SEFA FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
- Who benefits from my SEFA contribution?
- What is SEFA's Overhead?
- Can I designate my contribution to a specific organization?
- What if I want to support a service that is outside the area covered by my local campaign?
- Doesn't SEFA duplicate services provided by governmental programs?
- Why should I give to SEFA instead of directly to a service provider?
Who benefits from my SEFA contribution?
People of all ages and backgrounds seeking a variety of health and human services are helped through SEFA. Hundreds of SEFA supported organizations and programs serve a diverse population throughout your region. Your contribution may even go beyond your immediate community, however, because SEFA lets you designate your gift to ANY county, or specific SEFA supported services.
What is SEFA's Overhead?
The overhead SEFA percentage is 11% which is set by the local SEFA Committee every year. Therefore, for every $1 contributed, $0.89 goes to your selected charity. (If you are designating outside the Chautauqua County region, that administration fee will be no more than 15% based on NYS regulations.) SEFA prides itself in keeping administrative costs to a minimum through the use of state employee volunteers and careful budgeting. For more information on your SEFA area's overhead costs, contact your local campaign headquarters.
Can I designate my contribution to a specific organization?
Absolutely! SEFA encourages participants to make their contribution a personal and meaningful decision. You may have your gift sent to one, two, three or more specific organizations - the choice is yours.
If you decide not to designate your gift to a specific charity, your contribution will be distributed in accordance with state regulations.
What if I want to support a service that is outside the area covered by my local campaign?
No problem! Many people work in one county, but live or want to support a program in an entirely different county. You may designate your gift to support any SEFA-supported organization. Your campaign coordinator has a directory of these organizations and can help you obtain their code number to use on your pledge card. This is much easier because of the statewide brochure and charity lookup tool.
Doesn't SEFA duplicate services provided by governmental programs?
Governmental programs add to services that voluntary organizations provide - they don't duplicate them. Much of government spending is for massive programs intended to eliminate conditions that cause people to live in poverty. Welfare and unemployment compensation are examples of government assistance. SEFA agencies provide many kinds of human care services, such as counseling, rehabilitation, disaster relief, youth services and preventive health services.
Why should I give to SEFA instead of directly to a service provider?
SEFA is the most efficient way to give. Your contribution helps fund a multitude of programs and services. With SEFA, you don't have to write multiple checks to multiple organizations throughout the year. You don't have to remember when to give or to whom.
- SEFA raises money for service providers at a far lower cost than if providers did this themselves.
- SEFA offers the advantage of payroll deduction which enables people to support charities more generously than they could in a one-time effort.
- SEFA offers the best way to help not only your favorite service provider, but your entire community.