Dear Good Girls,

I work at a family-owned company with about 220 employees. We were recently ordered to attend a mandatory meeting to hear about our company’s effort to support a local nonprofit organization.

We watched a video and listened to guest speakers. Then our vice president told us “our goal” was to raise at least $13,000 for this particular organization.

Our department heads passed out envelopes labeled with our names and employee numbers. In each envelope was a card instructing us to check off whether we wanted to make a single, one-time donation or have a monthly deduction from our paychecks. “I do not wish to make a donation” was not an option. Even if we chose not to donate, we were REQUIRED to turn in the card by the following Monday.

Throughout the week, we received e-mails “reminding” us what our goal was and how far we were from reaching it.

I am not against charity. On the contrary, I generously support a variety of humanitarian and environmental groups. But even if I wanted to support another organization (and could afford to do so) I feel my company was wrong to coerce employees in this way.

Can a company require employees to turn in donation cards, and use employee numbers to track who gave and who didn’t?

Dear Reader,

Ah, there’s nothing like a little corporate extortion to make the season bright.

As Good Girls, we’re great believers in giving generously to worthy organizations. But when someone tries to coerce you into giving, that’s not charity. And it’s not good for the employees, the company, or even the charitable organization itself.

“Giving is a very personal decision based on one’s own ideals and values and goals,” comments Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy. “It’s not fair to apply pressure in the workplace, and it could turn people off to charity. People are more generous when they’re allowed to choose for themselves.”

We suspect some executive at your company got really enthusiastic about this great organization, and tapped an underling with no previous experience with well-run corporate giving programs to head the campaign. In their well-meaning attempt to raise as much money as possible, they wound up doing everything wrong.

“In the workplace, you have to be very considerate of the employee,” Borochoff says. “The employee should be able to decide whether to give without fear of repercussion by the supervisors.”

Wait until the campaign is over and the goal is met (which shouldn’t take long, given these strong-arm tactics).

Then, while the campaign organizers are feeling happy and successful, schedule a meeting with them. Be polite but candid about how this campaign made you feel. Then offer some options to improve next year’s effort.

If possible, employees should get several choices, so they can direct their workplace giving to causes close to their hearts. All fund-raising events should be voluntary, and people should get some options beyond writing a check.

Elizabeth Austin and Leslie Whitaker are syndicated colmnists.