Membership Eligibility Process Application Instructions General Instructions: Please Read All Instructions First! 1. Contact United Way Customer Service for assistance with this application. We can be reached by: Phone: 703-549-4448, Option 1 Email: membership@uwnca.org Fax: 202-261-2622 Mail: United Way of the National Capital Area ATTN: Membership Eligibility 8391 Old Courthouse Road, Suite 200 Vienna, VA 22182-3819 2. The eligibility application opens at 9:00 am on November 7, 2011. The application closes at 5:00 pm on December 2, 2011. No applications will be accepted after this time. Applications left incomplete or not submitted will be deemed ineligible. 3. Access the application at http://membership.unitedwaynca.org. The application must be submitted online. Please contact United Way customer service for assistance if you are unable to submit any part of the application. 4. United Way NCA customer service representatives will be available between November 7 th and December 2 nd to assist you. If you have any technical issues, please contact our customer service team at the email address or phone number listed above. 5. Returning applicants should have received a seven-digit Secret Key by mail and email in early October. If you have not received this information, please contact United Way NCA customer service by phone or email. You will need this code along with your organization s EIN number in order to access the 2012 membership application. 6. New nonprofit applicants should contact us by phone (703-549-4448) or by email (membership@uwnca.org). Please include the legal name of your organization and the Employer Identification Number (EIN). You will receive a Secret Key, unique to your organization. You will need this code along with your organization s EIN number in order to access the 2012 membership application. 7. You will need to following items in order to complete your online application:
a. Program information for your organization: program names, regions served, numbers of beneficiaries and specific program activities (including dates) for calendar year 2011. b. Most recent IRS Determination Letter c. Most recent IRS Form 990 (year ending June 30, 2010 or later) or a pro forma IRS Form 990 d. Most recent audited financial statements (if greater than $100,000 in revenue) e. If applicable, any trade name or dba certificates for your organization f. Chapters, affiliates, or organizations covered by a group ruling will need to submit additional documentation (see instructions). 8. The online application consists of eight sections or tabs. These sections do not need to be completed in order, but you must click save on each tab as you finish working. You will not be able to submit your application until all required fields have been completed. 9. Complete all required fields in the online application. Required fields are indicated by (*). Please enter the requested information fully and completely in each field. 10. Save often. If you time out of the application, you will lose unsaved information. You will time out of the application after 60 minutes of inactivity. 11. After submitting your application, you will receive an e-mail with a PDF copy of your organization s signature page. Mail FOUR (4) signed copies of the certification page (do not fax) to: United Way of the National Capital Area Attn: Membership Eligibility 8391 Old Courthouse Road, Suite 200 Vienna, VA 22182-3819 Your application is not considered complete until we receive the four original signature pages. We suggest sending the certification pages via certified mail or courier service for tracking purposes. 12. If your charity has submitted its application by December 2 nd, you will be notified of any deficiencies in your organization s application. Your organization will have the opportunity to resolve these deficiencies and resubmit its application. The deficiencies period will run through December 31, 2011. If deficiencies in your organization s application are not resolved by this date, your organization s application will be deemed ineligible. 13. Organizations whose applications are deemed ineligible on or before December 31, 2011 will be notified immediately in order that they may apply to the Combined Federal Campaign as an independent organization if they so choose. 14. Official notice of acceptance as a member of United Way of the National Capital Area will be made in February, 2012. Membership for the 2012 year begins July 1, 2012. 2
Accessing Your Application Step-by-Step Application Instructions Create An Account The first time you visit http://membership.unitedwaynca.org, you must create an account. Click sign up for an account and enter the following: First and last name Telephone number in this format (xxx)xxx-xxxx Valid email address (this address will receive confirmation notices) Password (of your choice) EIN for your organization in this format xx-xxxxxxx Secret Key You will then be re-directed to login with your email address and password. If you represent more than one organization applying for membership: You can associate multiple organizations with your account. Click on My Account at the top of the screen and enter the EIN and Secret Key for each additional organization. You will need to login again to complete the addition. Step 1 - Member Information United Way NCA Designation Code - This information will be pre-filled for