The role of the workplace giving in united arts fund campaigns

Throughout the United States, there are over sixty united arts campaigns raising nearly $83 million annually. A united arts fund is defined as a private nonprofit organization established with the mission of fundraising for at least three cultural organizations in a community. This thesis examines the various sources of funding for united arts campaigns, specifically support from individuals participating in workplace giving programs. Through comparison to the United Way's employee giving model and surveys distributed to administrators of united arts funds, an analysis is made of workplace giving and its role in united arts campaigns. Employee giving, a source untapped in many communities, has been an alternative to other funding sources such as corporate gifts and government grants which have been cut drastically in recent years. This thesis concludes with a discussion of the future of workplace giving in united arts fundraising.