Fewer donors, more choices put squeeze on agency: United Way struggles with identity

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel ^ | 8/31/03 | BRUCE MURPHY

[SandRat]

But by the 1970s, critics began charging that United Way was a closed club that would not admit newer and emerging charities. Ultimately, these groups began organizing to gain access to workplaces that were open only to United Way.

Make that ultra PC alternative life-style organizations that revulsed the base.

Through lawsuits and community pressure, such consortia gradually gained access to public workplaces from which they were barred, giving federal, state and local employees wider donor choice. By the late 1980s, local United Ways began allowing these alternative charities into the private-sector workplace, extending donor choice to those employees.

Make that; The ultra PC and alternative lifestylers believe that they can force their way-in, imposing their thoughts, and morals (if you can call them morals) onto the community by terrorizing the citizens with "Barastry" law-suits that seem not to be recognized as "Barastry" by the crop of far left sympathetic judges that have been selected or appointed by the DemoRATS and their socialist/communist fellow-travelers (ACLU).

What has begun to emerge is a class system, where a community's elite are most loyal to United Way. This is an alarming trend for United Way, because there are far more lower- and middle-class givers to charity, and they tend to give a much higher percentage of their income to charity than wealthy givers. Over the long haul, United Way cannot survive if it loses their loyalty.

No kidding!

The "Fly-over states don't like the pompas liberals looking down their praetorian noses at the rest of the country thinking that they are the true enlightened "Nobility" and must lead the we lowly serfs.

Having said all that, I give directly to whom I chose, how much I chose and when I chose.

Yes the BSOA is one of my benifactors but so is the Salvation Army.

As a retired veteran I've seen or expieranced far too many foul ups from the Red Cross and would prefer that the SA replace the RC on all military installations.

[montag813]

BANKRUPT THE UNITED WAY, DON'T GIVE A DIME TO THIS STOOGE FOR THE SODOMISTS!

[Let's Roll]

"Stupid People, they should be encouraging more donor choice. Yes, they know better where to spend my money than I do."

Ditto. Their only reason to exist was as a conduit to several charities - the donor only had to write one check, but now that they insist on picking the charity and the charity is almost always liberal, I see no reason for conservative donors to deal with them at all.

[dandelion]

Salvation Army is also on my list of preffered charities...

[BenLurkin]

Exactly. The United Way can take a long walk off a short pier, IMO.

[Mears]

Boy,you just told my story.

I stopped giving in the early eighties when we had our annual United Way drive at work and I realized how top-heavy the organization was and decided to give my money directly to one of the United Way charities,a local Boy's Club, rather than filter it through them and have them take their cut.

My managers were horrified because they wanted 100% participation and they even asked if I would give a nickel a week through payroll deduction. I refused of course.

A few years later the big financial scandal about United Way hit the presses and I had the last laugh.

[suzyq5558]

every thing you've just described is so very very true!! this is exactly what happens every year.

[pepperdog]

Wasn't it revealed several years ago that the top executive in UA lived a very lavish lifestyle, which was possible due to his very lavish salary from UA? I believe he subsequently retired.

I haven't given in years, thankfully I was able to retire early from the DOD and end the forced contributions that I had endured for years. UA is odious, but the government is even more odious for surreptitiously supporting them by forcing government employees to contribute.

[friendly]

United Way has been chronically plagued by ultraluxurious lifestyles of its managers.

[OrioleFan]

In Cleveland, so much money was falling into the donor choice category that in 1998, United Way's worried leaders decided the agency would pocket any donor designation of less than $100 and require that half of any larger designation must go to the unrestricted United Way pot.

It was shenanigans such as this that made me cut the United Way strings 12 years ago. I ambush their representative to my company every year when he comes to make his presentation and answer questions. My favorite question is "How much does UW collect in Greene County and how much actually makes its way back into Greene County charitable organizations?" The last "honest" answer I got was that UW collects over $2,000,000 and pays out about $700,000.

As it turns out the UW office in Montgomery County (City of Dayton, OH) runs the show for the surrounding counties. It sucks up the funds for its pet programs in Dayton. The UW rep tried to say if I take my kids to Children's hospital, I get a return on my contribution. I told him that when Childrens sees that I have insurance they jack up the rates so there is no benefit and my insurance rates go up.

Targeted contributions are a joke unless enough people do it so that the organization receiving the funds gets more that what the UW budgets for it. Here's how it works. The UW budgets a set amount for each organization they support. If you make a targeted contribution, the organization gets cut by the same amount so that they end up getting the same overall amount. The kicker is that the organization has to spend the time and money to send you a "Thank You", so your targeted contributions actually means the organization gets less money. You should have seen the UW rep choke when he had to confirm to my fellow employees that was the way the targeted contributions worked.

