Overcoming Common Objections

There are so many good charities – why give to UWRC?

• A donation to United Way of Rockland County is the most powerful investment you can make in your community because it is combined with other gifts – multiplying their power to reach more people and to impact critical needs in our community far more than you could do with a single gift to another organization.
• A typical United Way donor supports at least one other charity along with their church, temple or mosque as there are many needs in Rockland to be addressed. However thousands of people who work and/or live here recognize that UWRC is the only charity that supports everyone here who needs help – from the smallest child to the most senior adult, regardless of income, background, race, ethnicity or background.

I don’t use these services – so why should I support them?

• You never know when you will need United Way – don’t you want them to be there for you when you do?
• Your contribution is an investment in your future as well as your family’s future. Whatever we raise this year for Rockland will be what can be given out for next year to programs that help you, your co-workers, neighbors and friends.
• The world would be a much better place if we could all take care of ourselves and no one needed our help. However, none of us really goes through life alone, and none of us is really beyond the problem of sickness or the tragedy an accident can bring. The great thing about United Way is that it provides one very practical way for self-sufficient…and fortunate…people to give direct help to people who cannot help themselves, such as an abused child, a person in crisis or an elderly retiree.

I live outside of Rockland County – why should I give here?

• Many people who work here use the services of our non-profit community throughout the work day (such as child care, United Way’s 211 helpline, mental health counseling, etc.).
• Local businesses such as ours are running a United Way of Rockland County campaign because they believe in supporting United Way’s work.
• If you want to ALSO support the local United Way in which you live, make that clear on your pledge form.

You don’t fund my favorite agency OR I don’t like that you support xyz agency.

• This year UWRC opened up its funding process to ALL non-profits in Rockland and is concentrating on initiatives to focus on issues that Rockland residents prioritized for us.
• Please check the listing of initiatives and agencies that we support to confirm that are partners with United Way. If you don’t find your favorite agency, there is a good chance that they never applied to get funding.
• The Community Initiatives that we are funding are critical to the success of everyone here: Meeting and Protecting Basic Needs, Nurturing Our Children and Youth and Enhancing Seniors; Independence. You are welcome to attend the quarterly meetings of these partners to see for yourself that they are focused on real solutions to create lasting change and really are not controversial in any way.
• All organizations that receive funding from us must justify our support continuously through a rigorous funding process. However, if you still feel strongly that a particular agency should not receive a portion of your donation, United Way will honor those wishes. Take a moment to look at our pledge card and designate an “Initiative” that makes it clear what programs you would like to support. Or if you wish, you can still designate that your donation is given to another United Way or any non-profit agency that has a 501(c)(3) status.
• Still want more answers? E-mail UWRC and we will quickly address the question.

~ over, please ~

United Way spends too much money on fundraising.

• It costs money to raise and track the funding to make sure that it is used in the manner in which it was intended – this is a fact that cannot be eliminated. Fortunately, UWRC has the help of over 500 volunteers to work with a small staff (4 full time, 1 part time) to raise funds. As a result, its overhead (17%) is much smaller than most non-profits that depend on fundraising to conduct their work. Most importantly, these fundraising and administrative costs are much lower than if each organization, supported by United Way, were to raise the money completely on its own.
• The Better Business Bureau has certified that UWRC is a great charity and has stated that in their opinion a charity is not spending too much on fundraising as long as the fundraising overhead is less than 33% of what is raised.

I cannot afford to give to United Way.

• Every gift is important to the United Way’s ability to help.
• Every dollar really does count.
• We are all fighting the cost-of-living battle and it seems to get harder every year. But when you realize that by donating you can really help the number of people who have some incredibly tough problems to face and that you can help with a donation that could be taken from your paycheck throughout an entire year (or paid through a credit card over a series of months), a few dollars a week may become more affordable.
• Please remember that the partners that are supported by UWRC are also dealing with increased costs and they are depending on everyone’s support to be able to effectively help everyone that needs it.