returning applicants. This is the designation code assigned to your organization in the 2011/2012 campaign. New applicants will have a blank field. If you are accepted as a member nonprofit for the 2012/2013 campaign, a United Way NCA designation code will be assigned to you. If you believe that the information in this field is incorrect, please contact customer service for assistance. CFC Designation Code- This information will be pre-filled for returning applicants. This is the CFC designation code assigned to your organization for the 2011 CFC campaigns. If you think the number in your application is incorrect, please contact customer service for assistance. Federation- This information will be pre-filled for returning applicants. If your organization is not a member of another federation (i.e. United Black Fund or Local Independent Charities of America), the field will show United Way. If you believe this information is incorrect, please contact customer service for assistance. *Legal Name of Organization Enter the name of your organization as it appears on your Letter of Determination from the IRS. Doing Business As (DBA) names are not acceptable in this field. The legal name must also match the name listed on the IRS Form 990 and audited financial statements. Preferred Name If your organization uses a name other than the legal name, please enter it here. Type of Preferred Name Please choose the option that best describes the preferred name entered above. This question is only required if you entered a preferred name. United Way NCA is often required to list an organization by the legal name unless official documentation is provided. 3
a. An officially registered doing business as (DBA) or trade name. Select this option if your organization has filed paperwork with your state or county of incorporation in order to use a name other than your legal name. Please also upload a copy of the official state documentation authorizing use of the dba name. Different states have different terms for this. In Virginia it is known as a fictitious or assumed name certificate. In Maryland and the District of Columbia it is a trade name. b. A chapter or affiliate of a national organization. Choose this if your organization is a local chapter or affiliate, but the parent organization name is listed on the IRS Determination letter and other forms. c. An unofficial name by which donors know your organization. Choose this if the preferred name you provided is not an officially registered name. DBA or Trade Name Certificate This item is required only if your organization listed a preferred name and indicated it is an officially registered DBA (selected A above). Please click the Browse button and select the file to be uploaded. Enter the year of the document (i.e. 2007) and click save. *Employer Identification Number (EIN) - Enter this 9-digit number using the following format: 82-3456789. *Main Organization Telephone- Provide the telephone number for general inquiries to your nonprofit; enter the number as (xxx)xxx-xxxx with no spaces. Organization TDD/TTY If your organization has a telecommunications number for the deaf or hard of hearing, please enter it here in this format (xxx)xxx-xxxx. Organization Web site- Provide your organization s Web site, all addresses should be full and complete; do not include http prefixes. If your organization does not have a website, leave this field blank. *General Organization Email Address- Provide the email address for general inquiries to your agency. Facebook, Twitter or Other Social Media Sites Please provide us with information on any social media sites with which your organization regularly participates. *Date of Incorporation- Provide the date of incorporation for your agency; format as mm/dd/yyyy. *Days/ Hours of Operation- Include both days and hours. Examples: Monday - Friday, 9 am - 5 pm; Daily, 9 am - 5 pm; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 9 am - 5 pm. *Physical Address - Complete all physical address information. The address entered should be the official physical (business) address. P.O. Boxes are not permitted unless the nature of your organization's work presents legitimate security concerns for your employees, clients, and/or other stakeholders. In these cases, you must attest to the presence of such concerns as well as provide an explanation of your safety concerns. If using a P. O. Box in this section, select yes from the dropdown menu to certify that a 4
Post Office Box is being used for security reasons and provide an explanation of your specific security concerns (for example, your organization is a domestic abuse shelter and for the safety of your clients and staff, it is not safe to release the organization s address). Service Address If your organization s physical address is outside of the National Capital Area (i.e. not located in the District of Columbia, Montgomery or Prince George s County in Maryland, or Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax/Falls Church, Loudoun, or Prince William Counties in Virginia) please provide the local service address. Otherwise, service address is not required. Mailing Address - The address entered should be the (business) mailing address for your organization. P.O. Boxes are permitted. If this address is the same as the physical address, please click the Same Address button. Step 2 - Contacts *Primary Representative - Provide