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Frequently Asked Questions

(1) WHEN DOES THE MARYLAND CHARITY CAMPAIGN (MCC) TAKE PLACE?

The 2023 MCC runs from October 2 to December 11, 2023.

 

(2) WHY SHOULD I CONTRIBUTE THROUGH THE MCC?

The MCC is a convenient, cost-efficient method to donate through the ease of payroll or pension deduction, credit or debit card, or electronic check! The MCC also:

  • Is accountable: All participating charities have been pre-screened by the Office of the Secretary of State to ensure that they are trustworthy and meet the requirements to participate.
  • Makes a difference: The community can see the tangible commitment of State employees and retirees and know that their altruism is making an impact across Maryland and beyond.
  • Creates an opportunity: State employees and retirees may contribute to charitable organizations in a uniform process through one annual campaign.
  • Gives donors the power: Donors choose the amount and the charity or charities to receive their gifts thus providing donors the opportunity to contribute to one that touches their hearts.
  • Is tax deductible: All funds given to charities through the MCC are tax deductible. Please check with your tax advisor for further information.
  • Is easy: Donors can choose how to give: through payroll or pension deduction, a one-time credit or debit card contribution, or a one-time gift by electronic check.

Read more reasons why you should give on this page.

 

(3) ARE PAYROLL DEDUCTION DONATIONS TAKEN FROM PAYCHECKS PRE- OR POST-TAX DEDUCTION?

All payroll deductions are done post-tax deduction, meaning that your taxes are taken out of your paycheck before your donation is deducted. In other words, your donations are deducted after your taxes are deducted.

 

(4) WHAT HAPPENS TO UNDESIGNATED CONTRIBUTIONS?

Undesignated contributions are distributed among MCC-participating charities based upon the percentage of the designated funds they receive. If a donor does not designate a charity to receive their donations, meaning a designation is not specified, those funds will be treated as undesignated. Charity write-ins are not permitted; every charity is pre-vetted.

 

(5) WHAT HAPPENS IF A CHARITY I WANT TO GIVE TO ISN’T LISTED?

The Office of the Secretary of State vets every participating charity to determine its eligibility to participate in the MCC. Only those charities listed have been approved to participate in the MCC. Charities that are not listed may not have applied or may not be eligible to participate. You may direct your favorite charity to question and answer #23 regarding applying in the future.

 

(6) HOW DOES A CHARITY BECOME PART OF THE MCC?

Each charity must apply annually and meet the criteria set forth in the Executive Order.

 

(7) IF I CHANGE JOBS WITHIN THE STATE GOVERNMENT, WILL MY PAYROLL DEDUCTION CONTINUE?

Yes. If you transfer, please contact America’s Charities at mcc@charities.org or call 571-458-1072.

 

(8) HOW MUCH MONEY DID THE MCC RAISE LAST YEAR?

In 2022, more than 5,900 Maryland employees and retirees raised close to $2 million – $1,992,748 to be exact – through the MCC for over 900 worthy causes.

 

(9) WHO ADMINISTERS THE MCC?

The Office of the Secretary of State administers the MCC.

 

(10) WHO PROCESSES MY DONATIONS?

America’s Charities, as the Operating Agency, processes all donations.

 

(11) WHAT IS THE MCC’S ADMINISTRATIVE FEE?

The administrative fee for the MCC’s Operating Agency is a flat amount established in the contract with the State. The fee is based on a percentage of the actual amount raised in the 2022 Campaign, but cannot exceed 11.48%, of the prior year’s dollars raised, in other words, it cannot exceed $228,767.

 

(12) DOES THE MCC SET A QUOTA ON CONTRIBUTIONS TO LARGER CHARITIES OR REDIRECT CONTRIBUTIONS TO SMALLER CHARITIES?

No. No quotas for contributions exist for charities of any size, large or small. All contributions designated to eligible charities go to those charities. Undesignated dollars are distributed among the charities based upon a percentage of the designated funds they receive.

 

(13) HOW DOES MY CHARITY RECEIVE ITS CONTRIBUTION?

After the Campaign ends, donations are distributed to charities quarterly either by check or bank transfer.

 

(14) WHAT TAX INFORMATION DO DONORS NEED TO KNOW?

Donors should consult their accountant or tax advisor to answer questions about tax benefits.

 

(15) HOW DO DONORS SIGN UP TO GIVE ONLINE?

Donors begin the donation process by visiting https://mcc.maryland.gov and clicking “Give Now.” Once donors land on the MCC online giving portal, simply click “Sign In” from the top right corner to be taken to the account sign-up page.

Retirees:

  • Please contact the help desk at 571-458-1072 for assistance in creating your account.

State employees:

  • If you have created credentials between the 2020 MCC and last year’s campaign, click here and enter the username and password you created earlier.
  • If you cannot find or forgot the credentials you previously created, visit http://impact.ac/mccforgotpw and click “Forgot Password.”
  • If you have not created an account since the 2020 Campaign, you first need to register. Click here to get started, then follow the prompts to enter your work email and create a unique username and password. Passwords have the following requirements:
    • Six (6) character minimum
    • At least one alphanumeric character (!*^)
    • At least one digit (0-9)
    • At least one uppercase letter (A-Z)

Then click “Sign Up.”

Note: Donors will receive an email from “accounts@stratuslive.com” with a link to verify their account. If they do not receive the email after a few minutes, they should check their spam folder. Once donors click on the link, they will be directed back to the online giving portal to make their donation.

Within the pages of the Giving Guide, donors will find comprehensive instructions on how to give by payroll deduction, credit card, debit card, or electronic check.

