United Way Reaches Goal: $18.4 Million in Pledges

For only the second time in 12 years, the United Way of Orange County has reached its fund-raising goal, pulling in $18.4 million in pledges. The amount reflects a 5.1% increase over last year’s total and brings the agency back to the level of donations it received in 1992.

Elated agency officials said the almost $1-million increase in pledges was due largely to applying fundamental business principles to the job of charitable solicitation.

The new business philosophy was in part the work of the agency’s campaign committee, a 20-member group laden with Orange County CEOs, company presidents and high-ranking business people.

“We really are operating this organization as a business. We’re demonstrating where our money is going to go. We’re asking for results from our people and getting that information back out to” donors, United Way President Maria Chavez-Wilcox said. “And it’s no longer acceptable not to reach a goal.”

Campaign Chairman Rob Kent, the ranking executive for IBM in Orange County, said the successful campaign was the product of a union between good-hearted philanthropy and practical business principles.

“Part of it is people helping people,” Kent said. “But the business case is ‘Why give through United Way?’ Well, the fact of the matter is United Way does all the legwork for people. And we measure and track each agency to prove they’re fiscally sound and well managed.”

The agency also spends only 19 cents of every dollar it receives on administrative costs, passing the rest along to charities, Kent said.

But mainly, donating through the United Way also frees the directors of nonprofit agencies to spend their energies helping the needy, rather than pleading for dollars, Kent said.

To achieve its goal of raising $18.4 million, the committee divided Orange County businesses into categories and then assigned members to urge them to give. The result was increased giving in many categories.

Technology industries saw one of the greatest jumps in donations--32%--along with health care, which increased by 38.5%.

“I took an article that came out about two months ago that talked about how people in the technology industries don’t give, and I sent it out to all the executives across Orange County,” Kent said. “I said, ‘I know this isn’t the case. I know you’re generous, and now’s the chance to prove them wrong.’ ”

In addition to the committee members’ business acumen, the United Way also benefited from the high-level friendships among its committee members and other executives.

“I started by identifying prospects where I had a personal relationship with the CEO,” said Michael Stephens, president of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach. “Then we targeted organizations that may have given in the past and someone dropped off, so there was a tradition we could rekindle and we could utilize some techniques to increase giving.”

At the hospital, Stephens auctioned his services to the highest-bidding department and ended up spending part of one afternoon dunning insurance companies that had been billed by Hoag but which had not paid their bills.

The hospital auction raised $8,000, but it also raised the visibility of the campaign, Stephens said. It also reminded employees that people less fortunate need their help.

Ingram Micro, the world’s largest wholesaler of computer products, held a variety of events for employees, including a popular “casual Wednesday” in which employees paid $3 to dress down.

“It just reminded people every week that the campaign was going on, and we collected about $3,000 a week,” said company President Jeff Rodek.

The company also provided its employees with tours of several agencies that receive United Way funds. “I think people came back from [the tours] and really cared,” Rodek said. “That way they can see why they’re giving.” Pledges to United Way at the company soared from $121,277 to $241,219.

In recognition of the work done on its behalf, the United Way today plans to recognize companies with the highest per capita employee giving, the largest number of $1,000 donations and those with the most improved rate of giving.

The agency’s highest honor, the Dimensions in Giving Award, will go to The Times Orange County Edition for its overall tradition of philanthropy and community service.

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United, O.C. Gives

1996 pledges to the United Way of Orange County exceeded those in 1995 as corporations came through during fund drives. Goals and amounts raised, in millions:

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Year Amount Goal 1992 $18.5 $21.0 1993 19.3 18.5 1994 19.5 20.0 1995 17.5 19.7 1996 18.4 18.4

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Top 10 donor groups in 1996-97, by amount pledged:

1. County of Orange: $701,768

2. Bank of America: 623,809

3. Edison International: 599,977

4. Pacific Telesis: 452,462

5. Pacific Mutual: 401,340

6. United Parcel Service: 71,364

7. Fluor Corp.: 297,008

8. Lucky Stores Inc.: 244,300

9. Ingram Micro: 242,219

10. Arco Foundation: 237,000

Source: United Way of Orange County