Reuben Brown and the United Way.

[venis2k1]

You all know those United Way commercials with NFL players doing charity work with kids, they ususally are pretty funny. I just saw their new one starring Reuben Brown of the buffalo bills. Not big news, but should give the bills some positive press, considering how often those commercials are played. Good stuff Reuben.

[casdhf]

:up:
I haven't seen it, but they're usually pretty funny.

[Earthquake Enyart]

They all go to get in line for cookies and Ruben jumps offsides.

[casdhf]

nah, he holds

[vabillsfan]

And while we're on the topic, don't forget to suppport your local United Way, no matter where you live. They raise money and distribute it to good causes in each community - worthy of everyone's support!!

Sincerely,

VABILLSFAN - your 12 year UW professional!!

[northernbillfan]

I donate to the United Way thru regular payroll deductions.

[vabillsfan]

Thanks! Always good to hear. Easy way to give, isn't it??

[northernbillfan]

Don't even notice the difference.

[eyedog]

to be honest i am now skeptical about donating to any charity after what i saw happen with red cross and the 9/11 victims.

[northernbillfan]

United Way is a true charity. They are an umbrella company for many other smaller charities in your neighborhood.

[eyedog]

you probably right northern. i thought the red cross was a true charity too. i hate to be cynical about them as a whole since most of them do a good job, but how do you know, until you hear stuff that happened with the 9/11 victims.

[lordofgun]

I give money directly to adult tricyclers.

I hold races in my neighborhood, and the winner gets a bottle of evian and a dollar.

[vabillsfan]

Eyedog - you have an absolute right to be skeptical. What I would suggest you do is, whomever you want to give to, ask them what their fundraising costs are. More importanly, ask them "If I give you $100, how much of that is used to help people in need". Don't settle for "our overhead is....". Ask the direct question.

Red Cross got burned during 9/11 - a bit unfairly and a bit deservingly. UW got burned too, with some claiming it took too long to get the money out.

The best thing people can and should ever do is call that charity and get your questions answered. That way,you'll be comfortable.

Don't punish charities based on the actions, and more importanly, the media reports, of a few. Remember, the media is there to sell papers and gain ratings and they don't always give both sides a fair shake.

Trust me - I've been in the business long enough.

VA

[eyedog]

fair enough vabills. thanks for the advice.

[Lori]

Amen, vabills. For anyone unsure about making a donation, http://www.give.org/donors/index.asp has some good info (courtesy of the Better Business Bureau and the National Charities Information Bureau, now merged into the BBB Wise Giving Alliance).

Off the top of my head, there are two questions I'd ask anyone who requested a donation from me. vabills already covered the first one - the BBB Wise Giving Guide (also available from the link above) recommends that at least 50% of contributions go directly to the programs/activities described in the solicitations, and that no more than 35% goes toward fund-raising costs. Even that seems very low to me - our disbursement rate is normally about 95%, since we have no paid staff. I think the NCIB used to use 60% as their benchmark.

This may not be an issue with some of you, but my other question would be - how much of the $$$ stays with local groups, as opposed to funding the national organizations those groups are part of? If you don't want to pay for office space for a national-level group in Washington, for example, then make your donation directly to the local Red Cross chapter/Boy Scout troop/etc. As treasurer of our local United Fund (and this year's campaign chair), I know exactly where our disbursements go - and the vast majority of them never leave our service area, even to go to the regional level of the organizations we support. That's the way our donors want it, so that's what we do. The national United Way may have slightly different rules, but if you donate to your local United Way, I'm sure most of your money will still be staying in your community.

Bottom line - it's your money, so you have the right to ask as many questions as it takes to make you feel comfortable about making a donation. That goes for ANY charitable organization.