United Way Worldwide announces major new effort, recruiting 1 million volunteers for tutoring and mentoring 

At a national online town hall meeting yesterday, United Way Worldwide (UWW) announced that it is seeking 1 million volunteers to serve as mentors, tutors, and readers to students across the country.  The announcement comes as part of United Way's ongoing efforts to reduce the national high school dropout rate by 50% by 2018. 

Brian Gallagher, President of UWW, believes people are looking for ways to help.  "The majority want to be involved, they just don't know how to do it. They feel disconnected from the schools."  Click here to watch a recording of the full event at LiveUnited.org. 

The Education Town Hall coincided with the release of a new UWW report entitled "Voices for the Common Good: America Speaks Out on Education."  This report shares the aspirations and concerns of everyday people across America about their communities and what it will take for all children to succeed in life. It's based on a series of community conversations local United Ways hosted across the country last fall, as well as some focus groups and a national poll.  Read more.

According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy, while a majority of people in the United Way study said they are willing to volunteer, about 40 percent also cited work and family obligations as the main reasons they don't do so.  Brian Gallagher says the new effort makes it easier for people to get involved.  Read the full article from the Chronicle.

For a "play by play" description of the event, including links to additional resources, a list of town hall panel presenters and much more, check out the event blog here.  Stay tuned for more on how local United Ways are responding to this call to action.

Getting serious about financial management

 

Rick Moyers, blogger for the Chronicle of Philanthropy and vice president of programs and communications at the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation in Washington, believes that "if money is the fuel that allows nonprofits to accomplish their mission, then financial statements (especially the neglected balance sheet) are the gas gauge."

He writes in a recent blog post that "boards are notorious for their distaste for reviewing financial information and their inability to interpret financial statements or to use them to make decisions".  There are many explanations for why this is the case, and both the organization's executive director and board need to come together, especially in this climate, to work toward "crystal clarity about their financial situation.  If they don't, they risk running out of gas."  Read more.

 

A cap on charitable deductions? 

article by Lucinda Nord, reprinted from the Indiana Association of United Ways Public Policy Update

Budget proposals from the President and members of Congress include a limitation on the amount that individual donors may deduct for their charitable contributions.

Current federal tax laws ensure that anyone who itemizes will not be taxed on income donated to those in need. (We would argue that, to be fair, even non-itemizers should be eligible for tax deductions based on their tax rate.) When tax rates for various income brackets increase or decrease, the deduction rates would increase or decrease accordingly.

A study by the IU Center on Philanthropy concluded that a combined 67 percent of wealthy households would somewhat or dramatically decrease their charitable contributions if they received zero income tax deductions for their donations. If the charitable deduction is capped, rather than eliminated, the wealthy will still give. But they will give less, and charitable aid to those who need help will be reduced at the worst possible time.

We would argue that as government programs are cut, the Administration and Congress should be looking for ways to increase charitable donations. The additional revenue to the government would be insignificant compared to the impact on reducing the deficit.

April birthday announcements!

The following is a list of friends of United Way of Kentucky celebrating birthdays this month. Join us in wishing them a happy and healthy year to come! 

April 1: Stepphone Mack
April 1: Randy Roberts
April 18: Anne Bradley
April 27: Chris Wilborn