If you need assistance with creating or accessing your account, complete the form at https://impact.ac/loginhelpMCC to contact the MCC Help Desk and get an answer within 24 hours.

Please find the step-by-step online giving instructions within the pages of the Giving Guide available on the MCC homepage.

 

(16) WHAT SECURITY MEASURES ARE IN PLACE?

Protecting personal information is critical, and security is our top priority. In addition to complying with the State of Maryland’s rigorous security requirements, America’s Charities’ Simply Giving platform provides state-of-the-art security to prevent any data from being compromised and requires email verification. Each employee donor is required to create an account and verify his/her work email address.

 

(17) HOW CAN DONORS ACCESS THEIR PREVIOUS PLEDGE HISTORY?

Donors can access their 2022 MCC pledge/payment receipt on the giving portal:

  • Donors should begin the donation process by visiting https://mcc.maryland.gov and clicking “Give Now.”
  • Then click “Sign In” from the top right corner of the site and log in or create a new account, per the instructions listed in #15.
  • Once the donor is logged in, their work email address will display in the upper right corner of the screen.
  • Click “Pledge Now” to start the pledge process.
  • The donor has the option to start a new gift or renew their gift from the previous year’s Campaign. To renew, click “Renew a Gift from Last Year” to proceed. On the next screen, they will see a radio button that says “2022 Gift.” Click the radio button, and the site will show his/her 2022 history.

If any prior year donations are not available, it may be because they gave by paper pledge, or a one-time donation (i.e., credit card, debit card, or electronic check), which is not available in the giving portal. Only payroll deduction pledges are retained in and renewable through the giving portal. Alternatively, it may be because they gave to a charity that is not in the current Campaign. Donations to charities that are no longer eligible are not renewable. To obtain this information, please contact the MCC Help Desk by email: mcc@charities.org, phone: 571-458-1072, or Donor Support Services Portal: www.charities.org/support 

 

(18) WHAT HAPPENS TO DONORS’ GIFTS IF A CHARITY THEY PLEDGED TO CLOSES?

In the event that a charity closes, the donor will be contacted to determine if the pledge should be re-designated, canceled, or reassigned as undesignated. If the gift is reassigned as undesignated, it will be distributed proportionately to all of the charities that received contributions in the Campaign. See #4 for more details.

 

(19) HOW DO DONORS SEARCH FOR A CHARITY?

There are three ways to find a participating charity:

  • Click the Charity Search button on the MCC site: https://mcc.maryland.gov/. The donor can search for a charity by name, Employer Identification Number (EIN), zip code, or county.
  • The donor can log into their online giving account, which can be accessed by visiting https://mcc.maryland.gov and clicking “Give Now” (button is only accessible when campaign is active).
  • The Giving Guide, downloadable from the MCC website here, includes a Charity Directory with information on all of the charities that have been approved to participate in the MCC for the current Campaign year.

 

(20) HOW DO DONORS GIVE ONLINE?

Once donors are logged into the giving portal:

  • They should click “Pledge Now,” then donors will be asked to “Edit your profile.” Information entered here will be provided to the charity/charities that donors choose to support, so the charity/charities can acknowledge donors’ gifts. Donors should select “Continue” when finished updating their contact information.
  • A pop-up box will appear to select the preferred payment method.
  • Click “Add” to choose a payment method. Donors will see a screen prompting them to set up their gift payment frequency and amount based on the payment method selected.
  • Once donors finish entering their payment method preferences, they should click “Continue” to start the charity designation process.
  • To find charities to support, click the “Find a Charity” button.
  • A pop-up box will appear. Donors can use the search features to find a specific organization by charity name, city, state/territory, or EIN, or click through an alphabetical list.
  • Donors can select as many charities to support as they would like. As they find charities to support, they should click “” The chosen charities will appear highlighted in blue under “Selected Charities.”
  • Click the orange “Add to Designations” button. The organization(s) selected will now display on the list of designations.
  • Next, donors will have the opportunity to allocate the total pledge amount between the organizations added to the list of designations. To specify how much money to donate to each, donors can use the slider tool or enter the exact amount in the donation box next to the charity.
  • When finished allocating the donation between charities, click “Continue.”
  • Donors will have one final chance to review their gift and designations, and will be able to select whether the gifts remain anonymous or if they grant permission to have their contact information shared with the charity/charities they supported through this Campaign.
  • Click “Finish” to submit the pledge.

Step-by-step online giving instructions within the pages of the Giving Guide available on the MCC homepage.

 

(21) HOW DO DONORS MAKE CHANGES TO RETIREE PENSION DEDUCTIONS?

If the donor is a retiree and wishes to make changes to their pension deductions, they must contact mcc@charities.org to request their changes.

 

(22) HOW DO CHARITIES ACCESS PLEDGE REPORTS?

Charities should visit the MCC charity page, https://mcc.maryland.gov/charities/, for information about pledge reports.

 

(23) HOW DO CHARITIES PARTICIPATE IN FUTURE CAMPAIGNS?

Charities that wish to be notified when the next year’s Campaign application is available should complete the 2024 MCC Charity Application Request Form, which can be found on the MCC charity page

Applications to participate in the MCC are uploaded to the SOS website in December of each calendar year. The Office of the Secretary of State emails the criteria, instructions, and the application to every charity registered with the Office every December.

 

(24) MY QUESTION IS NOT LISTED. WHAT DO I DO NOW?

If you don’t see the answer to your question above, please contact the MCC Help Desk by email: mcc@charities.org, phone: 571-458-1072, or website: www.charities.org/support