Is it wrong for catholics to support united way?

[exnihilo]

I did not make the claim. I don’t make claims unless I can substantiate them (or I note that it is simply my opinion).

I don’t understand your point. I don’t make claims I can’t substantiate either. What claim are you talking about?

What about non-monetary donations–clothes, furniture, cars?

And do people consider it a donation to shop there? We bought some furniture for my daughter’s college apartment at the SA store.

I wouldn’t give items to them. You could make an argument that if they were the only option it might be better to give to them then throw it away.

Shopping there would fall under the same consideration as any other material cooperation with evil. There are lots of places it would be best to not shop at. Whether one should shop there depends on an analysis of the particular circumstances.

I give money and items to a local mission for the homeless. They are a Christian organization, which where I live means they are Protestant. But there is a difference in that they aren’t an actual denomination teaching things like Baptism isn’t necessary as the Salvation Army does.

 

[Hope1960]

so at my workplace, the charitable campaign every year supports united way.

last year,

I used to work at a large insurance company and the pressure to give to the United Way was big.

 

[on_the_hill]

so at my workplace, the charitable campaign every year supports united way.

Our little office used to have nearly 100% participation in the big organization-wide campaign.

But then we got overshadowed by the big departments and felt like our enthusiasm had gone overlooked and unappreciated.

And big budget cuts and layoffs came right before one of the campaigns when we were all encouraged to give a little extra.

And then they made it harder to identify specific charities for our paycheck deductions, instead opting for the all the money to default to UW, as if we weren’t able to decide for ourselves.

As a result, each year more and more people in the office looked the other way when the campaigns kicked off each year. Our office hasn’t even bothered to pick up the brochures for about ten years now.

 

[Axsenex]

Say what? :man_shrugging:t2:

 

[TenEleven]

I used to work at a large insurance company and the pressure to give to the United Way was big.

Yes, at my former workplace, there was a great deal of pressure on us to give to the United Way. I researched, at the public library (pre-internet days) what the local United Way officers’ salaries were and realized I could give $100 a month for 200 years and STILL not cover a single annual salary of the local United Way head. And this was 20 years ago. It’s best to choose your local charities, do your research, and give to them directly . Skip the United Way completely.

 

[Socrates92]

And a high number of Catholic Charities are United Way members, so many bishops don’t see it that way.

Why is this relevant? Bishops can be wrong.

 

[Hope1960]

Yes, at my former workplace, there was a great deal of pressure on us to give to the United Way. I researched, at the public library (pre-internet days) what the local United Way officers’ salaries were and realized I could give $100 a month for 200 years and STILL not cover a single annual salary of the local United Way head. And this was 20 years ago. It’s best to choose your local charities, do your research, and give to them directly . Skip the United Way completely.

I didn’t want to give because I wasn’t making much money but I caved into the pressure.

 

[1ke]

Why is this relevant?

It’s relevant because it’s a prudential matter. Guidance from our bishops can be helpful here.

 

[angell1]

well, it doen’st list all their partner programs, just general information of what type of programs they support. i.e. children, seniors, those in poverty, community-building, etC…
nothing about “reproductive health care” or anything along those lines, which I mean in Canada, you don’t need charitable support for that anyways, it’s already all government funded

 

[angell1]

yeah, I am discovering this as well. though I tend to view charities a bit differently than strictly retail companies.

if my understanding is correct , we aren’t necessarily responsible for what happens to our money somewhere way up the line after we have made our purchases, which is not the same as supporting a charity that promotes a certain cause directly

 

[TheLittleLady]

It is also a good idea to talk to your local United Way.

I am not certain if the bylaws of my UW are the same for all chapters, however, my chapter requires a representatives from local Jewish, Protestant and Catholic congregations sit on the board who decide where the grants go. Call and ask your local chapter.

 

[1ke]

It doesn’t matter if it lists all the partners. It’s a prudential judgment and you aren’t doing anything wrong.

You can also do designated giving if you really want your donation to go somewhere specific. If you have reservations you can always give directly to a charity of your choice.

 

[anon64350612]

You cannot make such blanket statements. There is NO Catholic Church directive from any bishop I’m aware of stating we cannot give money to United Way.

Boom. I just did make that blanket statement. And I do not rely on the statements of bishops or lack thereof to make prudential decisions on this type of matter. (They also have not made a public stance on matters such are regular tooth-brushing, etc. You see where I am going.) If I did I rely on bishops for prudential decisions I certainly would be confused. God and His law are the basis for my decision to avoid the United Way.

