Charity drive aims to raise $470K from faculty, staff

The University's annual major charitable drive -- which aims to raise money from faculty and staff for eight different organizations -- is now under way.

Since its creation in 1991, Penn's Way has served as a leader in university workplace campaigns, helping the Pennsylvania area raise money for a wide variety of local funds and federations. Its success has prompted other schools and community groups to begin similar combined fundraising campaigns.

Penn's Way is "a vehicle for the Penn community to participate in a charitable campaign," Penn's Way 2005 Campaign Co-Chairwoman Maureen Rush said. The campaign began Oct. 9 and will run through Dec. 10.

Last year, the fund earned $466,000 for the eight different charitable organizations. This year's goal has been set at $470,000.

This amount of money "is a safe spot to jump" for Penn's Way 2005, according to Rush, who is also Penn's vice president for public safety.

The eight organizations involved with Penn's Way include AIDS Fund, African-American United Fund of Pennsylvania, Bread and Roses Community Fund, Environmental Fund for Pennsylvania, Womens Way, Catholic Charities Appeal, Federation Allied Jewish Appeal and the United Negro College Fund, Inc.

With the help of two organizations, the Center for Responsible Funding and the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the University works to solicit donations and support from Penn faculty and employees.

In addition, part-time employees, work-study students, student interns and contracted employees can donate to Penn's Way.

Lance Donaldson-Evans, a Romance Languages professor and task chairman of the Faculty Senate, has contributed regularly to the fund.

Donaldson-Evans said he believes that Penn's Way "is a worthwhile thing to do. Penn faculty and staff cannot only contribute to the United Way, but other more small and local groups."

As co-chairman of Penn's Way two years ago, Donaldson-Evans has concluded that Penn's Way is a prime example of the "commitment of Penn faculty and staff to the local community."

The help of the CRF was elicited several years ago by Penn employees hoping to broaden Penn's charity campaign, which was originally only supported by the United Way.

"Employees wanted to broaden charity opportunities [and bring in] funds that were topically focused," Executive Director of CRF Carole Boughter said.

While it is up to Penn officials to determine which funds and federations will be included in Penn's Way, CRF further supports these chosen funds by supplying information to donors as well as hosting both a kick-off and closing thank-you dinner for all who participate.

Both CRF and United Way support the campaign by working with "each fund and federation to [compile] a 40-page contributor's guide," Boughter said.

Boughter explained that in the contributor's guide there are two-page spreads dedicated to each fund or federation in Penn's Way. These spreads provide Penn employees with information regarding the fund's mission and member agencies to better inform potential donors.

Since Rush's appointment to administrative chairwoman for Penn's Way three years ago, she has worked with CRF and United Way to simplify the donation process. People can now donate money to charities through the traditional paper method as well as through an online process. Donations are kept anonymous.

According to Rush, 42 percent of donors last year contributed money online, and Penn's Way hopes to increase the percentage of online giving this year.

Still, for those Penn employees who do not wish to contribute to the combined campaign, Penn's Way urges them to show their support in other ways.

Employees can participate without donating by simply filling out a Penn's Way pledge card, demonstrating their support for local charities.

There are several appeals to workplace charity giving. First, workplace giving, according to the Penn's Way Web site, "is considered to be the most inexpensive method of raising money because it allows charities to reach large groups of people at the same time."

Second, "one of the benefits is that you don't have to do the due diligence of whether or not an organization will be responsible with your money," Rush said. CRF and United Way "do audits to make sure your money is going where it should."

As an extra incentive to participate, Penn's Way holds a weekly raffle throughout the campaign period. Some of the prizes being awarded include round-trip airfare on United Airlines, overnight stays at the Sheraton Hotel, family memberships to the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and tickets to numerous Penn sporting events. The grand prize to be awarded at the final raffle is an IBM Thinkpad T41 donated by Penn Computer Connection.

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