September 5, 2002 | Read Time: 1 minute
The nation’s 1,813 United Ways raised $3.95-billion in their 2001-2 annual campaigns, a decline of 1.8 percent after adjusting for inflation. The figure excludes all but $30-million of the funds raised in connection with last September’s terrorist attacks.
United Ways raised $40-million more than in 2000-1, a gain of 0.9 percent, according to United Way of America, the national umbrella group. But the gain was eclipsed by last year’s inflation rate of 2.8 percent.
United Way annual campaigns had grown faster than inflation in each of the previous five years.
The September 11th Fund, a collaboration of the United Way of New York City and the New York Community Trust, raised a total of $501-million, with $30-million coming in through earmarked gifts to the 2001-2 annual campaign. Only the earmarked gifts were counted in the total amount United Ways raised.
During the annual drives, donors nationwide earmarked 26 percent of their contributions to specific nonprofit organizations rather than to their United Ways’ general funds. According to the United Way of America, most of those gifts were designated for social-service organizations.
The fund-raising figures suggest that United Ways are becoming increasingly dependent on large gifts.
Gifts from employee drives at corporations and small businesses, while still the largest source of campaign revenue, totaled $1.96-billion, up just 0.8 percent, or $16-million, before adjusting for inflation.
At the same time, gifts of $1,000 or more from individuals totaled $1.11-billion, a 6.3-percent increase before adjusting for inflation. Gifts of $100,000 or more from individuals accounted for $133.4-million of that figure, an increase of 27.1 percent over the previous campaign.
According to United Way of America, almost two-thirds of United Ways have an endowment fund. The total market value of the funds in 2001 was an estimated $1.2-billion.
