United Way Fund Raising Misses Goal

(Allegheny County, Pennsylvania) The local United Way has failed to meet its goal for the second straight year and the reason given is the loss of designated donations, in which the donor directly selects the agency to receive funds. Last year, the United Way of Allegheny County established a 15% fee for all designated donations. This means that if I give the United Way $1000 designated for the Boy Scouts, the United Way would charge me $150 to take my money and give it to the scouts. So, for the Boy Scouts to get $1000, I would have to give the United Way $1150.

Obviously, it's easier and cheaper to just give the money to the Boy Scouts and bypass the United Way. Consequently, the 15% fee is causing donors to give money directly and the United Way can't meet their fund raising goal.

This is all fine with me. The United Way has become increasingly more of a political puppet than an organization exclusively for the collection and distribution of charitable funds.