St. Croix Valley communities, as far back as the 1940’s, conducted Community
Chest or Red Feather campaigns which later evolved into United Fund Drives.
Those community-wide campaigns were the forerunners of today's United
Way. New Richmond and River Falls incorporated United Funds in the
late-1950's. By the mid-to late1970's the annual fundraising campaigns
in Hudson, New Richmond and River Falls had affiliated with United Way
of America.
The United Ways in Hudson and New
Richmond began working
closely on fund distribution procedures and citizen review panels in
1996. Common review procedures eased the application process for
agencies and facilitated interaction between the United Way Boards. It
was part of the impetus to opening a dialogue about a potential merger. The
two organizations merged on July 1, 1999 to become United Way of St.
Croix County.
United Way of River Falls has
been an important part of its community since its inception. United
Way of St. Croix County has traditionally funded some nonprofit
organizations based in River Falls and has led the Pierce/St. Croix
Housing Resource Network for several years. The two groups
enjoyed a cordial relationship and funded many of the same agencies.
Discussions about a potential merger began in 2005 and the Boards of
Directors voted to merge the organizations as of July 1, 2006.
The new organization, United Way St. Croix Valley, serves
communities throughout Western Wisconsin.
The United Way St. Croix Valley
office is located at 911 Fourth Street, Suite 5, Hudson, WI 54016. The
telephone number is 715-377-0203.
The corporation is governed by a volunteer Board of
Directors which meets ten times per year. The Executive Committee
consists of the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer other
members appointed by the president. Meetings of the Executive
Committee are held as needed in the months that the full Board doesn't
meet. The goal is to maintain a Board that is representative of
the communities which we serve. Board members may serve up to six
consecutive years. There are dozens of additional volunteers
involved in the annual fundraising campaign and in the allocation of
funds.
United Way St. Croix Valley currently funds
approximately eighty agency programs and several United Way
initiatives from the proceeds of the annual campaign. Agency
funding requests are reviewed by citizen advisory panels and their
recommendations are reviewed and acted on by the Board of Directors.
Stewardship
United Way St. Croix Valley is recognized by the
Internal Revenue Code as a nonprofit 501c(3) organization and files Form
990 annually. This United Way is registered with and files reports
to the attorneys general in the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota and,
as such, is authorized to conduct fundraising activities. Copies
of the registrations are on file for public inspection.
All contributions and interest on investments are deposited into
designated United Way accounts. Withdrawals in excess of $750
require two authorized signatures. Financial records are brought
to balance monthly and the Board of Directors review the financial statements
on a quarterly basis. An annual audit is conducted by an
independent certified public accountant. A copy is available for
review at the United Way office
Relationship to United Way of America and State Organizations
Each of the approximately 1,300 United Ways across the country are
fully autonomous organizations. The Board of Directors of
United Way St. Croix Valley exercise full control of all operational
decisions. Our United Way is not a chapter of any state or
national fundraising organization. The only time that money leaves
our service area is when a donor directs us to send it to another United
Way or nonprofit organization.
We, and other United
Ways, share a common belief in the principles of the movement. As such,
we have a voluntary affiliation with United Way of America. United Way of America
(UWA) is a national service organization that
provides a wide variety of assistance to member organizations on
every aspect of local United Way operations. Advice and training
are available in areas such as campaign, fund distribution, finances,
planning, research and communication. Conferences, seminars and
on-site training are offered. United Way of America secures
national publicity through advertising such as the relationship
with the National Football League. UWA also assists local United
Ways through coordinating campaigns at large national corporations
through the National Corporate Leadership Program and by maintaining
strong ties with organized labor.
Member organizations have access to a wide variety of other services.
UWA maintains a website and offers information on many topics via
download. United Way St. Croix Valley pays UWA an affiliation
fee of 1% of local campaign receipts. Only funds raised
within our service area are included in the calculation. Paying the fee gives us
access to all services and the right to use the United Way brand name and logo.
United Way St. Croix Valley also pays about $1,000 in
dues to the United Way of Wisconsin and United Way Associates of
Minnesota. These state organizations provide training workshops,
technical support, continuing education and a means of networking with
other United Ways. They also monitor legislative issues that might
affect local nonprofit organizations.
