I decided on a small one time donation designating OCF as the recipient of my pledge. So I am participating, yet not hindering my ability to continue direct support to OCF.

I owed the chairman of the drive a courtesy as I was helped by him this year.
Next year I'll just volunteer to help at one of the United Way fundraisers.

Mike your efforts to support OCF are greatly appreciated.

Hey Charm..... re your posting on the 1.5 million dollars, did I tell you I was finally trading in my old Toyota beater in for a new Ferrari? Life is good. Seriously though, given all the checks and balances in the non profit system by the IRS it is really hard to see how anyone can get away with this. The IRS paperwork mountain is high, the scrutiny by third party people/watchdogs is intense, the routine audits internal and external are frequent and random, and transparency which we pride ourselves in, is the word of the day.

Megan and I had a conversation the other day, about me being her boss. I told her that her perspective was skewed. All of us at OCF work for the donors of the foundation, many who gave their lives to see that we have funding in their wills. Each of us with different responsibilities, but we answer to donors. You come here with passion and desire to change the world. You leave with some salary and tons of other kinds of rewards. If you can not live happily in that world, OCF is not the place for you. But we have a moral obligation to the people who give to us, that we take that very seriously. We think carefully about every expenditure, and what the metrics of it, in the overall paradigm, will be in the end. There are organizations that exist to keep their organization's infrastructure machine alive and what they accomplish is secondary. They are huge and their names are household words.

OCF will never be that kind of organization as long as I am around. There are far too many others that are tax havens for individuals in the sheepskin of a non profit, hiding a greedy, self grandizing wolf/individual or family under the wraps. There are actually two head and neck organizations that fit that bill. Names excluded so not to throw stones....

Given the rewards of what I do that are non financial, I do not long for the days when I really did drive a Ferrari, nor had a beach house on the sand. There is just no comparison between the two. I live a purposeful life, and the rewards are profound. More personal money wouldn't improve it one iota. More money to do a national awareness campaign would leave me smiling for months.

So are you telling me that I'm getting the Toyota beater as my Christmas bonus?

Brian

Sad to say, your joke about the car is reality for many charities. While the IRS requirements are complex and onerous, the enforcement is minimal especially when the charity is willing to fudge facts. The Washington Post just finished up an expose of multiple MILLIONs of Dollars of HUD funds given away by the DC government to "charity" and "non-profit" groups that actually did go to not one, but three or four luxury cars, and outrageous salaries.
It is frustrating when there are groups like OCF that have integrity and dedication but just don't get the donations that other slicker groups do. Don't get me started on the abuse of the tax laws by rich families to push their agenda rather than help those who need it.
Keep up the good work - we all appreciate it
charm