The State Employees' Community Campaign (SECC) is not the United Way. The SECC is your workplace fund raising campaign authorized by a Governor's Executive Order. It is your fund raising campaign operating under rules developed by your fellow employees.

Indiana Association of United Ways (IaUW) is the Fiscal Agent for the SECC, and we perform the campaign services for the SECC. We keep all SECC contributor funds in a separate bank account so they are not co-mingled with any other money. We are audited annually by independent auditors to make sure we are doing our job correctly and accurately.

How does a charity get on the SECC list?

State employees can contribute to any not-for-profit organization that has a 501(c)(3) ruling from the United States Internal Revenue Service. When a state employee makes a contribution to a charity that does not already have a SECC code number, we verify that it has a 501(c)(3) ruling from the IRS and, if it does, we assign it a code number. That charity then appears on the searchable charity codes list.

If I contribute $100 to the charity, how much does the charity receive?

State employees are allowed to use the Auditor of State's payroll system to contribute to charity, but the State does not use any public or State money to support the operation of the SECC. Therefore, the charities that benefit from contributions through the SECC must pay for their share of the SECC’s costs. Those costs include printing SECC materials, processing and tracking pledges, creating the payroll transactions for the Auditor of State's payroll system and cutting quarterly checks to the charities.

The administrative percent for the 2008/2009 SECC is projected to be 8%. However, we also distribute to the charities their share of the interest income earned while SECC contributions are in the bank, increasing the net amount a charity realizes from contributions through the SECC.

If you fulfill a contribution of $100 to a charity, the charity will net more than $92 through the 2008/2009 SECC.

If I make a payroll deduction pledge now, when will withholding start?

Withholding will start with the first payroll in 2009.

When are charities notified of my contribution?

By January 15 of the year in which pledges are collected, we are required to issue a “final” report on the amounts pledged and the amounts designated to each charity. Soon after that we send a notification letter to each charity accompanied by a list of their donors and their amounts pledged.

How do I know that the charity I specified received my contribution?

When using the SECC e-Pledge system or if you complete the SECC paper pledge form, we recommend that you check the “request acknowledgment box”. By checking that box, you authorize us to release your address to your charities so that they may send you a thank-you letter. The minimum contribution that can be acknowledged is $26.

If I make a contribution now, when will my charity receive my money?

We are required to make distributions to charities in the month following the end of each calendar quarter. For the 2008/2009 SECC we will cut checks in April, July, and October of 2009, with the final disbursement due in February, 2010. We withhold 8% of the amount pledged to a charity from the first disbursement, and we add their share of the interest income earned to the last disbursement. One-time contributions (cash, check, and credit card) are fully disbursed in the April check.

When the charity receives an SECC disbursement, will they get a breakdown of the check showing my contribution?

If the charity requests a breakdown of their quarterly SECC check, we will e-mail them a spreadsheet showing their donors and the cumulative amount paid by each.

Is my contribution through the SECC tax-deductible?

Yes. Because you must direct your SECC pledge to a 501(c)(3) charity and because the Indiana Association of United Ways itself has a 501(c)(3) ruling from the IRS, if you itemize when you file your federal income taxes, to the extent allowed by law, your charitable contribution is tax-deductible in the year it is paid.

For example, if you make a pledge through the in the Fall of 2008 and pay your pledge in 2008 by check, cash or credit card, that contribution may be claimed as a deduction in tax-year 2008. However, if you make your SECC pledge in the Fall of 2008 and pay it through payroll deduction in 2009, that contribution would be claimed as a deduction in tax-year 2009.

If you have questions or concerns about the deductibility of your contribution through the SECC, you should consult your tax professional for advice.

How do I get written substantiation of my contribution for tax purposes?

If you claim a charitable deduction and your tax return is audited, you will be required to have a written, contemporaneous receipt from the charity(s) to which you contributed or the IRS will disallow the deduction. So, we recommend that you keep all documents in a safe place with your tax records.

If you are a state employee that paid your pledge by cash or credit card, the Indiana Association of United Ways, as SECC fiscal agent, will mail you a written tax-receipt by January 31. If you paid by check, keep the canceled check, it satisfies the IRS requirement.

If you are a state employee that paid your pledge by payroll deduction, keep your final pay voucher along with the e-Pledge printout (click the Print button on the final e-Pledge screen and/or check the box to request a confirmation to be e-mailed to you) or the second copy from your completed paper pledge form. These documents satisfy the IRS requirement.

If you would also like to have a tax letter from the SECC, you must request one before April 15, 2009, and we will mail it to you.

Do charities get any percentage of undesignated dollars? Who decides the distribution of undesignated dollars?

There are no undesignated dollars in the SECC. Under the SECC's rules, all contributions must be directed to a charity of the employee's choosing. Again, state employees can contribute to any not-for-profit organization that has a 501(c)(3) ruling from the United States Internal Revenue Service, but you must specify where you want your contribution to go. If you do not enter a valid SECC code number or write-in a charity's name and address, we will not be able to process your pledge, and we will notify your SECC coordinator to contact you.

If a charity has an allocation from SECC, do designated dollars increase the allocation?

The SECC is just a mechanism to give you access to the State's payroll deduction system. The SECC itself is not a charity. So, there is no SECC allocation, no admissions process, no undesignated funds. You tell us where you want your contribution to go and, as long as it is a charity with a 501(c)(3) ruling, they get your money, less the administrative fee, plus the interest income your money earned while it was banked.

If I made a payroll contribution to a charity last year and I want to keep it the same, do I have to do anything?

Under the rules of the SECC, payroll deduction contributions to charities are continuous until you make a change in writing. If you want your payroll deduction contribution to go to the same charity and there is no change in the amount, you don’t need to do anything. If you do make a new pledge and it is paid by payroll deduction, you will need to remove the prior year's designation(s) that you wish to change before you add a new or changed designation.

Will a cash (one-time) contribution stop a payroll deduction pledge? How do I stop a payroll deduction pledge?

The only way to stop a payroll deduction pledge is to complete State Form AS-47, available from your payroll representative. If you make a one-time contribution (cash, check, or credit card), it will not stop a previously made payroll pledge.

How many charities can I contribute to?

There is no limit.

Is there a minimum contribution amount?

Yes, under the rules developed by your co-workers, the minimum payroll deduction pledge is $1 per pay per charity. The minimum one-time contribution (cash, check, or credit card) is $5 per charity. However, we recommend that you consider making a payroll contribution equal to one-half hour’s pay per check. State employees that contribute a half-hour’s pay per check are Champions.

What is The Torchbearer Society?

We call our leadership giving recognition program The Torchbearer Society. Membership in The Torchbearer Society is open to those individuals who have the commitment to make a leadership contribution of $1,000 or more through the State Employees' Community Campaign.

In 2007, 161 state employees made such a generous commitment. If you would like to join them, simply make a contribution of $1,000 or more through the SECC.