The UW has been trying to destroy the Boy Scouts for years. What has gone unreported is that they have destroyed the YMCA Indian Guides programs. The YMCA of the USA family programs director, Barb Taylor, says that they were getting numerous complaints form Native American groups, but that was an admitted lie. The truth came out when her boss said, "the Indian Theme has become a fundraising liability." Translation: the United Way. This is a program that recently celebrated it's 76th year and the YMCA is ending it this month.

Contribute directly to the organization of your choice - don't toss your contributions down the United Way sinkhole because it's easy. Better yet keep the funds and volunteer your time.

[Theodore R.]

One who does not give much to charity is popular CA Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante. He gave $105 either in 2002 or 2001 on an income of $117,000.

One year, the pious Al Gore, Jr., gave virtually nothing to charity as well.

Some liberals say if they don't give money, they are nevertheless giving their "time" to worthy pursuits.

And quite a few Americans buy that explanation.

[zip]

This year, it will retain any gift of less than $50, rather than sending the money to the agency designated by the donor.

Is that legal?

I quit giving to UW when their official policy became "Deny funding to any group that believes in good moral values, God and family". As long as you want to kill babies, praise homosexuals, pedophiles, UW is ready to fund your group to the max. I wonder why that wasn't brought up as a possible cause of dropoff in giving.

[zip]

The United Way will not filter contributions to the various Right to Life groups. Few conservative groups are included under the banner of UW.

Some UW organizations have also expelled the Boy Scouts, but not the more liberal Girl Scouts, from their lists

Bang! You nailed it.

[LetsBeHonest]

Looks like Freepers have United Way figured out. Good! Give them nothing. Don't let your employer pressure you with 100% campaign goals. Know where your money is going. Even some of the organizations involved in major disease related matters who seem respectable on the surface can't be trusted to spend your money in morally acceptable ways. Check first whether they respect all human life or think its ok to kill unborn babies so they can use the parts for research.

[zip]

I was very active in the Boy Scouts and had two sons that were members and the contempt the United Way spewed inre BSA turned me off totally. The are a means to fund liberal, anti God groups and deliberately show their hatred of all things conservative. </rant off

[zip]

I was very active in the Boy Scouts and had two sons that were members and the contempt the United Way spewed inre BSA turned me off totally. The are a means to fund liberal, anti God groups and deliberately show their hatred of all things conservative. </rant off

[zip]

I was very active in the Boy Scouts and had two sons that were members and the contempt the United Way spewed inre BSA turned me off totally. They are a means to fund liberal, anti God groups and deliberately show their hatred of all things conservative. </rant off

[SauronOfMordor]

There are a number of companies - I've worked at two - where donation to the UW is rewarded (of questionable legality, IMHO) by such things as luncheon cruises and after-hours parties.

With the company pressure to be "giving" to the UW being so intense in many places, it makes me wonder what the CEO gets out of the deal that makes so many of them turn UW into such a big deal. It could be just the PR of being such a good corporate citizen -- or is the reward more "concrete".

I would be interested in a very rigorous audit of where the UW money goes

[quebecois]

"Which charity was it that was taking donations for the 9-11 victims and using it for P.C. tolerance ads? Was it United Way? Geez I forgot about that: "lets all be love mates with the islamofascists" with money given for 9-11 victims. 90% sure it was United Gay."

I had almost blotted those idiotic commercials out of my consciousness. Each time they came on (and they targeted Fox News....probably figuring that that was the place where all of the presumed "haters" would congregate) I would scream at my TV set: "You blooming idiots! Why aren't you making commercials asking the freaking Muslims to tolerate everyone else and not drive airplanes into the sides of office buildings!!!"

No matter what happens, the answer is always "lets propagandize the evil white folks with some sensitivity training".

As for the United Way...they can go pound sand. Luckily, I'm in business for myself, so I don't have to worry about being leaned on by some corporate biggie.

[petitfour]

One who does not give much to charity is popular CA Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante. He gave $105 either in 2002 or 2001 on an income of $117,000. One year, the pious Al Gore, Jr., gave virtually nothing to charity as well. Some liberals say if they don't give money, they are nevertheless giving their "time" to worthy pursuits. ************************* I don't necessarily believe that folks who don't claim charitable donation tax exemptions do not give to charities. Some people believe that if they claim a tax deduction for charitable contributions, then they are not necessarily giving out of the goodness of their hearts. I forget the verse in the Bible about doing things in secret vs. doing things so others can/will see.