Our donors contribute to Eaton County United Way in four basic ways:

1. Designated to a Participating Agency, a Community United Way, a Statewide Agency, or another United Way.
2. Undesignated Contribution (no indication of where it should be used).
3. Eaton County United Way Agency Fund.
4. Corporate Contributions.

     Donations that are designated to a Participating Agency are combined with donations made to the Eaton County United Way Agency Fund and placed in our allocation pool.  Donations made to a Community United Way, are placed in a separate account for the local United Way Committee to allocate to community organizations.  (See "Community United Ways" page.)  One hundred percent of donations designated to a Statewide Agency, or another United Way are paid on a quarterly basis.

     Following each fall's campaign, allocation request forms are sent to all Participating Agencies.  The forms request such information as number of Eaton County residents served in the previous year, number of employees in Eaton County, what services were offered, and what is needed for the upcoming year.  Copies of budgets and audits are carefully reviewed by our allocation panels, which are comprised of Eaton County residents who volunteer their time for your United Way.

     Allocation panels meet in the late spring.  They hold allocation hearings and talk to representatives from each agency requesting undesignated dollars.

     100% of all funds that have been designated to individual agencies by our donors have already been credited to each agency's account.  The agency therefore will let the allocation panel know how much more they will require in order to match the total allocated by the panels to the total dollars available.

     Eaton County United Way disburses designated and undesignated dollars to Participating Agencies only.  United Way staff works year round with the Participating Agencies, making sure they are spending donor dollars wisely, and are providing needed services to residents of Eaton County.

     Donor designations to non-participating agencies require a lot of staff time to research, track and disburse.  In order to keep costs down, and pass 100% of every donor's dollar to the agency or community they select, we cannot accept designations to agencies who are not a part of our year-round program.  Beginning in 1999, donors will be able to write in the name of another United Way or the name of a community, and staff will forward the contribution to the United Way serving that community.

     Designated and undesignated funds are combined and paid to recipient agencies in four equal payments beginning in July.