Originally Posted by
cawhite
A friendly reminder for those whose employers run annual "giving" campaigns (e.g. United Way, etc). Check to see if they allow designated giving to 501(c)(3) organizations that are not affiliated with United Way. When I was completing my designated giving form and turned to the back page, I noticed a section that allowed additional designations to any 501(c)(3) organization in the US. It was easy to raise my annual giving amount with an additional designation to the Capt. Jason Dahl Scholarship Fund.
Small warning with this... At least our local United Way takes a pretty good chunk of what you donate to non-partner agencies for "fundraising and processing fees." Our pledge form reads, "Donor designations to non-partner agencies are assessed both a fundraising and processing fee based on actual historical costs."