Frequently Asked Questions about UCS

Donations and membership

1. Do I need to be a scientist to become a member?
2. I’m a sustaining member of Partners for the Earth. How do I update the credit card information for my monthly gift?
3. What is UCS’s tax identification number?
4. Are donations to UCS tax deductible?
5. Will I get a receipt for my donation for tax purposes?
6. Where can I find information about UCS financials?
7. Can I donate using PayPal?
8. How can I donate stock or other securities?
9. How can I donate from my IRA account?
10. How can I make a gift in honor or memory of someone?
11. I recently renewed my membership. Why did I just get a membership renewal notice?
12. I’m having difficulty making a donation online.
13. I prefer to mail my donation, rather than donate online. Where should I send the check?

Updating your information

1. I would like to update my mailing address or email address.
2. I'm getting too much paper mail. Can I receive email instead?

Questions, comments, or feedback on UCS's work

1. I would like to request a speaker for my event.
2. I’m a student doing research and I would like to interview UCS staff.
3. Will you consider working on a particular project or campaign?
4. Do you have information on a particular topic currently in the news?
5. I have feedback for you on a UCS program or publication.
6. I have a book, article, petition, or concept for UCS to review.

Taking action

1. I’m having difficulty taking action online (signing a petition, contacting a legislator, etc.).
2. How can I volunteer or get more involved with UCS’s work?

Donations and membership

1. Do I need to be a scientist to become a member?
   Not at all. UCS is supported by a range of people, from scientists to artists, teachers, and everyday people.

2. I’m a sustaining member of Partners for the Earth. How do I update the credit card information for my monthly gift?
   Please sign up with new card information through our Member Center, or call our toll-free Membership line at 1-800-666-8276 to update your information by phone, Mon-Fri, 9-5 EST.

3. What is UCS’s tax identification number?
   Our tax identification number is 04-2535767.

4. Are donations to UCS tax deductible?
   Yes. UCS is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Your gift is tax-deductible to the full extent provided by law.

5. Will I get a receipt for my donation for tax purposes?
   Yes. If you donated online, you will receive an online acknowledgement. All other donations are acknowledged through the mail. If you did not receive an acknowledgment and need a copy, please send your request to [email protected] or call our Member Line at 1-800-666-8276, Mon-Fri, 9-5 EST.

6. Where can I find information about UCS financials?
   For information, please visit the UCS funding and financials page.

7. Can I donate using PayPal?
   Yes. Go to the donation page on our web site and click on the PayPal option under "payment method."

8. How can I donate stock or other securities?
   For instructions on how to make gifts of stocks or other securities to UCS, please visit www.ucsusa.org/stockgifts.

9. How can I donate from my IRA account?
   For instructions on how to make an IRA Charitable Rollover Gift to UCS, please refer to our Gifts from your IRA page.

10. How can I make a gift in honor or memory of someone?
    To make an honor gift, please visit www.ucsusa.org/honor. To make a memorial gift, please visit www.ucsusa.org/memorial.  To give someone a gift membership to UCS, please visit www.ucsusa.org/giftmembership.
    
    For assistance, please call our Member Line at 1-800-666-8276, Mon-Fri, 9-5 EST.

11. I recently renewed my membership. Why did I just get a membership renewal notice?
    Thank you for your support of UCS. If you received a reminder in the mail after you’ve already renewed, it probably crossed in the mail with your gift. All UCS memberships are annual in nature, beginning on January 1 and expiring on December 31 of each year. Thus, if you give close to year-end, you may receive a renewal notice well before the one-year anniversary of your gift. If you prefer to receive no more than two renewal reminders annually, please send your request to [email protected] and we will mark our records accordingly.
    
    For assistance, please call our Member Line at 1-800-666-8276, Mon-Fri, 9-5 EST.

12. I’m having difficulty making a donation online.
    That’s not good for either of us!  We’re sorry that you’re having difficulty. Please let us know what the problem is you’re experiencing, what the URL is of the web page you were on when you experienced the trouble, and what internet browser you are using and we’ll forward your inquiry to our web team for immediate investigation. In the meantime, please feel free to call our Member Line at (800) 666-8276, Mon-Fri, 9-5 EST, for assistance or to make your donation by telephone.

13. I prefer to mail my donation, rather than donate online. Where should I send the check?
    Thank you for your support of UCS. Please send your check, made out to “Union of Concerned Scientists,” to the following address:

Union of Concerned Scientists
Two Brattle Square
Cambridge, MA 02138-3780

Updating your information

1. I would like to update my mailing address or email address.
   Please send your changes to [email protected] and we will be happy to update your record. Please give us both your old and new addresses. Keep in mind that it may take 6-8 weeks for the change to take effect for “snail mail” that may already be in production. Email address changes will take place as soon as we update our records.

2. I’m getting too much paper mail. Can I receive email instead?
   Yes. Please send your request to [email protected] and we will be happy to update your record to “email only.” Please include both your mailing address and your email address. Keep in mind that it may take 6-8 weeks for the change to take effect and catch up with any “snail mail” that may already be in production.

Questions, comments, or feedback on UCS's work

1. I would like to request a speaker for my event.
   Thank you for your interest. To make a speaker request, please fill out the speaker request form.

2. I’m a student doing research and I would like to interview UCS staff.
   We appreciate your interest in UCS. Student inquiries will be forwarded to the appropriate UCS staff for review and they will be in touch if staff capacity allows. In the meantime, we offer many resources on our website including up-to-date information on our programs, reports, and analysis.

3. Will you consider working on a particular project or campaign?
   UCS works to create innovative, practical solutions for cleaner air, energy, and transportation, to ensure food is produced in a safe and sustainable manner, and to build a future free from the threats of global warming and nuclear war. As a non-profit organization with limited staff capacity and a full and ambitious agenda, UCS may not have the resources available to work on additional campaigns. Campaign inquiries will be forwarded to the appropriate UCS staff for review and they will be in touch if staff capacity allows.

4. Do you have information on a particular topic currently in the news?
   For detailed information on the programs on which UCS works directly, including links to UCS reports and publications, please visit www.ucsusa.org. If your topic is not referenced within our website, it means that this topic, while important, falls outside of the current focus of our programs and expertise and we unfortunately do not have publications or information available on it.

5. I have feedback for you on a UCS program or publication.
   Thank you! We appreciate the involvement and thoughtful feedback of our members. Your comments will be forwarded to the appropriate department. While we do review all inquiries, please note that we may be unable to respond to you personally.

6. I have a book, article, petition, or concept for UCS to review.
   We appreciate your interest in UCS. However, as a modestly-sized non-profit organization with limited staff capacity, UCS is unable to review unsolicited materials or to provide assistance with the research, development, or marketing of new ideas.

Taking action

1. I’m having difficulty taking action online (signing a petition, contacting a legislator, etc.).
   Once again – that’s not good for either of us! We’re sorry that you’re having difficulty. Please let us know what the problem is you’re experiencing, what the URL is of the web page you were on when you experienced the trouble, and what internet browser you are using and we’ll forward your inquiry to our web team for immediate investigation.

2. How can I volunteer or get more involved with UCS’s work?
   We appreciate your commitment to UCS. Although we don't have many activities that regularly require the participation of volunteers, we do have an Action Network and a Science Network. To stay informed of online and in-person events and timely action opportunities, please visit our Action Center. If you are a scientist, engineer, health professional, or economist, you may also wish to consider signing up as a member of our Science Network.