name and contact information for the main representative authorized to act on behalf of your agency. This will be the official contact for United Way business. *CEO/Executive Director/President - Provide name and contact information for your organization s principal officer. If this person is the same as the primary representative, click the Same as Primary button and the contact information from above will be transferred. Representative for Internal Employee Giving Campaign - Provide the name and contact information for the representative that will coordinate your organization s internal United Way employee giving campaign. Please remember that United Way NCA member nonprofits are required to run an employee campaign. If this person is the same as the primary representative, click the Same as Primary button and the contact information from above will be transferred. Indicate whether your organization hosted a UWNCA employee-giving campaign this year (2011), when you anticipate running the 2012 internal campaign, and how many employees your organization has in the national capital area. Representative for Marketing and/or Communications - This person may be contacted regarding promotional materials, success stories, cooperative advertising opportunities, and ensuring adherence to co-branding requirements. If this person is the same as the primary representative, click the Same as Primary button and the contact information from above will be transferred. Representative for Fundraising and/or Resource Development - Please enter contact information for the person in your organization that has primary responsibility for your fundraising and/or resource development efforts. If this person is the same as the primary representative, click the Same as Primary button and the contact information from above will be transferred. 5
Step 3 - Programs Tell us about your organizations programs and services. The information provided in this section will be used to show the substantive local services, benefits, assistance or program activities provided by your organization during the calendar year 2011. The program description replaces the extended narrative statement requested in previous years. Please review the example, complete the required fields and click Save New Program for each program you wish to list. Program Description Please list the services, benefits, assistance or activities that this program provided in calendar year 2011. You must be specific about dates and activities. If you include activities provided by another entity, such as an affiliate or a grantee, you must describe your organization s role in the activity (i.e. funding, donated space, etc.). We have listed some additional tips and recommendations below. DO: DO: DO: DO: DON T: DON T: Be specific about recurring activities. For example, Provided individualized tutoring and homework assistance to 20 school age children from 3:30 5:00pm daily, weekdays from September 2010 June 2011. Avoid repetitive text and generalized statements about the activity List only services or activities that were actually provided, not those planned or offered. List grants or funding provided to other organizations, but be careful to describe your organizations role as a grantor, not the provider of the service. Claim dissemination of information or publications by mail or internet as the only services or benefits provided. Claim fundraising activities as services or benefits. Examples: On June 1-3, 2011 ABC Charity conducted a regional conference on issues of hunger and homelessness in the Washington metropolitan area. ABC Charity staff made presentations on current needs and trends in service. Panelists presented and discussed policy options. 120 local providers attended. May 15, 2011: ABC Charity awarded scholarships of $5,000.00 each to eight graduating seniors of DC public high schools planning to pursue degrees in the field of engineering. ABC Charity provided free hot lunches to 150 persons daily, January 2011 to present. Lunches were provided at First Street Church from 11:00am 1:00pm daily including weekends and holidays. ABC Charity purchased and donated the following items to ABC Preschool: 100 hardcover children s books of various titles; 2 desktop computers with preschool software; playground equipment including a slide and climbing wall. ABC Charity volunteers served 100 house-bound seniors between January 2011 and June 2011. Volunteers provided two home visits per month, one telephone visit per week, and transportation to medical appointments as required, up to three times per month. 6
