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Show United Way Warns About Giving to Unworthy Causes "A great many appeals will compete for the donors dollar during the holiday season," said Jack Holmes, Executive Director of the United Way of Utah County. " Then Solicitations, "he continued, "will be made through the mails, personal requests, by telephone, coin containers, by newspaper and many other means. Many causes people are asked to support are now traditions and contributors just assume the agence is honest and doing good. Wise giving does not consist in giving to each and every appeal. ap-peal. To help the contributor make a wise decision, the United Way offers these guidelines. 1. Contributors should not give to any philanthropic orgfanization that mails an unordered item of "merchan-dise"such "merchan-dise"such as printed name and address stickers, key rings, or similiar items asking for a contgribution. This fund-raising method costs at times more than 90 cents out of each $1.00. A contributor should not return the item or reply. 2. Contributors are warned against giving in response to telephone solicitations from strangers. Some callers ask for contributions to be sent or picked up ikmmediately. Others offer merchandise with some part of the purchase pur-chase price to go to a nonprofit non-profit agency. Never give or place an order in response. Always ask the caller to write instead, enclosing information infor-mation about the agency. Then evaluate it, seek out professional advice from private and governmental contgributor-advisory agencies, agen-cies, and consider personal priorities before giving. 3. The fund-raising method used by organizations is not the only yardstick for giving. The purpose of philanthropic organizations is to provide effective ef-fective leadership and services. ser-vices. For example a national agency raised over $1,200,000 of contributions con-tributions in response to its direct mail solicitations during it's third year of operations. The organizations eight-member Board of Trustees met only once and it's Executive Committee of four members did not meet at all. 4. Ask how much of the funds raised will be spent locally. 5. Ask how much the overhead costs are. The United Way urges everyone to think before giving and to carefully evaluate all such requests. United Way volunteers spent over 360 hours in evaluation of agencies and programs in Utah County this year analyzing twenty four agencies. agen-cies. This process begins with agencies submitting requests by January 20 of each year and takes nearly four months to complete. Any person needing information infor-mation about the validity of agencies asking for contributions con-tributions during this holiday season may call the United Way office, 374-2588, for assistance. |