FAQs

• Engage Centre County PA (ENGAGE) incentivizes volunteers (herein referred to as the Host and Host Helpers) to earn approved community service and/or volunteer hours by planning and carrying out fun gatherings (FUN-raiser Donation Drives) designed to collect low-cost donated goods (such as paper towels, bags of cat food or dog food, cleaning supplies, snacks, etc.) requested by Centre County PA charities who are also Volunteer Centre County Community Partners (herein referred to as the Beneficiaries).

There are two reasons ENGAGE was created – for the Beneficiaries, and for the Host and Host Helpers.

FOR THE BENEFICIARIES

• ENGAGE makes FUN-raiser Donations Drives for Beneficiaries effortless and risk-free! This is because ENGAGE allows local charities to benefit from FUN-raiser Donation Drives without having to host them themselves.
  • Beneficiaries may not have the resources needed to carry out a donation drive (such as an advertising budget, connections in the community, access to facilities, the number of volunteers needed with expertise and time available to help, insurance coverage, or motivation given they are busily focusing on serving those who need their services most).
  • Beneficiaries who host events often have constraints such as pressures to invite certain donors, reputation and image to uphold which may limit what they may do or how they do things, as well as return on investment (that is, the donation drive must result in bringing in value over and above a certain multiplier of the event’s cost).
  • Beneficiaries may not have access to an audience that would readily support a donation drive, as their range of contacts may be limited in the community.
• ENGAGE takes the pressure off of the Beneficiary. The Beneficiary simply sits back and benefits from the FUN-raiser Donation Drive because ENGAGE takes on the insurance cost, contracting with the volunteer Host and Host Helpers, and making sure that the Beneficiaries wishes are honored (e.g., in terms of media styles and logos used, permissions and approvals of photos shared, and any other criteria that the Beneficiary chooses). ENGAGE’s reputation is at stake with FUN-raiser Donation Drives, not the Beneficiary’s reputation.
• A Host may not work with ENGAGE to carry out a FUN-raiser Donation Drive if he/she/they represent, work for, or have a long-term relationship with the Beneficiary. That is, Volunteer Centre County Community Partners cannot use ENGAGE’s time, contracts, insurance, and/or other resources to host their own donation drive.

FOR THE HOST AND HOST HELPERS

• Many volunteers want approved volunteer service hours that allow them to use their autonomy (within reason), creativity, planning skills, organizing skills, leadership skills, managerial and administrative skills, communications skills, and friendships while doing good for others. ENGAGE offers just this.
• There are many valuable executive skills that implementing FUN-raiser Donation Drives offers to a Host and to the Host Helpers. Demonstrating skills through valuable experiences while helping others can be a very powerful line on a vitae or resume, especially when self-initiated. It feels good to volunteer in ways that motivate one to utilize his/her/their best strengths while growing and developing new skills in a way that also helps others; a true “win-win.”
• Many volunteers may not have the financial capacity to donate money to a Beneficiary but they can donate items like supplies, useful goods, and sundries that can make a huge difference to a Beneficiary especially if collected from a group of people!
  • Simply donating goods does not result in approved volunteer service hours, but planning and carrying out a special event to collect donated goods for a charity in good standing does result in approved volunteer service hours.
• Many volunteers prefer to work in groups of their choosing (e.g., with their friends) while volunteering for one-time special events versus taking on a long-term, continuously scheduled commitment to volunteer regularly.
• A FUN-raiser Donation Drive under ENGAGE offers just this, and ENGAGE is a free community service. ENGAGE provides mentoring and training from its volunteers on an as-needed basis to the Host and Host Helpers when a Beneficiary is selected to receive donated goods from an approved FUN-raiser.
• ENGAGE is an IRC 501(c (3) charity in good standing that can approve Host and Host Helper volunteer hours as needed for service requirements in sororities, fraternities, and for other membership-based groups. ENGAGE does not reimburse for expenses incurred by a Host or Host Helpers in carrying out a FUN-raiser Donation Drive, but can offer a letter certifying tax-deductibility for approved expenses incurred for the event.
• ENGAGE does NOT support FUNDraisers (events that collect monetary contributions as donations).

• ENGAGE works solely with Volunteer Centre County. Go to https://volunteercentrecounty.org/donations-needed and identify a charity + donation request that you’d like to support. This recipient of your FUN-raiser Donation Drive will be referred to herein as the Beneficiary.
• Complete the information required and sign the agreements needed for ENGAGE to provide insurance to cover your event.
• Host your event and deliver the donated items you have collected to the Beneficiary.
• Record the Host and Host Helpers’ efforts and submit this information to Engage Centre County PA to receive approved volunteer hours. Only the Host and Host Helpers may receive approved volunteer hours for the FUN-raiser Donation Drive.

• Host: The individual Responsible for the FUN-raising Donation Drive.
• Host Helpers: The individuals approved by the Host to help plan, organize, and carry out the FUN-raiser Donation Drive.
  • Only the Host and Host Helpers are able to obtain approved volunteer service hours for hosting the FUN-raiser Donation Drive and/or tax-deductibility letters for approved purchases related to hosting this event.
• Beneficiary: The Volunteer Centre County Community Partner (IRC 501(c)(3) charity) selected to benefit from the donations gathered at the FUN-raiser. The donations gathered must be listed as a “need” on the Volunteer Centre County website for selection.
• ENGAGE: Engage Centre County PA is the IRS 501(c)(3) charity with which each FUN-raiser Donation Drive is carried out, but who does not benefit from the donated goods collected.

• ENGAGE works directly with Volunteer Centre County.
  • WWW.VolunteerCentreCounty.Org is a website where Community Partners (e.g., Centre County, PA nonprofits that have been approved) post their requests for volunteers’ expertise and/or needs for donated goods. People interested in volunteering and/or donating goods to Volunteer Centre County’s Community Partners can go to the Volunteer Centre County website and search for ways to serve and give. There is no charge for Community Partners, or others, to use this website. This website is maintained only by donations. Volunteer Centre County is a 501c(3) organization offering a free community service to Centre County, PA. Community Partners who post needs for donated goods to the Volunteer Centre County website are eligible to participate in ENGAGE’s Fun-raisers.
• The Community Partner that is chosen to benefit from the FUN-raiser Donation Drive is called the Beneficiary herein. ENGAGE works with this Beneficary to make sure its wish list for donations, its branding and marketing requirements and any other of its preferences (e.g., the need to pre-approve images/photos before being publicly posted) are satisfied.
• ENGAGE works with all individuals willing to become Hosts and all individuals willing to become Host Helpers. All members of a group or organization can become Host Helpers under a Host if so desired.

• Right now, ENGAGE is a free community service.

• ENGAGE volunteers are available on an as-needed basis.

• ENGAGE is virtual.
• ENGAGE maintains a post office box in Port Matilda.
  P.O. Box 92, Port Matilda, PA 16870.

TELL ME MORE ABOUT ENGAGE.

• ENGAGE is funded through Sedum, Inc. // DBA Volunteer Centre County, and DBA Engage Centre County PA (…Building connections to serve the needs of volunteers and nonprofits in Centre County.)
  (814) 308-5052
  P. O. Box 92
  Port Matilda, PA 16870
  http://www.volunteercentrecounty.org
  • Sedum, Inc. is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Sedum, Inc.’s tax ID number is 26-0520663. The official registration and financial information of Sedum, Inc. may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.