During the years when I’ve been an employee of large enterprises, as I am now, I’ve tended to make a donation through the United Way’s annual campaign. I’ve always targeted the donation, however, specifying what nonprofit organization I wanted my money to help.
I usually aim it at something the United Way finds politically difficult to help directly, such as Planned Parenthood. My logic: I figured the umbrella group’s other recipients would do okay with the default selection by most folks.
This year, I’m sorry to say, the Valley of the Sun United Way (VSUW) in metropolitan Phoenix refused my directed gift, which I’d attempted to donate through Arizona State University, my employer.
At the end of many conversations, emails and research, VSUW said it wouldn’t pass along the money to the ACLU Foundation of Arizona. The reason? It wasn’t, in the opinion of VSUW, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization providing “health and human services” — the baseline requirement for a targeted donation. Instead, the VSUW told me, based on an employee’s check of the ACLU website, the ACLU is:
more of an advocacy group than a health and human legal aid organization. ACLU’s mission is more about protecting Constitutional rights and more about issues as opposed to serving individual people in need. The work is more driven by the issue or position than the need of the individual.
The VSUW contrasted this with an agency it does consider worthy under their guidelines:
Community Legal Services of Arizona, also known as The William E. Morris Institute for Justice qualifies as a “health and human service” agency.
The William E. Morris Institute for Justice is a private non-profit agency established in 1996 to provide services to the legal services community, to other community-based agency advocates, and to select low-income clients in Arizona. In 1997, the Institute added an attorney who provides Legal-Services-Corporation precluded legal representation to low-income clients on a variety of issues. The Institute conducts research, advocacy and training activities to enhance legal services provided to low-income households in Arizona.
If they’re right about Community Legal Services — definitely a worthy organization — they’re mistaken about the ACLU. I went beyond website PR and looked at the ACLU-Arizona IRS reporting forms, which to be fair I had to ask for from the organization.
The advocacy part of the ACLU operation is in the 501(c)(4) arm. The 501(c)(3) report clearly shows that the organization provides human services though legal representation and public education. I told this to the United Way and sent along the forms.
The United Way’s response: No again. They didn’t address the specifics beyond insisting that the ACLU did not, under their rules, qualify. (I probably hurt my case by asking if this was a political question more than anything else, given Arizona’s right-wing leanings. They furiously denied this had anything to do with it.)
So I’ve withdrawn my donation, which was a generous one, giving instead directly to the ACLU and (as I’ve already done) to one of the organizations the United Way does approve of. At this point, however, I’m not inclined to do anything with the United Way, or at least this branch of it.
Postscript: By the way, the Arizona ACLU was basically useless during this process. The organization made no attempt to intervene, as far as I can tell, with either the university or United Way. And afterward, when I suggested the ACLU work with ASU and UW to fix this problem so it could become a designated beneficiary for gifts, the response was essentially, “Hmmm, interesting idea.” I’ve seen no sign whatever that anyone bothered to pursue this. Who loses? The people who need the ACLU’s services the most. I hope the AZ ACLU’s legal services aren’t as dysfunctional as the fundraising.
The United Way is great for people who want to give back, but don’t have the time or inclination to research where they want their money to go.
While the United Way is an invaluable source of funding for many agencies, they do charge a hefty 10-15% administrative fee.
If you really want to help an organization, give directly. More of your money will fund the program you support.
I work for a college and whenever I see the local United Way reps at on-campus events, they just sit back and disengage from their surroundings. They don’t make an effort to talk to the students, they just sit there with a clipboard on the table in front of them and signs with flashy logos and college-looking objects like megaphones and pom-poms. Every time I get the UW letter at work (which is quarterly, and which HR savvily suggests-but-doesn’t-state-directly must be returned by every employee) I have that mental image of the UW reps sitting there on their smartphones while the world goes on around them.
I agree with Mr. Smith. Give DIRECTLY to the organization whose mission you support and you will make the biggest impact possible with your donation.
I am dreading the upcoming paperwork I will be required to sign at my employer. I am forced to donate to United Way. If I don’t I have to sign paperwork that I’m refusing to donate. Then – guess what – I’m not a “team player” . I know some of the people on a board for UW and they are not people I respect.
DONT BE FORCED INTO GIVING TO A CHARITY . i WAS FORCED WHEN i WAS YOUNG TO PLEDGE TO UW FROM AN EMPLOYER. THAT AND THE 10 TO 15% ADMIN FEE THEY TAKE. I WILL NEVER DONATE TO THEM .
WE JUST GOT AN EMAIL THAT THEY ARE COMING TO OUR OFFICE, NOT GIVING. I HAVE THE CHARITIES I GIVE TO.
