United way? (Charlotte, King: insurance, university, calculated)

[anifani821]

Well, since I am in marketing and communications, back in the day when I was running marketing departments, we were responsible for coming up w/ the promotions to entice (read that: coerce) employees to ante up for United Way. I felt their administrative costs were too high even in the 80s and early 90s . . . and so I felt like a hypocrite coming up w/ various campaigns to promote contributing to UW. Furthermore, I had to participate in the kickoff campaigns and actually stand there in front of hundreds of employees and espouse (and try to sell) the whole deal. There was always so much hoopla . . . and I would look out at all those people who I knew were just like me . . . and would prefer writing out their checks to organizations they really wanted to help . . . and wow . . . made me feel terrible.

DH and I have several charities we support and I much prefer writing out my checks to those organizations. I decided who to support based on how much of the collected money goes to administrative costs. UW's track record on Admin. costs SUX!!!!!!!! And now we know WHY!!!!!!!!

[anifani821]

In case anyone is interested, here is a site that rates charity organizations - plus gives all sorts of other interesting info:

Charity Navigator - America's Largest Charity Evaluator | Home

[NCyank]

To answer the original question....it isn't at acceptable.

DH has been the lone employee to refuse to donate to UW at his current workplace and previously as well. There is a lot of pressure but after several years of not hitting 100% participation they are all getting used to the idea. LOL

He also has a nasty habit of bringing up other nuisance issues, like why does HR push the premium health insurance plan when in any scenario people come out ahead with the less expensive basic plan. I wonder if there is a reason HR has not been able to find him a parking place closer to the building??

Anyway, the UW drives are all political and once one person decides not to play the game it releases the pressure on others. We do donate to charitable organizations, usually local groups who's leaders aren't living the high life off the donations.

[SunnyKayak]

2006 Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplemental Schedule

I could not find one for 2007.
I dont think I have ever donated to big charities and not even Idols Gives Back due to I know there sky high administrative costs.

Look at certain Senator way of life during the time she was the President of the Red Cross.

It late so I am kinda tired to look up the organizations that the United Way helps but I know one of them is the Boys Scout of America. If you see the symbol by any worth organization like the Boys Scouts give directly to them especially troops in your community so they can put it to use directly.

Big name charitable organizations are great because of the name recognition but it not the best way to have your dollar spent in the way you hoped.

[Kari Strong]

I am so glad this news broke out. It is completely unacceptable. I know of some other non-profits that have been working on a "choice campaign" to give employees the option of who they donate to. Hopefully this news will encourage companies to allow their employees options other than UW.

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by SunnyKayak

2006 Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplemental Schedule

I could not find one for 2007.
I dont think I have ever donated to big charities and not even Idols Gives Back due to I know there sky high administrative costs.

Look at certain Senator way of life during the time she was the President of the Red Cross.

It late so I am kinda tired to look up the organizations that the United Way helps but I know one of them is the Boys Scout of America. If you see the symbol by any worth organization like the Boys Scouts give directly to them especially troops in your community so they can put it to use directly.

Big name charitable organizations are great because of the name recognition but it not the best way to have your dollar spent in the way you hoped.

Some Executive Directors of big organizations have private wealth and do not even take a salary, or only take $1.

I thought Elizabeth Dole did not take a salary when she was at Red Cross but I am not sure. I do know others who have not taken a salary b/c they already had personal wealth.

I think the head of the Red Cross does not make a salary anything like $1.2 but I will check. It makes a point to compare a local chapter of UW w/ a national organization that big! I am curious now to know!!!!

[anifani821]

Here is info on Red Cross. Turns out the CEO makes less than our UW CEO here, LOL. However, the salary still seems outrageous for Red Cross. I think $500,000 would be tops for that job.

About.com: http://charityreports.give.org/Public/Report.aspx?CharityID=679

[anifani821]

My research shows that Elizabeth Dole did not even accept a salary her first year as CEO of the Red Cross. At the time, I find she was later making around $200,000, wh/ is less than the CEOs of either Presbyterian or CMC hospitals were making during those years. So her salary was actually quite in line w/ other execs at not-for-profits, and would be lower than most handling a budget of that magnitude.



"Elizabeth Dole left President Bush’s Cabinet in 1991 to become only the second woman since founder Clara Barton to serve as President of the American Red Cross, an organization larger than many of the Fortune 500. To demonstrate her appreciation for volunteers, the heart and soul of the American Red Cross, Elizabeth Dole volunteered her first year at the Red Cross, accepting no salary. During her tenure, 91 cents of every dollar spent went to programs and services."

from: Elizabeth Dole - U.S. Senator for North Carolina

[Whytewulf]

I think it is reprehensable!

I stopped donating to United Way a long time ago because of other practices. This now makes me just want share so others stop. In Fact I am going to say something to our companies leadership. And we contribute a lot.

I also don't like pressure from companies for any "volunteer" activity. Our company supposidley has a system in place to donate or choose not to donate, that doesn't record what action you've taken only that you did something.

They act like they are a business selling something. They are a charity they live off people's donations. So we collected $43MM and she got $1.2, that meands 2% of what we contributed went to her alone. Thats insane. This story is going to cost the United Way. They also compare other Presidents. Thats crazy that any of them make over $200K. When you work or a charity it is not a profit business where you sell goods and people have options. I feel dirty for every donating anything to them.

[Metallisteve]

I'd be interested to hear what other people's place of employment does during United Way time.

Mine asks for a volunteer from each division (a division has about 50-80 people), sometimes two to five people. These folks spend numerous hours posting posters around the building, holding meetings, attending meetings, getting people to join in...there's even a line item on our timesheet that you can bill to for United Way activities. On an individual level, we all get a pre-printed form with our "fair share" donation already calculated based on a percentage of our salary. You can elect to give the fair share, an amount of your specifying, or nothing at all. They demand that even if you don't give anything, you have to write down "0" and sign it and turn it back in. This all happens in a one hour devoted "staff meeting."

On a hear-say level, my neighbor tells me that your giving is even on your year-end review at his company.

What a bunch of crap.