WORKPLACE Employees report pressure tactics during companywide charity drives

Some would rather bypass the United Way and give directly to charities.
WASHINGTON POST
The words "I gave at the office" can take on a whole new meaning when it comes to companywide donation and volunteer programs. Namely, "I was forced to give at the office."
Corporate giving and volunteerism are good things that can go bad. In companies' attempts to do good work, make big donations and get their names on plaques, some managers become overzealous and pressure employees. Many workers jump at the chance to help. But some, who say they have reasons for not giving, feel guilty or fear their managers will think poorly of them, ostracize them or in some way punish them.
Tactics
One woman who works for the Fairfax County, Va., government tosses the United Way donation forms into the trash. She developed her attitude almost seven years ago after a manager put a memo into everybody's mailboxes that said if employees did not contribute, future requests for time off would be "more closely scrutinized." Sort of turns that warm and fuzzy giving feeling into something completely different, doesn't it?
"I think all the county agencies were competing" to get a 100 percent donation rate, this woman said. "Everybody was trying to be innovative to pump up the contributions."
The manager who wrote the memo was told to rescind the letter. But the experience left a mark on this woman and some co-workers. "It is probably petty and small of me," the woman said, but she felt she had to stand up against her manager's bullying. She added that she and her co-workers give to other charities.
A man who works for a large defense contractor in Northern Virginia said that a couple of years ago his department tried to require employees to give to United Way and buy U.S. savings bonds.
The employee did not want to donate and said he did not want to buy the savings bonds. His manager wanted to convince him otherwise and asked him to donate at least $1 to United Way and to have a small portion taken out of his paycheck to buy the savings bonds. The employee refused. His manager left, and the boss above that manager swooped in.
"All the priorities were out of whack," the man said. "They just wanted 100 percent so they could claim that to higher-ups."
Finally, he relented. One dollar went to United Way, and 10 cents went to the savings bonds. He has not given since.
Long-standing issue
This is far from a new story, said Eleanor Brilliant, a professor of social work at Rutgers University and author of "The United Way: Dilemmas of Organized Charity."
"This has been happening forever, since the day the United Way walked into the first companies," before 1960, Brilliant said. "It has been an issue historically, and to some extent it hasn't changed."
Companies pressure their employees, she said, because they want bragging rights. They display their donation amounts on Web sites or use them to get on marketable lists in magazines and newspapers, for example.
Companies also like United Way, Brilliant said, because it can keep other solicitations at bay. United Way giving makes donating easy for employers, because money can be sent to many different charities through one campaign, she said.
This is despite recent upheaval at the organization. In 1992, the national umbrella group made headlines when its president was convicted of stealing $1.2 million from the organization.
Scandal aside, some employees don't like that part of their contributions pays for United Way overhead; they would rather give to charities directly.
Employer pressure is something United Way of America has fought for years, spokesman Philip Jones said. "The biggest challenge is when you have an employer ... and there's that great desire to want to do well in the annual workplace campaign and they slide to the side of being a bit overzealous in their enthusiasm."
Additional cases
One man said he was called upon by higher- and higher-ups, including a weekend meeting with human resources types, to explain why he would not give. Soon thereafter, he lost his job. He said he can't prove it was because he did not donate, but he thinks that was a major factor.
Another said his organization sent a districtwide e-mail, asking why he did not give. A woman said her company gives everyone a day off if everybody in the office donates at least $10. "I've seen people pay for others, just to get the day off," she said. "I used to fight it, but now I just think about my day off and grin and bear it."
Jones said companies need to back off. In fact, he said, "red flags should go up" any time one claims 100 percent participation. "You have to wonder if everyone's in a position to give," he said.