United Way

[Texsox]

I've been making presentations for them, encouraging donations via payroll donations. Someone asked how I could stand up four or five times a day and ask people for money. The looks on peoples faces when they see all the groups they are helping with their donations is priceless.

 

This morning a Department head at the school I was visiting stood up and shared how several UW agencies helped her twenty years ago when she fled a domestic abuse situation. From emergency shelter, to food and clothing, UW agencies were there for her. All I had to do after that was tell them how to fill out the form.

[kapkomet]

I have a real issue with UW. Yes, they do good, but they also have quite a few "administration" positions and I'll just leave it at that.

 

[southsider2k5]

Speaking as the voice of experience, if you donate to the United Way with no real purpose in mind, but to help out... you are fine. If you donate to the United Way with a specific organization in mind (YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Red Cross etc) you are much better off calling your local branch of that specific organization up and arranging for a direct donation to them. There are red-tape issues, but all in all, they serve a very valuable purpose.

[kapkomet]

Speaking as the voice of experience, if you donate to the United Way with no real purpose in mind, but to help out... you are fine. If you donate to the United Way with a specific organization in mind (YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Red Cross etc) you are much better off calling your local branch of that specific organization up and arranging for a direct donation to them. There are red-tape issues, but all in all, they serve a very valuable purpose.

Maybe it's locally then.

 

[southsider2k5]

Maybe it's locally then.

 

It could be. I have had good luck dealing with them on an institutional basis through my YMCA work. Anytime you add a layer to anything, you are going to add cost, but they run pretty lean here at least. I don't know how they look in other places or nationally though, as I have only dealt with our county organization.

[Texsox]

From what I have seen, y'all are correct. Which is both a problem and a cure. Each local United Way is fairly autonomous and run by a volunteer board. Some of the volunteer boards are really hung up on accountability and direct service by UW, they tend to have larger staffs. Others push more back on the organizations to self police, those have fewer admin staff. I guess both have their place, I would guess Kap and I have about the same feeling on that. Fewer direct staff and more money to the charities themselves, perhaps at the expense of some oversight. BTW, most UW admin staff has a personal fund raising goal, in essense they raise their own salary.

 

As far as the direct check off, you are right, you are probably better off donating directly. The way the check off works is it guarantees a certain amount will be donated to that agency, it is not in addition to. So if, for example, Comfort House was budgeted to receive $25,000 in UW funding and you pledge $500 and check off Comfort House, they will not necessarily receive $25,500. But they will receive a guarantee of $500. If enough people check off it makes a difference, but for the most part, the groups were already going to receive more than your check off. The check offs do help in deciding who gets funded, it is a popular vote when applied.