United Way Project Kicks Off Effort to Raise $60 Million

Hundreds of volunteers armed with shovels, gloves and paintbrushes fanned out Saturday across Los Angeles County to spruce up youth centers and schools in the kickoff of a $60-million campaign by United Way, still struggling to reverse a free fall in donations during the early 1990s.

A festive early morning rally of about 300 workers and cheering students on the football field of Manual Arts High School was another take on a modern Los Angeles tableau: an upbeat moment of hope and renewal against a backdrop of the wrenching change that has befallen the region in this decade.

“You are the ones working together to make a difference, to make our city great,” Mayor Richard Riordan told the crowd before taking up a paint roller and helping workers cover a row of badly soiled and weather-beaten pink classroom bungalows.

But fewer volunteers than expected showed up at Manual Arts, and the estimated 1,000 people working countywide Saturday was down sharply from last year’s event, which drew more than 3,000.

Part of the problem was that the Los Angeles agency, which has seen pledges tumble from $91 million in 1990 to less than $60 million in recent years, has been preoccupied much of the year with a difficult restructuring and staff cuts.

Nearly three-fourths of the agency’s contributions traditionally have come through payroll deductions. The recession, the contraction of the aerospace industry, plus mergers and downsizing by large corporations, public agencies and utilities have made it difficult to secure and increase pledges.

“It’s hard to get people motivated when they are concerned about their jobs,” said one corporate manager at the rally.

It’s still a tough fund-raising climate. The current campaign faces a potential loss of several hundred thousand dollars as a result of the Wells Fargo takeover of First Interstate Bank. And publicity surrounding the conviction last year of the former head of United Way of America for diverting agency funds into lavish vacations and gifts for girlfriends has been no help.

The Los Angeles campaign raised $58 million last year, slightly short of its goal. Still, officials took heart because it marked the first time in five years that the total had increased. Moreover, through reductions in expenses, funds going to 250 community health, social service and relief groups increased by 2% to $45 million, the first uptick after years of large reductions.

“First you have to stop the losses. Then you go up from there,” said United Way of Greater Los Angeles President Joseph Haggerty, who took over the agency early last year.

The 1996-97 target of $60 million was announced by the campaign chairman, Richard T. Schlosberg III, publisher of the Los Angeles Times. Officials said that they have begun to bring more medium-sized businesses into the corporate giving and payroll deduction programs, but that much more must be done in that area.