Tsunamis, hurricanes, floods — several national and international disasters have led many Americans, including WSU employees and students, to graciously give to those in need.
However, that trend often has resulted in bypassing local and regional charities, leaving them in bit of a financial lurch.
Last year, among state universities, WSU was second to last in overall employee participation in the Combined Fund Drive. UW led the way at 17.16 percent participation, followed by Western Washington University, Central Washington University and Eastern Washington University. WSU came in at 9.57 percent.
In addition, WSU’s participation levels in CFD have decreased for the past three years — from 10.7 percent in 2003, to 9.8 percent in 2004, to 9.57 percent in 2005.
This year’s CFD goal at WSU is to raise participation levels to 15 percent — the average giving level among all state universities in 2005.
If support of local and regional charities is important in your giving goals, you might want to review the more than 2,100 certified organizations on the Combined Fund Drive list, see www.cfd.wa.gov/CharityGuide/CharityGuideHome.htm. There, you can request a list of participating charities in your county.
“This year we hope to increase local awareness and accountability in our community,” said Brent Freeman, CFD campaign co-coordinator. “Local agencies are struggling and need the support of all of us to make a difference.”
CFD department representatives university wide also will be handing out the official CFD Charity Guide in coming weeks. If you don’t know who is your department representative, contact cfd@wsu.edu.
Participants can give a one-time gift, set up a recurring payroll deduction or simply send in a personal check.
