New York Area Corporations Remain Committed to Charity, 61% Report Gifting Levels to Hold Steady or Increase This Year

    NEW YORK, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- In the first study to measure how
 charitable giving among New York-area corporations was affected by the events
 of September 11th, 61% of those surveyed said they will maintain or increase
 their level of charitable spending this year.  In addition, the blind study of
 corporate giving decision makers commissioned by United Way of New York City
 showed that, of those who gave to eight of the largest September 11-related
 charities, 70% felt their 9/11 donations were used properly and 72% said they
 would support these charities again.
     When asked what they expect their corporate contributions to be this year,
 61% of respondents predicted the amount of their giving would be the same or
 higher.
     "We are encouraged by the outlook for charitable giving among New York
 metropolitan area companies," noted Ralph Dickerson, Jr., President of United
 Way of New York City.  "We believe that this show of confidence, during this
 extraordinary and tumultuous year, is in good part a result of the performance
 of New York area charities in coordinating and filling gaps in services."
     Other findings are as follows:
 
      -- 84% of those who gave to 9/11-related charities felt that those
         organizations/groups performed well
 
      -- 85% of respondents believe that Americans will increase or maintain
         current charitable giving levels
 
      -- Most respondents feel that the nation's reactions to donations after
         9/11 renewed their faith in charitable giving
 
     The phone and mail survey of 81 corporate philanthropy decision makers at
 New York area corporations was conducted between March 29 and July 15 by the
 market research firm of Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, Inc. and
 commissioned by United Way of New York City.
 
     About United Way of New York City
     United Way of New York City (UWNYC) is a volunteer-led organization
 dedicated to helping New York's most vulnerable citizens become and remain
 self-sufficient.  UWNYC funds a network of the most effective health and human
 services nonprofits in the five boroughs; mobilizes collaborative efforts to
 address our community's most pressing needs; and provides management
 assistance, technology training, donated computers and more to help nonprofits
 achieve maximum impact.  UWNYC's Web site address is
 http://www.unitedwaynyc.org .
 
     About Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, Inc.
     Penn Schoen and Berland is a Washington DC-based public affairs
 consultancy and one of the US's leading players in the fields of strategic and
 political research. PSB is best known for its political work, which includes
 the re-election of Bill Clinton in 1996 and the election of Michael Bloomberg
 as New York City's mayor late last year. But most of its work is on strategic
 issues for corporate clients, including brand positioning and competition.
 Major clients include AT&T, American Express, BP, KPMG, Novartis, and
 Microsoft. The firm has five locations across the US: Washington, New York,
 Denver, Aurura (Colorado) and Houston. PSB's Web site address is
 http://www.psb.com .
 
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SOURCE  United Way of New York City