Step 4 Required Documents *IRS Letter of Determination - Please upload your organization s most recent Letter of Determination, as provided by the IRS, granting your organization tax-exempt status under 26 U.S.C. 501(c)3. The IRS letter must indicate the EIN for the organization. Note: Applicants whose current 501(c)3 status cannot be confirmed by the IRS will be denied participation. We encourage organizations to request current letters from the IRS confirming their tax-exempt status, especially if the name or address has changed since the most recent letter was issued. The request can be made by contacting the IRS at 1-877-829-5500, and selecting Option 4. Select only one option regarding your organization s tax exempt status. Choice (b): Local organizations that are part of an IRS group exemption must provide a copy of the IRS letter granting the group exemption, as well as the list of subordinates that are covered by the group exemption. If the subordinate s EIN is different from the EIN on the group exemption letter, clarifying documentation from the IRS must be provided. Choice (c): Bona-fide chapters or affiliates of a national organization that do not have an IRS determination letter for the local organization must provide a certification signed by either the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or CEO equivalent of the national organization; this certification should be dated no earlier than October 1, 2011. Such certification must state that the local charitable organization operates as a bona-fide chapter or affiliate in good standing of the national organization and is covered by the national organization s 501(c)3 tax exemption, IRS Form 990 and audited financial statements, to the extent required by regulation. A copy of the national organization s 501(c)3 letter must be uploaded as well. *IRS Form 990 - Upload a copy of the most recently completed, signed and dated IRS Form 990 covering the fiscal year ending not more than 18 months prior to January 1, 2012 (i.e. on or after June 30, 2010). Note: The IRS Form 990 must be signed in the block marked 'signature of officer.' The preparer's signature alone is not sufficient. Organizations that file the IRS Form 990 electronically may submit a signed copy of the IRS Form 8879-EO or IRS Form 8453-EO in lieu of a signature on the IRS Form 990. A completed IRS Form 990 is required to be eligible for CFC and United Way of the National Capital Area campaigns even if the Internal Revenue Service does not require your organization to file the Form 990. The IRS Form 990 and the audit (if applicable) must cover the same period. Smaller organizations, those with annual revenue of less than $250,000, may submit a pro forma IRS Form 990. If you filed a complete IRS Form 990 to the IRS, please include all applicable supplemental statements and schedules for the applicant organization. If you filed an IRS Form 990 EZ or 990N, please complete a pro forma IRS Form 990. See below for what is required when submitting a pro forma IRS Form 990. 7
If you were not required to file an IRS Form 990, you must submit a pro forma IRS Form 990. See below for what is required when submitting a pro forma IRS Form 990. If your organization is a chapter or affiliate organization and you do not file a 990, you must complete a pro forma IRS Form 990 including information specific to your chapter or affiliate. Pro Forma 990 Instructions: The organization must use the 2010 IRS Form 990 (or more recent year, if available). The following sections must be completed: page 1 (Part I, Summary and Part II, Signature Block), page 7 and 8 (Part VII, Compensation sections A and B); page 9 (Part VIII, Statement of Revenues), page 10 (Part IX, Statement of Functional Expenses), and page 12 (Part XI, Financial Statements and Report). Charitable organizations that do not reflect administrative and fundraising expenses on the IRS Form 990 but show such expenses on the audited financial statement will be denied unless the audited financial statements specifically state that these services were donated. Note: United Way NCA will compare the number of voting members disclosed in Part I, Line 3 with the number of individuals that have the individual trustee or director or institutional trustee position selected in Part VII, Column C. If the number in Part 1 is more than the number in Part VII, the organization must provide an explanation for the difference. Select Only one option regarding your organization s IRS Form 990. Enter the requested information using the most recent IRS Form 990 or pro forma 990. Do not use a 990 EZ or 990 N to complete this section. Please follow the instructions on the screen to determine which numbers to use from your organization s 990. Overhead Percentage is calculated by adding the amount in Part IX (Statement of Functional Expenses), Line 25, Column C (Management and General Expenses) to the amount in Line 25, Column D (Fundraising Expenses), and dividing the sum by Part VIII (Statement of Revenue), Line 12, Column A (Total Revenue). No other methods may be used to calculate this percentage. Audited Financial Statement - If your organization s annual revenue as stated on the IRS Form 990 is $100,000 or greater, provide an audit for your charitable organization covering the fiscal year ending not more than 18 months prior to January 1, 2011 (i.e. on or after June 30, 2010). Note: The audit must express an unqualified opinion, must be conducted by an independent Certified Public Accountant in accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS), and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Cash basis, cash modified, or modified accrual basis accounting systems are unacceptable. Reviews and/or compiled audits are unacceptable. Bona-fide chapters or local affiliates of a national organization that are not separately incorporated whose pro forma IRS Form 990 reports revenues over $100,000 and whose financial operations are covered by an audit of the national organization may submit the national organization s audited financial statements together with a certification from the national organization s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or CEO 8
