Posted on 07/08/2004 1:57:25 PM PDT by RonF
I ended up signing the pledge to donate the absolute minimum: a dollar a pay, $26 a year, just to get them off my back.
You could do that now, donate directly to the scouts, let your local UW know and put pressure on them to pressure UW So.Eastern Penn.
If all conservatives did this UW would think hard about PC and their lucrative jobs.
We stopped giving to the UW years ago after the shenanigans at the top, and after learning a bit more about how they allocate funds. We now donate directly to organizations we want to support and where we know the funds will be used wisely.
That's true but they cut the BSA off. That means they can't get the allocated amount but they legally should get any designated donations.
At least you have a choice, I had not donated to the United way since 1966 when a drill instructior intimidated me into donating, until a few years ago our illustrious city council started funding the United Way. That bunch has all been replaced, the current council over rides the two who object, and continues the practice.
I will never contribute to those crooks, UW. Same experience as so many others; worked for a University that practically insisted you join up. Never did. Immediately tossed the contribution forms into the round file. Over my dead body will I ever contribute to that socialist, pc organization. Phooey on them. A very big phooey.
Thanks for the local perspective. My council (Des Plaines Valley, W and SW Chicago suburbs) is also the product of a merger, between Thatcher Woods Council and West Suburban Council. There were definitly some culture differences between the two, which have slowly gone away over the last 10 years. WSC encompassed a higher income area than TWC did. When we merged, the TWC center was closed and the WSC Council office became the DPVC council office. This didn't make TWC happy, but they couldn't keep two offices open. Fortunately, we own our offices.
We had our own run-in with the gay issue when a group of 7 Cub Scout Packs in Oak Lawn that were sponsored by PTA's submitted charter renewals (at or close to the deadline) that had language attached stating that they were not going to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. Our Council told them that we would only accept un-altered charter renewals, and the PTAs then chose to fold the packs. And blamed it all on us, of course. The Oak Park/River Forest UW dropped their contribution to us to almost zero over the course of two years. But there are about 9 other UW chapters that we get contributions from, and they don't provide the majority of our funding, anyway.
This is an unfounded accusation.
I highly doubt one penny of your money went to the Scouts.
I'd be very surprised if they did not distribute designated money to the BSA. That would definitely be grounds for a lawsuit. Our Council receives money from 9 different UW chapters. However, I would also be surprised if they did distribute any non-designated money to the BSA, as is their right.
Which is exactly why I gave reluctantly and designated the BSA.
I will no longer give to the United Way at all, however.
Thank you so much for donating your time to the Scouts (and doubtless money and materials as well, it always works out that way). The life blood of Scouting is it's volunteers, and it's always the hardest thing to come up with. I'm sure your husband finds it very rewarding.
What a bunch of hogwash.
To me, the BSA's statement that "avowed gays" are not allowed to be leaders means that gays are allowed to be role models, but the role they model cannot include their sexual orienatation. You can demonstrate all the points of the Scout Oath and Scout Law, and teach all the skills the BSA teachers, without making a point of your sexual orientation.
It seems to me that many people want the BSA to allow open gays precisely because they want to use the BSA to promote acceptance of homosexuality. That's not what the BSA, or any youth organization, is for.
If donors specifically earmarked donation to the Boy Scouts through the United Way, and the United Way decided not to give to the Boy Scouts, it is the United Way's legal obligation to so inform the donors, and ask what they wish to do. They can get their donations returned, give to another organization, or let the United Way have the donation as unrestricted funds, to do with as they please. But, they have to get the donors permission first.
I really cannot see though, why anyone would want to make a donation to any organization through the United Way, and not just donate the amount directly to the organization they wish to donate to. By going direct, and not through United Way, the organization get the full donation. By going through United Way, the organization gets less, as United Way keeps a portion for their operating expenses, salaries, etc. By all accounts, an organization like United Way should not even exist. People should donate directly to the charity they wish, completely skipping a middleman like United Way.
Even putting aside the antics of William Aramony and some of the other swindlers that have worked there over the years, the tactics that the U.W. gets away with remind me very much of the Mafia.
I know of no other charitable organization that uses these methods of leaning on corporations to strong-arm employees into donating money against their will. I've had to go through these battles with my company, as have other people who have already posted previously on this thread, as have countless other people. Of course, the corporations themselves are just as culpable in this atrocious behavior as the U.W.
I stand by opinion; United Way behaves more like a crime syndicate than what I consider to be a real charity.
Of course. My point is to let them know this is an important issue to their donors and that there will be consequences if my council caves in to lefty pressure.
I too had an experience when I first started to work in a corporation, getting strong-armed by my company to make them look good. But I have no idea, and so far from your comments neither do you, as to the culpability of UW in that. Given my experiences in working at corporations, I can easily believe that it's all coming from corporate management.
UW is obviously attractive to corporations. My surmise is that this is because UW provides a layer of deniability. If the corporation had to pick out a few charities on it's own, it would have to defend those choices and deal with proposals from their own workers to switch to different ones. This way, they get a layer of protection. UW also does a great job of providing sophisticated marketing materials to corporations that look just like what the corporations themselves produce. That makes it easy for them to run the campaign.
The old Valley Forge Council, on the other hand, had a strong history of volunteerism. Gee, imagine that!! When the merger happened many of the volunteers were pushed aside or put under the thumb of old city people and, rather than put up with the misdirected BS, they left. I personally know of several people who joined Bucks County or Chester County Councils just to get back to doing Scouting the way it ought to be done.
It's very sad. In spite of the fact that the Philadelphia Council was the one leaking money the old VFC folks were squeezed out.
But, all is not lost. There's a lot of grumbling going on and this nonsense with the UW is helping to draw the lines more clearly than they've previously been. Coviello was originally making noises like he was going to cave in but the pressure brought to bear put the kibosh on that pretty quick. I'm hopeful that over the next few years we can maybe split the Councils again and those people who want to cave in to stew in their own juices. Although Philly is pretty left leaning, there are enough people with kids in the program who strongly disagree with that sentiment and know that Scouting is one of the few organizations where their kids are going to learn leadership and honor.
SM - WWW
I stopped donating to the United Way and was pleased to see that, last year, my corporation fell short of its UW fundraising goal.
Don't give to the UW until they return the BS
Have you seen the BSA new building off the loop. It had to cost in the millions and always wonder how they could afford to pay for it. Can you believe it's across the street from United Way. I like the BSA and it does some really good deeds.
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