I was once the lone holdout from a department’s 100% UW participation goal. When a company VP plunks down and starts talking about how important it is for everyone to help out, you figure the $1/week protection money is cheap job insurance.
I refuse to be coerced into donating to anything. Of course, at the time I worked for that firm I mentioned, jobs were plentiful and I could have gone elsewhere.
I only gave to the United Way through my job when I was assured that my selected charity would get the money. I got a letter from that group, on their letterhead, thanking me for the donation, in the amount I intended. That’s the ONLY way I’d ever give to UW.