Employer Charities 1

[Thadeus]

My employer has a relationship with a national charity by which a few million dollars is raised from the employee's every year. There are launch meetings where you are pitched on why you should pledge a weekly payroll deduction. Every employee is scheduled to attend and there is a sign-in sheet at the meeting. Directors and up have a separate meeting where the are told what donor level is expected of them. This year it was $1K. Additionally, they schedule a month's worth of games of chance, auctions, etc. to raise money beyond the pledged amounts from your pocket cash... like $1 for a raffle ticket, then $5 to wear jeans for the day. Small stuff that adds up.

I believe in keeping my charitable donations discreet and to places I feel my money will do the most direct good. I like bang for my buck and I like local needs. So I am not into this particular national charity. But the push to participate disturbs me. It's not compulsory, but the constant cheer of "GIVE" in every 7 - 8 emails can make it feel that way.

I've been working since 1985 and have never come across this type of corporate culture. It is also the largest company I've ever worked for with over 25K employees which may mean something... Are there others out there that encounter this? Does it feel strange to you? I know people at my office who think positively about it as well as those who feel negatively. So I'm just curious...

 

[svanels]

Maybe I do not have any luck to encounter these situations, but I can be very sarcastic.

Something like, I have two collectionbusses in my room, one for the redcross
two another for my hungry kids at home

Additional comments
Can it be deducted from the raise I am waiting on for so long?

Maybe my reputation towards BS scares the parasites off.

I do contribute a lot to different institutions but that is voluntary.

Steven

 

[aarenot]

my wife gives at her office, so i am covered. thanks anyway.

You do not always get what you pay for, but you never get what you do not pay for.

 

[Welshbird]

I'm about to ask my company to consider having a 'Charity of the Year' for the very first time.

Having read this post though, I will certainly be stressing the fact that this will be completely optional!

My aim was partly to raise money for my personal favourite charadee (

http://www.jst.org.uk),

but also to give us something that we could ALL join in with; especially as the company are about to move 5 diverse businesses under one roof for the first time.

So, there will be one day which will be mufty with eye patches (end October 2007) at a cost of £2 each including a 'free' eye patch, btu anythign else that happens will be because people chose to do something daft to raise some money.

(BTW - Any suggestions anyone has that I can offer to people would be gratefully recieved)

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[SantaMufasa]

Any suggestions anyone has that I can offer to people would be gratefully recieved.

Fee, I could not discern what "suggestions" you are looking for. Please elucidate.

Mufasa
(aka Dave of Sandy, Utah, USA)
[I can provide you with low-cost, remote Database Administration services: see our website and contact me via www.dasages.com]

 

[Welshbird]

Any ideas for things I can organise that might make us
1. All feel more like one big group not 6 smaller ones
2. Not make people groan and hide...
3. Make some money for the sailing trust!




Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[aarenot]

ask to put a link on your companies web page to their site. then announce the adition to your organization when it happens, along with an email touting your experience with the organization, and the good work it does. i do not endorse mandatory company charities being enforced, or suggested strongly.

also, if anyone else participates in their cruises, ask them to email sharing their experience.

You do not always get what you pay for, but you never get what you do not pay for.

 

[Welshbird]

I don't want to force anyone to contribute; I just want there to be a charity that the company tried to help for a year, and then we can switch to a new one.

The website link is a good idea though; thanks.

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[harebrain]

A sailing trust is a charity?

The world's gone mad.

 

[Welshbird]

Maybe not in this case harebrain.

This trust takes crews of non-sailors to sea, but it takes 50% able bodied crew, and 50% disabled crew. It's less about the sailing and much more about learning to integrate.

I can see why it might look that way though!

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[aarenot]

i belive that charitable contributions are beneficial to those recieving them.

i also find that charitable contributions are beneficial to those giving them. from my experience over the last two decades giving 12-20 hours per week for charitable, volunteer, or community service there is nothing that gives more satisfaction, or feeling of making a difference in the lives of others. not only has it made a difference in the lives of those i try to invest in, but i find my children are also volunteering to do charitable works without being prompted to by anyone. the feelings of being vested in the lives, and success of others, and sharing in the joy of their accomplishments far exceeds any benefits i recieve from my proffessional life.

i understand that this may seem to be bragging about what i do for others, and to some degree it is. to be clear, i am bragging about how it feels to see those you invest in succeed, gain confidance, and a feeling of self worth that comes from someone investing in them, that to their knowledge, gets nothing out of it for themselves. it can change the way they see themselves, others, and the world they live in. investing your money in others is noble, but investing yourself in others causes returns on your investment far beyond what any finacial investment can give them, or yourself. it can, and probably will change you, as well as them, both for the better.

what i do is mentoring, and it has been my most personally profitable endeavor to date. i would suggest trying to start a charitable contribution program based on encouraging others to invest their time as a valued resource, and money as a secondary concern. it will make those recieving the help, those giving the help, the organization organizing the giving of help, and those seeing the giving in front of them all reciepients of some gain from the experience. it can also help encourage a sense of teamwork in the organization, as well as a confidance that they can accomplish great things together, while building relationships within your team.

 

[Thadeus]

i would suggest trying to start a charitable contribution program based on encouraging others to invest their time as a valued resource, and money as a secondary concern.

They do organize a specific day when employees are encouraged to act as a group, volunteering locally.

it will make those recieving the help, those giving the help, the organization organizing the giving of help, and those seeing the giving in front of them all reciepients of some gain from the experience. it can also help encourage a sense of teamwork in the organization, as well as a confidance that they can accomplish great things together, while building relationships within your team.

See, this is the issue. The only way to gain that experience or sense of teamwork is if the entire team is forced to volunteer... Sure you can say, "You don't have to if you don't want to", but that does not translate well in a work environment. And the justifiable reasons why an employee may not wish to "volunteer" can be many.

~Thadeus

 

[aarenot]

i really do emcourage only voluntary scenarios.

 

[FXP]

My employer had a charity campaign for years and "encouraged" all managers to make contributions. The charity was a National organization that was eventually investigated by the Press. It seems the head of the charity was taking a huge salary and flying around in expensive jets and staying at luxurious hotels. It's nice to know my money went to improve his life style. Companies that force charitable giving as a condition of employment are impairing the work environment and damaging morale. Charity begins and should stay a personal matter.