QUALIFYING ORGANIZATIONS:
(1) Non-Profit Status: The organization must be registered as a 501(c)(3) entity with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This designation ensures that the organization operates for charitable, religious, educational, scientific, or literary purposes and is eligible to receive tax-deductible donations. (2) Mission Alignment: Charitable contributions should support causes that resonate with public benefit, whether they be in areas like (but not limited to) education, healthcare, environmental conservation or animal welfare. (3) Ethical Practices: Organizations should adhere to ethical practices in all areas of their operations. This includes fair labor practices, non-discriminatory policies, and responsible stewardship of funds. It's important to ensure that the organization respects the dignity and rights of all individuals and communities they work with, and operates with integrity and honesty. (4) Local Non-Profit: Organizations should be located in the NEPA area to align with the bank's footprint, generally limited to Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming Counties. (5) Community Support: While not a requirement, nominations can include organizations that benefit low to moderate income areas. These organizations focus on providing essential resources and services such as affordable housing, educational programs, healthcare, and community development initiatives.
ORGANIZATIONS THAT DO NOT QUALIFY:
(1) Illegal Activities and Organizations: Charitable donations must not support illegal activities or organizations involved in such actions. This includes any business or entity engaged in activities that are against the law, such as drug trafficking, money laundering, or any form of financial fraud. Donations to these types of organizations do not qualify for charitable giving contest. (2) Political Affiliations and Campaigns: Donations to political parties, candidates, or any political campaign do not qualify as charitable donations and therefore do not quality for this charitable giving contest. While supporting political activities can be a civic engagement, these contributions are considered political contributions and not charitable gifts. (3) For-Profit Entities: For-profit businesses or corporations do not qualify for this charitable giving contest. In order to be eligible for nomination, the organization must be registered as a 501(c)(3) entity with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). (4) Private Individuals or Businesses: Contributions to private individuals or businesses, even if intended for a good cause, do not meet the criteria for tax-deductible charitable donations and therefore do not qualify for this charitable giving contest.
CAMPAIGN DETAILS:
Community members are invited to actively participate and promote the initiative by showcasing the work of local organizations. Anyone can nominate a qualifying non-profit organization. From August through October, the bank will be contributing $500 contributions to organizations that have been nominated by members of our community. Winners will be chosen at random on a weekly basis. At the end of October, one organization will be chosen at random from all of the organizations that were nominated to win one $10,000 grand prize.