United Way contributions are usually extorted from employees via the “not a team player” comment from supervisors who in turn are judged by their ability to “persuade” others to contribute. Then they are treated a dinner at your expense and get attaboys on their performance reviews.
This is good to know. I will continue giving to United Way. I wouldnt want a penny of my money going to the ACLU! I will be certain to do my homework regarding any donations I make that may possibly go to ACLU, or any similar organizations who’s sole mission is to undermine the rights of the law abiding working class citizens.
The ACLU defends the Bill of Rights — that is, the rights of law-abiding working class citizens. Sad that you don’t understand this.
Sad that you don’t understand the Constitution defends us from the ACLU. Please know that I have the right to not give to near terrorist groups that stick their nose into business that isn’t theirs.
Your education is lacking in several respects…
Then educate me, oh wise one. In the United States, the Constitution, among other things, gives the powers to the people. The ACLU does its best to take it away from the will of the people and grant it to the “grievance” of themselves or of someone who might have a grievance. They do this through the sheer outspending and shaming of whatever they don’t like. That, oh wise one, is near terrorism.
I’m waiting.
The Bill of Rights is part of the Constitution. The ACLU defends the Bill of Rights. And the Constitution doesn’t give anyone else the right to take away those liberties. You’re either trolling or ignorant of basic concepts of liberty.
Don’t know if it is to late to come on here but as it is the season of the annual united way drive I was searching under the question whether I could give to the United way but force an exclusion of money to a particular charity with which I disagree. From your article it is obvious you and I disagree politically, but the underlying points are still universal. 1. The problem with donating to conglomerate charities (maybe wrong term, but I mean those that then distribute to a lot if other charities) is maybe also one of their strengths. One stop shop. You can give and it is distributed to a lot of others. Generally a good thing. But, not if you disagree with one or more of the recipients. That is what I am contending with. 2. In hindsight, you were right and should have just donated directly to the individual charity of your choice rather than seeking an employer match. I too have worked for large companies (banks), and work for a smaller one now, but I believe they still have an employer match program. Giving to the individual charity satisfied your personal desire. Disagreeing with an established, albeit in your view (possibly in a universal view) contradictory, company policy on the match would not have diminished your desire to contribute, though it cut the combined amount in half. You were always able to donate directly, you just couldn’t leverage your domain with the employer’s match.
I used to donate to United Way and support their missions, until I did my co-op and volunteered for them for 6 months 2 years ago. I found out people didn’t have much work except for going to meetings all day for show. They do force people to donate even for unpaid intern like me for their internal campaign (saying they expect 100% participation). Yes the employees compensation is huge! Thats open information everyone can check through the revenue agency. Their admin fee is a lot higher than 20% as apart from public donations the government gives them tons of money through funding programs too! When their underfunded agencies’ CEO (being the direct service provider) earns a lot less than UW’s managers, something is wrong.
One more reason to stop giving to the United Way. It is a long but good read.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=105
I became familiar with the United Way 15 years ago. I was trying to figure out why I should go through United Way instead of giving directly to the charities I support. I learned that United Way takes off 10-20% off your donation, and gives the rest. So, for example, if I want to donate $100 to the Boy Scouts through United Way, the Scouts actually only receive $80 from my donation, and $20 goes to United Way. For their costs? Or other charities they support? Either way, I’ve never donated through United Way.
I grew up in a middle income family of 5 kids in NJ. My dad started at the bottom of Bell Telephone and worked his way up. Sometime during that period, supporting a housewife, 5 kids and paying off a mortgage and car payments Bell Telephone/NJ Bell determined they expected a certain percentage of an employee’s salary would be taken to donate to United Way. Dad was furious, discussed with my mom. Fact was it was implied that if you wanted to get anywhere in the company you better let them take a percentage of your income for UW. Pretty damn expensive even back then to live in a nice town (i.e. high property taxes) and support a wife and 5 kids on a mid management salary. He wanted to keep getting promoted so he let them do it. Furious!! I swore I’d never let an employer do that to me and never did, in fact I became self-employed then incorporated in NY. The company that is taking part of your salary to donate gets the tax donation for the donation. At least they did back then. While you’re at it check out CEO salaries for St. Judes and HSUS! Find a local charity or two and stick with them!!
I will never give to organizations that give their CEO’s millions of dollars in salary, NO ONE NEEDS that much money, Christ said “….the poor you shall have with you always.” But He still gave if Himself to them, these SELF-SERVING CEO’s give to themselves, heap money to themselves, and serve no one but self. There is a warning in scripture for those that do this practice, the rich young ruler tore down barns, and built bigger – then told himself that he would take his ease. I
n Luke 12:19-21, it says this:
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Good luck to those “RICH” CEO’s when they stand before God to answer for the things they did while alive – He WON’T be amused AT ALL.