United Way

Do you donate to the United Way?

  • Yes

    Votes: 4 30.8%

  • No

    Votes: 9 69.2%
  • Total voters
    13
  • Poll closed .
14Red

14Red

Well-known member
My company does a United Way voluntary contribution, payroll deducted. I've loyally done this over the years, there is no pressure from the company I work for, just thought it was a good idea.
But recently, I'm just tired of constantly donating. I mean, we have so many donation opportunities these days, it's like a third of our money goes to the "needy". If you have active kids in school, it seems like every other week there is a fundraising effort of some kind, we give at church, we give to tons of organizations in our communities.
It's not like I won't donate the couple hundred dollars, I guess I just see other places where I'd like to donate.

Any thoughts out there from the Yappi population?
 
 
I don’t donate to places. I just give straight to the person. Usually give to the grandma that’s raising the grandkids because the parents are drug addicts
 
Donate to causes that support what I believe in. United Way supports several organizations that I believe in.
 
i can remember working for a company many years ago that did the payroll deduction for United Way. I worked in management for them and they gave out forms to fill out for how much a week you would like to have taken out of your check. I told them I would like to give a flat amount and not have it taken our each week. Was told that was not how it worked. So i put down how much I wanted taken out and they came back and honestly told be to try again it was not enough. I asked how much was the lowest they wanted and that is what I gave for two pay checks and then I went up and stop it. That was the last time I gave to United Way and I know it was not their fault, but it sure soured me.
 
Worked for a big Cbus company when I was in college. The department I was in had low United Way enrollment so the head of HR sent letters to each of us. He basically threatened us without putting it directly on paper. I was the only one in the department to not give. I have never given to United Way. Like AL said it wasn't UW's fault but it left such a bad taste in my mouth that I do a lot of research before gifting to any charity.
 
Got an inside look, while on the board of a local charity. eh.... The smaller, less skilled ones usually involve a director/ "fund raiser" who spends much of their time fund raising to meet their own salary. It's to their benefit to join organizations better equipped to fund raise, such as UW, so that the Director can focus on directing.


I tend to avoid "market fund" type organizations as it's kind of semantic whether or not money you donate through them actually goes to the charity of choice and whether or not money you donate directly to the member charity is discounted off their "shares." Plus UW has had more than one scandal.

Like several others who have posted, I prefer to research. There are organizations which rate charities. If local, I generally only donate to those I've actually volunteered for and have a REAL GOOD understanding of who is running it. If not local, it would be an organization with which I was involved, is well monitored and I still trust.
 
19AL63 said:
i can remember working for a company many years ago that did the payroll deduction for United Way. I worked in management for them and they gave out forms to fill out for how much a week you would like to have taken out of your check. I told them I would like to give a flat amount and not have it taken our each week. Was told that was not how it worked. So i put down how much I wanted taken out and they came back and honestly told be to try again it was not enough. I asked how much was the lowest they wanted and that is what I gave for two pay checks and then I went up and stop it. That was the last time I gave to United Way and I know it was not their fault, but it sure soured me.
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Wow - was it a status thing with your company to be able to say everyone "voluntarily" gave at a certain level? I'd be furious if that happened to me. The last ten years at work I only made a one-time donation of $2 each year, just so my unit could show "100% participation". And they took that, and gave me a receipt each time.

Got a funny look a few times when I did that, but I told them I did my giving at church and directly to groups of my choosing when I saw fit to do so. Nobody ever told me I couldn't do it.
 
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19AL63 said:
i can remember working for a company many years ago that did the payroll deduction for United Way. I worked in management for them and they gave out forms to fill out for how much a week you would like to have taken out of your check. I told them I would like to give a flat amount and not have it taken our each week. Was told that was not how it worked. So i put down how much I wanted taken out and they came back and honestly told be to try again it was not enough. I asked how much was the lowest they wanted and that is what I gave for two pay checks and then I went up and stop it. That was the last time I gave to United Way and I know it was not their fault, but it sure soured me.
Click to expand...

I know our local agency allows people to give just about any way they want, payroll deduction is convenient for some, some like a flat amount, credit card, pretty much whatever. Pretty bold of your company to tell you how much you had to give, but I've heard of that before. Many company's use their United Way sponsorship as a PR move for the company. As you said though, probably not a good way to build a good feeling about it.
 
Zunardo said:
Wow - was it a status thing with your company to be able to say everyone "voluntarily" gave at a certain level? I'd be furious if that happened to me. The last ten years at work I only made a one-time donation of $2 each year, just so my unit could show "100% participation". And they took that, and gave me a receipt each time.

Got a funny look a few times when I did that, but I told them I did my giving at church and directly to groups of my choosing when I saw fit to do so. Nobody ever told me I couldn't do it.
Click to expand...

Very much a status thing. UW gives out awards at the end of the year. In smaller communities they have a breakfast and all the businesses buy a table. All the "movers and shakers" attend. My former company would give our Market Director grief if he didn't have 100% participation and the donations didn't exceed the previous year.
 
Like alot of large donation collection processes, the money doesn't always go where we would like it to go. One reason UW is as popular as it is is because most people don't want to take the time or energy to research where their local donation dollars go, they figure it's quicker and easier this way.

Most UW's I believe allow donors to specify specific agencies to put their donation to.

Any company that requires or even insinuates a required donation is wrong, and it should not happen.
 
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