Penn's Way decision delayed one more week, admins. say

Less than a month before the University's annual charity-giving campaign begins, administrators said they need at least another week to decide whether a group favored by many employees will manage the campaign. Administrators need more time to compare and choose between the United Way -- which managed last year's campaign -- and the local, independent Center for Responsible Funding, Executive Vice President John Fry said. University officials decided to consider the Center for Responsible Funding because "there are folks at Penn who want us to look elsewhere [than the United Way]," Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Carol Scheman said. Officials will choose the group they feel will run the campaign most effectively and conduct the fundraising drive "without draining Penn employee resources," Scheman said. Some employees have expressed concern that delaying the decision will put pressure on whichever organization is chosen, because it will have to compile its program quickly. But Fry stressed that the delay will not prevent either organization from effectively managing the campaign. "Clearly, both organizations are ready to wrap up and go," he said. "As long as we give them a few weeks, we'll be fine." One University employee, who asked to remain anonymous, questioned officials' intentions in prolonging the decision. "The University is either taking its time because it doesn't care about the campaign, or because it is going to choose the United Way and is waiting until that's the only option possible," she said. But Physiology Professor Martin Pring said the delay could indicate that officials are being "open-minded? and analyzing both groups." Following a September 25 meeting in which both organizations presented fundraising proposals, many University employees appeared to prefer the Center for Responsible Funding -- which hopes to focus its campaign on West Philadelphia organizations. "Unless the University can point out a substantial flaw in the Center, it would be riding roughshod over the group it brought in for advice," Pring said. The University's decision to outsource the campaign to United Way last year provoked frustration and anger among many employees. But this time around, more employees are being included in the decision process, a move which administrators hope will lead to increased employee donations. Many employees refused to donate to last year's campaign to protest the University's failure to consult them in the decision. The campaign -- which ran last November and December -- raised only $230,029, down from the $304,386 raised in 1995 and the $406,580 in 1994. Employees had also complained they could not donate to their favorite charities because the United Way limited their range of choices. But Ray Smith, United Way's assistant vice president for combined campaigns, insisted its "donor choice" program is inclusive and offers over 2,800 organizations to choose from.