United Way: Flirting With Disaster Again

To the Editor:

As a professional employed by a small United Way, your article “Software Deal Goes Sour for United Way” (December 16) has me greatly concerned for a number of reasons.

First, I am greatly concerned by the apparent fact that the Board of Directors at United Way of America would allow a $10-million mortgage to be taken out against its Alexandria, Va., headquarters. I know that our board of directors would never allow such a thing to happen. Should the deal go bad, which it did, United Way of America would lose its base and its ability to serve the national community.

How was United Way of America President Betty Beene able to make a decision that could potentially cripple the organization and still retain her job? Just from an accountability standpoint, who is responsible for this horrible decision?

My second concern is that this situation will further damage the reputation of United Way, making it harder for local United Ways to raise the funds necessary to serve their communities. I know that my United Way is still feeling the repercussions from the William Aramony scandal of the early 1990s. We are constantly having to temper our approach to donors with the assurance that money raised in their community is being well used and that the misuse of funds was at a national level, having nothing to do with their local United Way.

When word of the software fiasco becomes more public — and it will — local United Ways are going to have to add another set of answers and explanations to questions that donors are going to have.

And I don’t blame the donors. I have the same questions.

Kelly M. Ferebee
Houston