United Way

[TeamCasey]

I used to work for one the big accounting firm in their Cincinnati office, and the pressure there was pretty unbelievable. You could donate, but if you didn't donate your "fair share" according to your salary, you got a call from one of the partners. And if you're fresh out of undergrad trying to build a career, a call from a partner could be very "persuasive."

This is very similar to my company although the high pressure tactics aren't as bad as they used to be. We used to be called into a high level managers office to do our donations. My charitableness waned when the phrase "fair share" started. I use it as a time to remind me to donate to my own charity of choice, privately. I stopped doing it through the company.

[TeamCasey]

If I didn't know better, I'd think the United Way was run by the Mob.

: I think you're right!

[RedsBaron]

I have never given one dime to United Way, because of the reasons stated in this thread and similar stories that I have heard. I have given directly to a number of organizations that receive support from the United Way, but my contributions go directly to who I feel lead to support.
God has a right to give me expectations as to how I donate. Obviously God can say give it all, but the tithe was 10%. The IRS has the legal right to designate, in accordance with law, how much taxes I pay.
The United Way ain't God and it ain't the IRS.

[KittyDuran]

I have never given one dime to United Way, because of the reasons stated in this thread and similar stories that I have heard. I have given directly to a number of organizations that receive support from the United Way, but my contributions go directly to who I feel lead to support.
God has a right to give me expectations as to how I donate. Obviously God can say give it all, but the tithe was 10%. The IRS has the legal right to designate, in accordance with law, how much taxes I pay.
The United Way ain't God and it ain't the IRS.

IIRC RB, you can give directly to those organizations that are supported by United Way. It used to be that you could check on the donor card.

BTW, I worked at an organization (for over 17 years) that received funds from UW. The agency was a private not-for-profit that was always being confused with county and/or federal government. Getting major donations any other way was nearly impossible at the time except through UW. Eventually, the percentage that was allocated was less than 18% by the time I left. Now, that might seem like a lot but it wasn't - even tho' the "drive" meter kept on going up - the money just didn't stretch as well as it used to.

Also, and not to turn this into a peanut gallery thread, but UW in Butler County used to support Planned Parenthood. Every year around campaign time the agency I worked for would get calls... "Does _____________ give or make referrals for abortions?" IF you should have any hesitation in your answer (which was NO) there was a click and one year it had a near domino effect (some would call the other supported agency with the same questions) with accusatory emails being sent around major companies like GE and Fisher Body (GM). We were stressed to be curt with our answer of NO and then asked if they wanted to be referred to the agency's school for pregnant teens. A few years later IIRC the donation cards had where you could channel the money to a specific agency instead of a general fund.

As far as giving, it for me was a no-brainer. If UW didn't pony up the funds I wouldn't have a job - the funds also came in handy when grants and federal/county funds were cut which were an ongoing dilemna - the joys of working in social services! : This might be apples to oranges but for those in the private sector (which I am now) it is sort of like if you work for a major company that produces a certain product (cars, toothpaste, sodas)... if would make sense to buy that product so you could keep your job. What products you buy in your personal life, well, it's personal, but I would feel strange if I worked for Coca-Cola and drank Pepsi, if I worked for P&G and used Colegate, and if I worked for Ford and drove a Chevy.

Just my $.02 cents.

[GAC]

I don't think anyone would argue that the UW doesn't do alot of good Kitty,

It's the methodology that has been implemented over the last several years in the workplace that uses pressure tactics to get their employees to donate.

[KittyDuran]

I don't think anyone would argue that the UW doesn't do alot of good Kitty,

It's the methodology that has been implemented over the last several years in the workplace that uses pressure tactics to get their employees to donate.

That tactic has been in place for a long time - now it just makes it questionable because of the scandals surrounding UW and other charitable organizations (i.e., Red Cross) and how they do business. Scandals and ethical questions surrounding many organizations give people pause and make it harder to justify giving (Catholic Church, Oral Roberts University, etc.).

[GAC]

That tactic has been in place for a long time- now it just makes it questionable because of the scandals surrounding UW and other charitable organizations (i.e., Red Cross) and how they do business. Scandals and ethical questions surrounding many organizations give people pause and make it harder to justify giving (Catholic Church, Oral Roberts University, etc.).

Sure -scandals and ethical concerns make people pause; but alot of people, including myself, have always questioned these tactics in the workplace over the last several years.

No employee should be pressured ("squeezed"),or told they need to give their "fair share" by their employer when it comes to charitable giving.

[Yachtzee]

Sure -scandals and ethical concerns make people pause; but alot of people, including myself, have always questioned these tactics in the workplace over the last several years.

No employee should be pressured ("squeezed"),or told they need to give their "fair share" by their employer when it comes to charitable giving.

Yep. It's one thing to let people pay in money every week to wear jeans or have some sort of raffle or special parking spot for those who donate. It's another to bring everyone into a big meeting (right before annual reviews, mind you) and pass out donation cards while using pressure tactics to make you feel bad if you don't contribute.

[Chip R]

It seems like they have almost a monopoly on companies as far as charitable contributions go. I mean how many other charities does your employer(s) implore that you contribute to? American Cancer Society? Jerry's Kids? March of Dimes? Make a Wish Foundation?

[MWM]

It seems like they have almost a monopoly on companies as far as charitable contributions go. I mean how many other charities does your employer(s) implore that you contribute to? American Cancer Society? Jerry's Kids? March of Dimes? Make a Wish Foundation?

Yeah, my company pretty much won't support any other organization other than the UW.

[Chip R]

Yeah, my company pretty much won't support any other organization other than the UW.

So why is that? UW only hire ex-used car salesmen?

[MWM]

So why is that? UW only hire ex-used car salesmen?

It's not that they discourage support of other organizations, but they won't finacially support any other similar organization. They donate very liberally to the arts, but as far as charitabe organizations, they say that they donate so much to UW, that their policy is to not financially suppor other organizations. I don't really blame them as it's a large company and probably get approached all the time, so they have a need for such a policy. I do some volunteer work for the Cysic Fibrosis Foundation and I was hoping to get a little support for something I was helping to organize, so I found out quickly that it wasn't going to happen. But I fully understand.

But they do have a matching program for UW, where they match contributions and they also match contributions to universities and to artistic organizations. And this is the first place I've worked where we don't get any pressure at all to donate to UW. We have donation drive, and we're encouraged to donate, but it's entirely blind. No one knows who does and who doesn't.

[GAC]

It seems like they have almost a monopoly on companies as far as charitable contributions go. I mean how many other charities does your employer(s) implore that you contribute to? American Cancer Society? Jerry's Kids? March of Dimes? Make a Wish Foundation?

None. As I mentioned earlier, it's even in Honda's Associate Handbook that solicitation for organizational charitable donations is strictly forbidden and could result in disciplinary action, and the only one permitted is the company-ran UW campaign.

[KittyDuran]

Big companies get asked to donate for a lot of causes and there is a procedure with some that has to be followed. Didn't Target or some big box store get in trouble when they didn't give money to some veteran committee? Oops... here it is:

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/target.asp

[RedsBaron]

Sure -scandals and ethical concerns make people pause; but alot of people, including myself, have always questioned these tactics in the workplace over the last several years.

No employee should be pressured ("squeezed"),or told they need to give their "fair share" by their employer when it comes to charitable giving.

That's been what I've always objected to. I absolutely believe that everyone should support charities as much as possible, but I would no more pressure someone else to give to the charity of my choice than I would pressure someone else to tithe or give to the church that I attend.
Ask me to donate and I may do so. Pressure me to donate and I won't give a cent.