As the 22nd annual Washington State Combined Fund Drive (CFD) concluded Dec. 15, 2006, state employees and retirees together pledged a record $5.92 million to more than 2,600 different charities, surpassing a previous record set in 2005 of $5.64 million.

The UW CFD contributed $1,680,533 to the state fund, which is more than one-fifth of the total statewide donation.

Program manager Kerri Everly believes that the CFD is successful each year because of its convenience and flexibility.

"There are benefits to both the charities and donors," she said. "Donors can go through payroll and spread the donation out, and charities can budget for the year with the pledged money."

Created as an intermediary organization between donors and charities, Everly said the CFD releases donations to charities on a quarterly basis, and often ends up providing more than 100 percent of the money originally set aside for charities.

"The donated money is put in the state treasury," Everly said. "And the interest accrued pays for management costs. Whatever interest is left over is also given back to the charities."

While the UW CFD was initially scheduled to run from Oct. 4 to Dec. 4, the deadline was extended to Dec. 11 due to inclement weather.

With this extra time, UW faculty and employees were able to contribute more than usual.

"I am so proud of all of our faculty and staff," said UW Steering Committee Chair Kristina Hansen. "They not only gave up part of their paycheck but their time as well."

While the Seattle campus donated the most dollars, participation at both the Tacoma and Bothell campuses was higher than the Seattle campus at 21 percent. Participation of all three UW campuses combined was 17 percent.

"It's absolutely wonderful," said UW spokesman Norm Arkans. "It shows how committed people are to those in need."

Among the charities UW employees donated to in 2006, in first place was Northwest Harvest with $95,394.

In second and third respectively, were Planned Parenthood with $91,354 and United Way of King County with $91,034.

Receiving the largest influx of money, though, was not a specific charity but rather the unspecified fund.

Garnering $149,550, the unspecified fund is to be set aside and distributed on a pro rata basis among the other charities as outlined in CFD policy.

While potentially controversial charities such as Greenpeace and PETA are listed in the CFD, Hansen said all charities undergo strict background checks before they are added and donors can choose which charities their money goes to.

As popularity of charitable organizations fluctuate from year to year, the top three recipients in the past few years were Northwest Harvest, United Way of King County, and Planned Parenthood, according to data released by the CFD.

"There are occasionally comments by faculty on some charities in the CFD," Hansen said. "But it's a hit-or-miss."

Reach reporter Nathan Lee at news@thedaily.washington.edu.