What is it with US businesses these days and enforced corporate giving?
Nearly everyone I know who works in a larger company endures regular high-pressure tactics to get employees to donate to the United Way. The higher you are in the company, the higher the pressure. And here's something else that I find interesting -- my company circulates a survey every year in an attempt to enforce corporate ethics. One of the questions on that survey is whether we have ever felt pressured to donate to a given organization as a condition of our employment. The kicker? They state right on that survey that the United Way is exempt from this question. I kid you not.
The few larger companies that don't go the United Way route seem to donate instead to some selected "local" charity. I'm grateful that the particular division I work for follows this latter path, because at least we don't have to endure the high-pressure practices of the United Way. But my company still makes sure that the donation drive is in everyone's faces throughout the "holiday season" (which gets earlier and earlier every year, by the way -- a blog rant all of its own that is sure to emerge someday soon), and does everything in their power to both single out people who haven't donated and to make them feel immensely guilty for not doing so.
Let me make something clear. I work 24 miles away from home. Any charity that's "local" to my office is not "local" to me, and I choose to donate my resources to charities that I believe in and that can make a difference in *my* neighborhood. Between my husband and I, we regularly donate money, time, and/or goods to the Vietnam Veterans, National Public Radio, the local animal shelter, and the local English as a Second Language program. These are programs that we believe in. These are programs that make a difference where we live. These are programs that we took the time to select and believe in strongly enough to do more than just write an occasional check. And in doing so, I have a feeling that we do more than most 30-something DINKs.
So I refuse to be pressured into giving to yet another charity, especially one that I didn't choose and that doesn't make a difference in my neighborhood, just so I can get an extra half day off sometime during the "holiday" season that I'll never use because I constantly work unpaid overtime anyway, or to get a tub of free ice cream that I can't eat because I'm immensely lactose intolerant.
I dread the day that my division decides it's too much work to fight the corporate United Way drive and gives in. Then I'll really open my big mouth. (And here you thought it was already open....)
4 comments:
Eegad, it's that time of the year again, already????
I hear ya . . . at least we don't have bell ringers outside the doors yet . . . those folks drive me crazy. They make you feel so guilty, even though you've given to a plethora of other causes . . . then there's the morons who sell candy at busy intersections. There was one guy on Lake Cook who was standing in the left turn lane to get on I-94 last week! Nearly missed the light b/c I had to wait for him to get out of my way.
I swear it's a cult. I'm tempted to print out your blog and give it to ... someone at my company. But my boss's boss is one of the drive people this year. And another even higher up that I work with somewhat. Luckily I work from home the day of the kick off meeting so I didn't have to go. The meeting request actually said "Please plan to attend." !!!!!
~Kris
Oh man. I gave in to pressure. 2.50 a paycheck for all of next year. I felt safer giving up the $60... sad, sad.
Ye Gawds, I'm blessed! The UofMN draws from a "community" of 60,000 if you include the students; ~20,000 for faculty/staff/peons. Each year, we are subjected to very similar pressures.
The fortunate thing is that there's been significant hoo-haw about United Way's administration and funding distribution (i.e. lack thereof), that UMN offers at least five agencies from which we may select. IIRC, two of these state that they will route earmarked donations to any 501(c)(3) organization. It's been the way that I've been able to shut up the [ahem!] "cheerleaders" but still send my charity in the direction I want.
[furrowed brow]
Although I admit puzzlement on the legality of offering additional vacation time as an incentive....
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