United Way alive and in transition
United Way alive and in transition
Non-profit takes a pause from funding while it reorganizes, looks to the community for help
Today’s article is brought to you by Freedom Financial.
Several local non-profit agencies received a bit of a shock late last month when they received a letter from the United Way of Howard and Tipton Counties. The charitable organization announced that it was postponing grant funding.
The body of the letter can be read below.
It’s too early to ring any alarm bells, however. The postponement isn’t permanent, according to Betsy Hoshaw, Community Investment Committee Chair for the local United Way.
“Some of what is happening at United Way isn’t any different from what is happening everywhere,” said Hoshaw. “We had four staff members, who were better than competent, leave for other jobs because they were closer to home or moving into their field of study. When that happens all at once, we ask, ‘what do we do now?’ That is where we are.
“The reason for the postponement is twofold. One is financial. We hired an interim executive director who knows how to ask the questions and set a new direction, and his background is in finance and auditing.
“We are not about to dispense money we don’t have, and we don’t know how much we have at this minute. We had an issue with pledged money not getting to us, but we are working on that. It’s not that we won’t be giving grants. We just put things on hold until we know exactly where we are.
“The other reason is staffing. We’re only getting two loaned associates this year. Everyone is in transition. We’re trying to hire staff. Nobody is having fun with staffing. It’s not that United Way has stopped. We need help. We need to hire staff. We need to take care of the business of the community and be there now and in the future. Every organization hits a point in the cycle when it needs support. This is the time for United Way.”
Hoshaw explained that the annual United Way funding campaign is actually taking place now. Cheryl Graham, Community Resources and Labor Activities Director, has been asked to lead the campaign, but she isn’t working alone.
“She’s doing a good job,” said Hoshaw. “But the board is also helping out, either directly, or with people we know. We’re talking to people and actually participating in the campaign.”
Getting the message out there is now the challenge. With a lack of loaned associates and a shortage in staff, Hoshaw said the United Way is exploring new ways to connect. In particular, the organization would like to get businesses back into the habit of offering payroll deduction to their employees for donations.
“It is difficult because a lot of companies are not doing it anymore,” said Hoshaw. “Some are, and that’s a good thing. But our communications committee is developing other ways to reach people as well as the company campaigns.
“For instance, we have a letter campaign to get our message out, but we need the staff to work it. We have 1,500 letters ready to go out.”
The United Way is a different organization than it was a few years ago. Hoshaw explained that the charity spent years simply collecting money and allocating it to its member agencies for programs the agencies identified. The problem with that approach is it became difficult to see changes in the community brought about by United Way funding.
“You can’t make something different happen if you’re just doing the same thing,” said Hoshaw. “Several years ago, we went to all the agencies and had a conversation with them because we were trying to find out where we were in the community and what it really needed.
“We passed out money year after year. We wanted to know what they were thinking, but we also wanted to give them the message that United Way would be making changes. We wouldn’t just be making allocations. We gave that message for three years.”
After the warning was sent, United Way began to transition into a grant model for funding. The agencies were asked to write proposals for grants aimed at specific community needs.
“It was a step in a direction we wanted to go, and we wanted the agencies to get used to it,” said Hoshaw. “It was an eye-opener for people. It was like, ‘What are you doing to us?’ We weren’t doing anything to them. But. Some of them grabbed the bull by the horns, so to speak, and became self-sustaining for their regular programs.”
In 2020, the United Way fully transitioned to grant-based funding to address specific needs in the community. With the assistance of the Community Foundation Serving Howard, Clinton and Carroll Counties, as well as people interested in improving the community, it made an assessment of those needs.
“We asked, ‘what are our major issues? What should we focus on?’” said Hoshaw. “One area identified was mental health. Another was the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population; people who are working but unable to cover any unexpected expense. The third area was school readiness for children.”
The United Way of Howard County also started internal initiatives centered around those priorities, such as the 75/5 program aimed at preparing children for primary school. Even through the pandemic, a lot of money that came to United Way went to these initiatives. The remainder fueled the charity’s grant programs.
“We came up with several grants at specific amounts,” said Hoshaw. “Organizations would write for a specific grant, and they had to justify their request so there was no guesswork involved. We had two very specific requirements in the grants. One was they had to collaborate with some other organization, for-profit or not-for-profit, and they had to address an identified initiative.
“That year, 2020, went really well. We refined the process in 2021, and in 2022 we did the same thing, but scattered the grants throughout the year. So, 75/5 grants came in and were addressed in August. The others have been postponed, and a new schedule will come out.”
The plan for the future of United Way is coming into focus. It is reorganizing, restaffing, and renewing its efforts. But it needs assistance from the community to succeed.
To give to United Way of Howard County, text kokomoindiana (one word) to 41444 or visit www.unitedwayhoco.org. To volunteer, email Cheryl Graham at cgraham@unitedwayhoco.org or sign up at www.unitedwayhoco.org.