When Bigger May Be Worse

 

In "Charity: When Bigger Is Better" (Insider, February), you stated that small businesses and their employees don't give as much as big businesses, but your statistics showed only that they don't give as much to the United Way. United Way donations are but one measure of giving.

As a former chamber of commerce manager and current board member for a community foundation, I can attest to the generosity of small business in responding to almost-daily solicitations by local charities, athletic, cultural, and youth organizations, and service clubs, to name a few. Big business usually closes its doors completely to these groups, which aren't even eligible for United Way funding. Ironically, big business sometimes rationalizes this by saying they are already giving . . . to the United Way.

Which type of business needs to understand, as your article put it, "that a healthy community helps their business?"