equivalent stating that it operates as a bona-fide affiliate in good standing of the national organization s tax exemption, IRS Form 990 and audited financial statements (see the letter of determination section above). The audit (if applicable) must cover the same period as the IRS Form 990. If you submitted an audit, please input your Total Revenues and Total Expenses in the appropriate boxes. Step 5 Impact Areas *25 Word Description - Describe your charitable organization in 25 words or less (no need to repeat the name of your organization within the 25 words). The statement will appear in campaign materials. Please note that this may be the only information provided to a potential donor about your organization. Special design text used to draw attention to an organization title, such as special fonts, capitalization, quotations, and underlines, are not accepted. Hyphenated words count as two. United Way Impact Area - Select the impact area(s) covered by your organization s program(s). Impact areas include: income, education and health. This is not a required field so your organization may leave it blank if none of the impact areas describe the work done by your organization. CFC Impact Areas - Use the drop down menu to select up to 3 codes that best fit your organization s services. You must enter at least one code. Step 6 Certifications Part I These certifications are required for participation in the United Way of the National Capital Area and other federation campaigns. Check all appropriate boxes. *Human Health and Welfare Organization Status - Check the box to certify. *Tax Exempt Status Check the box to certify. *Active Board of Directors - Check the box to certify. *Contributor Lists Check the box to certify. *Use of Funds- Check the box to certify. *Publicity and Promotional Activities Check the box to certify. *Terrorist Exclusion - Check the box to certify. 9
Please review the statements regarding local presence for CFCNCA, Chesapeake Bay Area CFC, CFC of St. Mary s County and Potomac CFC. Identify which description best fits your organization for each campaign. You may select different descriptions for each campaign. For more information about the geographic area covered by each campaign, please visit www.opm.gov/cfc/search/locator.asp. Step 7 Certifications Part II *Legal Structure - Check the box to certify. *Local Presence and Benefits - Check the box to certify. *Non-Discrimination Policy - Check the box to certify. *Support of the United Way Campaign - Check the box to certify. *Internal United Way Campaign Check the box to certify. *Solicitation and Information Materials - Check the box to certify. *Workplace Campaigns - Check the box to certify. *Disbursement of Designations and Campaign Fees - Check the box to certify. Sharing with Guidestar Not required. Certification Statement- Please review the certification statement and check the box to certify that your organization understands that United Way of the National Capital Area (NCA) will submit an application to the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) of the National Capital Area, Chesapeake Bay Area CFC, CFC of St. Mary s County, Potomac CFC and Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (when appropriate) on your organization s behalf. Your organization should not apply independently to any of these campaigns or ask another federation to apply to these campaigns unless United Way NCA notifies your organization that it has deemed its application ineligible to be submitted as part of United Way NCA s application packages to the above campaigns. 10
Step 8 Partnership Opportunities The items in this section are not required. Please take a few minutes to answer the questions and provide United Way of the National Capital Area with information about ways your organization might be interested in partnering. United Way NCA staff may follow up with you based on your answers to these items. Sign and Submit Once you have completed all required fields in the application, the application certification and Submit button will be visible. If required fields remain incomplete on any previous section, the name of the section will be listed in lieu of the Submit button. In order to submit your application for review you must click the Submit button. If you do not submit your application to UWNCA, it will not be reviewed by our staff. *Declaration of Authorization - Read carefully. Type your name in the box. Typing your name certifies that you are the duly appointed representative of the organization named in your application. You are authorized to certify and affirm all statements enclosed in the application. You certify that you have read all the certifications set forth in the document and affirm their accuracy. After Submitting Your Application After submitting your application, you will receive an e-mail with a PDF copy of your signature page. Send FOUR (4) signed copies of the certification page (do not fax) to: United Way of the National Capital Area ATTN: Membership Eligibility 8391 Old Courthouse Road, Suite 200 Vienna, VA 22182-3819 We CANNOT consider your application complete until we receive FOUR (4) signed copies of the certification page. Please sign in ink (blue ink preferred) do not provide photocopies. Upon submitting your application, it will become read-only. You will be able to log in, but you will not be able to make any changes. 11