| | Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 209 Gold Member (200+ posts) | OP  Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 209 | I have just come from my company's annual United Way Drive meeting.
Understandably, as the largest employer in our county, my company would like to increase the number of employees participating.
I have not participated in the past. I've preferred to contribute to Oral Cancer Foundation and/or my poor Mother-I-L
Well, I caught a little blip at the end of the meeting. The speaker stated that if you wish, you can direct all or a portion of your United Way pledge to:
ANY NOT-FOR-PROFIT 501(c)(3)
so long as they comply with the USA Patriot Act and other counterterrorism laws. Not eligible are capital campaigns, cultural, political, environmental, governmental, educational, or religious organizations.
This could be a win-win situation for me as an employee to participate as well as send additional funds to OFC!
Ginny
Ginny, spouse of MikeG. SSC BOT T2N1M0 Stage III, Dx 06/27/06 at age 52, Tx 07/31/06 through 09/28/06 Chemo Cisplatin & 5FU x2, Radiation x42. Cancer free and doing well.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | Ginny,
Does your empler match empyee contributions?
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 209 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | OP Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 209 | I believe so. The Power Point presentation showed how much employees contributed this last fiscal year and then underneath that what the company contributed, as well as additional fund raising events that were held that generated additional monies.
Then a video was shown of our CEO stating since he made the most money in the company (2 million annually) he was upping his contribution 20%. And would we consider joining him in upping our contributions by as little as 1% or join him if we have not contributed.
I will ask the chairman of the comittee. I don't know for sure.
Ginny, spouse of MikeG. SSC BOT T2N1M0 Stage III, Dx 06/27/06 at age 52, Tx 07/31/06 through 09/28/06 Chemo Cisplatin & 5FU x2, Radiation x42. Cancer free and doing well.
| | | | | Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,004 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,004 | We just had our United Way flower day at work. We work with a local florist and people can buy a carnation for $1 and send it to a co-worker. We had 8,000 carnations delivered to our company then the UW committee organizes everything and delivers the flowers, along with the notes from the people who sent them to everyone's desk. It's a lot of work but we made a ton of money. It ends up costing us about .23 cents per flower and we sell them for $1.
They do try to get everyone to donatein other ways all year. My personal favorite is...they give us the amount they think we should donate and if we agree to that amount we get another vacation day. They just take it from our paycheck. You can decide to give another amount if you want of course.
I agree with Ginny...the money I have to donate has gone to OCF. Granted, I don't have much to spare right now but OCF is worth it b/c I would hate to see something happen to these forums...
Suzanne
***********
T1 SCC on right side of tongue
Age 31...27 when diagnosed
4 partial glossectomies
No chemo or radiation
Biopsy on 2/2/10-Clear
Surgery needed again...no later than April 2011
Loving life and just became a mother on 11/25/10
It's not what we CAN'T do..it's what we CAN do:)
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 209 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | OP Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 209 | David, my company does not match employee pledges.
They contribute a set amount and increase it annually.
Now I see at the bottom of my pledge sheet:
"Donor designated pledges are assessed both a fundraising and a management and general fee based on actual historical costs in accordance with United Way of America Standards."
Sounds like I would be supporting United Way more than OCF. I wonder how much they take.
Ginny, spouse of MikeG. SSC BOT T2N1M0 Stage III, Dx 06/27/06 at age 52, Tx 07/31/06 through 09/28/06 Chemo Cisplatin & 5FU x2, Radiation x42. Cancer free and doing well.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | Who assesses those fees? United Way or your company?
Sounds like you just need to donate straight to OFC rather than thru a middleman.
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
| | | | | Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 209 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | OP Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Oct 2006 Posts: 209 | United Way assesses the fees.
This sucks. I'm going to feel like a heel if I don't participate.
My win-win opportunity has turned to a lose-lose(loser!)situation.
They must see me comin' from a mile away.
Ginny, spouse of MikeG. SSC BOT T2N1M0 Stage III, Dx 06/27/06 at age 52, Tx 07/31/06 through 09/28/06 Chemo Cisplatin & 5FU x2, Radiation x42. Cancer free and doing well.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | Ginny,
I would just explain that you choose to give your money to your worthy cause and you want 100% of your money to be available to it.
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
| | | | | Joined: May 2002 Posts: 2,152 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: May 2002 Posts: 2,152 | Ginny,
Don't let them bully you into donating to the United Way. I don't remember the percentage for fees and fund rasing, but it is very high. Personally, I doubt that a dime would go to OCF since it is not one of normal charities. Even if you want to support the charities United Way supports, do it directly to the charity so the charity gets the full amount. I hate it when employers do this. I once had one tell me that I wouldn't get a raise unless I donated the United Way. Quite illegal. I told them there was no way I was donating through the United Way. I still got the raise. You have no reason to fell guilty.
Take care,
Eileen
----------------------
Aug 1997 unknown primary, Stage III
mets to 1 lymph node in neck; rt ND, 36 XRT rad
Aug 2001 tiny tumor on larynx, Stage I total laryngectomy; left ND
June 5, 2010 dx early stage breast cancer
June 9, 2011 SCC 1.5 cm hypo pharynx, 70% P-16 positive, no mets, Stage I
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 3,082 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Mar 2008 Posts: 3,082 | The United Way got booted out of running the federal Combined Federal Campaign program here in DC a few years back after the local chapter CEO was found to have looted over $1.5 MILLION dollars (he got 2 years in prison)from our charitable donations. Never trusted them after that and just give my donations directly to the charities I support
65 yr Old Frack
Stage IV BOT T3N2M0 HPV 16+
2007:72GY IMRT(40) 8 ERBITUX No PEG
2008:CANCER BACK Salvage Surgery
25GY-CyberKnife(5) 3 Carboplatin
Apaghia /G button
2012: CANCER BACK -left tonsilar fossa
40GY-CyberKnife(5) 3 Carboplatin
Passed away 4-29-13
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