I think they operate similarly. I’m not sure.
We have found it’s better to send the money directly to a church or organization working in a disaster area. We had a tornado here in our part of the state about 2 years ago and knew a church in that vicinity. They used the money that we sent them directly for the affected people.
I could have sent it to the denomination designated for them, but the shell game explained above is exactly how they operate.
Oh, I’m sure about United Way. The people they pay get exactly the same amount whether you earmark or not.
I would be willing to bet that earmarks exceed actual contributions so some organizations.