Ken Ulman is showing the United Way of Central Maryland that he has some power, or at least some balls. He doesn’t approve of the way that the United Way has allocated funds to many Howard County non-profits, so he may initiate a competing organization to solicit charitable contributions. In other words, Ulman will work against the United Way if they don’t spread some money around to a higher number of Howard non-profits. The thing to keep in mind is that the United Way is contributing the same dollar amount to Howard County non-profits; they are just contributing those dollars to a smaller pool of non-profits. Ulman appears to be oiling a few squeaky wheels.
The way the United Way currently operates seems like a good thing. They are able to increase total donations through various fund drives (like the one my company bullies me into donating to), using their good name to generate dollars. Non-profits can then compete for the dollars contributed to the United Way, almost like a bidding process. The non-profits that have the better missions and better plans will get more dollars. Ah, the beauty of the free market! Maybe we don’t have enough information, but it seems to me like some non-profits that did not make the United Way “cut” have asked Ulman for money instead, and Ulman is trying to bully the United Way into cutting those non-profits some checks. This interferes with the free market.
I propose this: let Ulman start his competing organization and let them compete side by side with the United Way. In other words, don’t lobby Howard County companies to shut the United Way out of fund drives. Have a single fund drive and let both organizations throw their hats in the ring. The people who are providing the dollars can decide which organization should get the money. Shutting the United Way out of the process is unfair.
2 comments:
I disagree, FreeMarket, with your statement that the nonprofits with the "better missions and better plans" will get the money. That's not the case.
The United Way (hardly an organization with a stellar record, if you choose to look a little into its history) is not exercising greater scrutinty to ensure that only the most worth non-profits receive funding, it is limiting its donations only to organizations which can exercise a measurable change in those it serves.
On the face of it, that sounds good, but the problem is that not all organizations are capable in moving their target clients into a better place.
Organizations that provide job training, for example, can show a measurable outcome when a large percent of their clients are trained and get jobs.
Other organizations, like ARC for example, still provide a valuable service in employing the physically and developmentally disabled, however, those people aren't going to get "better" through the ARC's work.
Organizations that function to support a portion of our population, that will not and cannot move them up and beyond their current status lose out with the United Way. And that's a shame. The service is no less valuable. Heck, it may even be more so.
Two things bother me about this.
1) Howard County has MUCH bigger fish to fry. This seems like a low priority.
2) It seems like a conflict of interest for the County Executive to raise money to be steered to his pet organizations.
I betcha the Ulman Fund would get some of the money too!
I wouldn't be surprised for the Ethics Commission to get involved, if someone brought the case.
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