United Way of NNY loses Facebook page, fund-raising affected

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - At least temporarily, the United Way of Northern New York is without one of its biggest fund-raising tools.

The charitable group’s Facebook account was suspended. Facebook said it was because of a “community standards violation.”

United Way CEO Dawn Cole suspects Face book’s algorithm misinterpreted the title of the organization’s upcoming “Race United” event as a form of hate speech.

Since the account recovery process can take up to a month, the organization has decided to create a new Facebook account, since it heavily relies on the service to advertise events and receive support.

In the meantime, “We’re relying on a lot of word of mouth, talking with folks. We’re hanging flyers and posters for our different events and hoping we can draw some attention that way as well,” Cole said.

The “Race United” Event will be held a month from now, September 23. For $60 a head, runners will be able to participate in a scavenger hunt spanning downtown Watertown. United Way is also attempting to raise money as part of its annual fundraising campaign.

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