United Way Misses Goal

[biker]

The News reported that the United Way is seriously behind in its fund-raising.

It has so far collected approximately $9 million. Last year at this time, it was at $13 million.

(Working from memory) In 2003, it collected in total approx $18 million. The year before, $20 million.

Is it any surprise that an area that has been beaten and battered has less to offer others?

The News did not go into at all what this might mean for the agencies which depend on the UW for funding.

If you extrapolate as to where the UW ended the full drive at from where they are now, it sounds like they may have $15 million to work with. That's down 25% from three years ago.

Our Congress, with a bare 2 vote majority, has sort of cut $50 Billion out of the 13 TRILLION that will be spent over the next five years. That's a cut of .38%. Or .0038 of the total spending. They lose more than that in rounding.

Compare that with what the United Way is going to have to do.

[WestSideJohn]

Hmm. The guy who refered to non-profit agencies as "parasites" seems to have flip-flopped.

[granpabob]

I give to individual charities not UW .many of my friends also do this. the days of automatic payroll deductions are ending now that the pay for many jobs has been lowered.
United way supports many charities and organizations that I do not know enough about to support or that I dont agree with. I have chosen to support the ones I do like and not blindly give money to every group in the county.

[biker]

I also give directly to the charities now, GranpaBob.

But for many people, they don't have the time to check out which ones are "worthy" and which are not. So the United Way was useful in that regard and efficient for the recipients (like the Boy Scouts).

Overall, I think the success (or lack of it) of the annual United Way campaign is a very valid barometer of the economic health of the area.

And the readings are not good.