 

[1ke]

You can do whatever you want in the matter.

What you can’t do is tell other people it is wrong to make a different prudential decision than you do.

 

[pnewton]

If you think it wrong, talk to your priest. I have always believe no Catholic has the right to tell another Catholic what is wrong unless the Catholic Church has proclaimed that action to be wrong. We have too many busybodies as it is. I do not give specifically because how top-heavy the administrative costs are, and as said above, how large the salaries.

It is good to remember that UW does not actually do anything themselves, except raise money.

 

[Allegra]

Wait? You don’t think Catholic Charities should accept money from an organization on the basis that the organization also supports charities that are based on other faiths?

 

[Mattapoisett64]

I don’t think Catholic’s should give money to the Salvation Army. I used to and they are a great organization for helping people in need. But unfortunately they are really a church. They are a denomination. They claim to be Christian but actually reject enough true teachings that the Catholic Church does not consider them to be truly Christian. So by giving to the Salvation Army you are giving to a heretical Christian organization.

Regardless I do think it is better to support charities directly. The UW claims a low overhead, and that is true. But the reason for that is that it gets corporations to do all the fundraising work and there is often a not so subtle hint of coercion in soliciting donations.

They “claim to be Christian,” eh? Whenever there’s a hurricane, other natural disaster, large fire, etc. around here, the Catholic diocese puts a related petition into the Prayer of the Faithful. On the other hand, the Salvation Army shows up with food, hot beverages, shelter, and clothing. You tell me which approach more closely conforms with Matthew 25. And in this highly secular age, it’s NEVER “unfortunate” to be a church - even one whose theology we disagree with.

 

[exnihilo]

Wait? You don’t think Catholic Charities should accept money from an organization on the basis that the organization also supports charities that are based on other faiths?

Yes, I don’t think Catholic Charities should participate in an organization that gives money to groups which promote homosexuality or non Christian religions.

They “claim to be Christian,” eh? Whenever there’s a hurricane, other natural disaster, large fire, etc. around here, the Catholic diocese puts a related petition into the Prayer of the Faithful. On the other hand, the Salvation Army shows up with food, hot beverages, shelter, and clothing. You tell me which approach more closely conforms with Matthew 25. And in this highly secular age, it’s NEVER “unfortunate” to be a church - even one whose theology we disagree with.

Christianity isn’t just social work. They aren’t Christian because they reject core tenets of the Faith.

 

[Allegra]

Just making sure I understood correctly. I have a couple of questions though. If Catholic Charities doesn’t accept the grants from UW, doesn’t that mean more money goes to the other charities? I’m not entirely convinced that the Y “promotes homosexuality”, but assuming that they do, what is the difference between saying that the Y and the SA shouldn’t help people because they don’t believe what we believe and the state saying that Catholic charities shouldn’t be allowed to run adoption services because they we don’t remain neutral on issues such as homosexuality?

 

[dochawk]

And then they made it harder to identify specific charities for our paycheck deductions, instead opting for the all the money to default to UW, as if we weren’t able to decide for ourselves.

The last time i looked, earmarked money only became relevant if there were more in earmarks than that recipient was otherwise allocated–so if, for example, Catholic Charities was going to be awarded $10,000, and there were $9,000 in contributions earmarked to it, they would still only receive a total of $10,000.

When i got pressure as a grad student to fill out a card with $0, just for the participation rate, I explained that I couldn’t do anything to support or condone them (and got a frosty response).

It is good to remember that UW does not actually do anything themselves, except raise money.

Well, they consume significant overhead themselves . . .



And to some degree employ the unemployable . . . my family turned away (before the realization about the funding of planned parenthood, etc.) when some one went to make a donation, and the paid employee (with a solid wage for the time; not minimum wage or volunteer) not only wouldn’t give a receipt, but didn’t even see, to understand what the concept was . . .

My money goes to Catholic Charities, Food For All (which pinches dimes so tight that they bought their own airplanes after they calculated it would cost less than shipping!), and when finances are better, Shriners’ Hospitals (they gave my daughter her life back with surgery not available yet anywhere else).

I’ll consider places that can document expenses well below 10%, never to any that spend on postage or employees to solicit, and, of course, the Knights of Columbus tootsie roll drive–which generally contributes more directly to local charities, earmarked to a need, than the gross amount collected! (I call it, “negative overhead”)

hawk