or megan@uwp.org. DOES GIVING BY PAYROLL DEDUCTION MAKE SENSE? It’s the easiest way to give. A reasonable, affordable amount contributed each payday, over a year’s time, amounts to a gift that you can feel good about. Payments on payroll deduction pledges do not begin until the first pay period in January. SECA also accepts checks, cash, and money orders. CAN I CHARGE MY CONTRIBUTION TO MY CREDIT CARD? Yes, SECA has the capability of accepting credit card contributions. Please let us know if you wish to contribute to your Visa or MasterCard account, fill in the amount for a one-time charge to your account, your account number, and the expiration date. SECA also requires that you provide your home address. Please note: Your credit card contribution will be deducted from your account when your pledge form is received by the SECA office and processed by SECA personnel. Yes. Complete the bottom portion of your pledge form for proof of your contribution. If you contribute $250 or more at one time and require substantiation to meet IRS requirements please provide your home or work address information to obtain a receipt for your contribution. HOW DO I DESIGNATE AN AGENCY LISTED IN THE BROCHURE? A specific code number is assigned to each agency in the brochure. You may designate up to four agencies to receive your gift by writing the appropriate code number(s) in the spaces provided on your pledge card. If you would like to designate to more than four agencies, you will need to complete an additional pledge card and paperclip it to the original pledge card. Each of the nine participating organizations, funds, and their member agencies have been carefully screened to ensure they meet the twenty-three criteria outlined by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the Management Directive. This detailed process ensures that SECA is the most efficient, effective and accountable way for Commonwealth employees to make a charitable contribution. CAN I DESIGNATE TO AN AGENCY NOT LISTED IN THE BROCHURE? Unfortunately, no. If you wish to contribute to a charitable organization through the SECA Campaign, you must designate to an agency listed in the SECA brochure. If your charity is not participating in SECA, you may want to give to it directly. HOW CAN I GET THE CHARITY OF MY CHOICE IN FUTURE BROCHURES? If you wish to see the agency of your choice listed in the brochure for future campaigns, contact the SECA office at (717) 238-7365 or megan@uwp.org. Please be sure to supply SECA with the agency name, address, and if available, the name of the contact person who should receive the application information. If you choose not to designate a specific agency or participating organization, your gift will be distributed proportionately to the nine participating organizations/funds. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO RUN SECA? Administrative and fund-raising expenses (brochure, pledge card, mailings, etc...) for SECA have averaged 10.8% over the past three years. Last year over 90 cents of every dollar actually received is distributed to the participating organizations. In addition to the costs of running SECA, 3.9% (three year average) of gifts pledged in the campaign are not collected due to retirement, changes in employment or canceled pledges. Please contact the organization(s) you designated for additional information. HOW DOES SECA COLLECT AND DISTRIBUTE MY GIFT? Solicitation starts on September 11, 2007 and finishes on October 23, 2007. Over 30,000 pledge forms are collected and sent to the SECA Audit Center in Harrisburg. The checks, cash and money orders are deposited. Payroll deduction information is processed and sent to your payroll office. SECA guarantees that all correctly completed pledge forms received at the SECA Audit Center on or before November 30, 2007, will make the first payroll deduction in January, 2008. All gifts will be forwarded as specified by the donor. In the event that your designation information is incomplete or illegible, we will make every reasonable effort to contact you to get the needed information. The distribution of proceeds will begin in April, 2008. Distributions occur about every other month until the last payroll deduction is received. |
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