For the past four months, more than 100 local volunteers reviewed
detailed program and financial information and provided funding
recommendations for 100 programs from 47 agencies. They made site
visits, reviewed results and deliberated over allocations based on the
amount of money available in particular areas of need. This is the
third and final year of United Way of Summit County’s multi-year funding
agreement with its affiliated agencies. Multi-year funding ensures
agencies stable funding through the United Way investment process and
reduces paperwork and process time for our agencies and volunteers.
Total affiliated agency support increased nearly 2% this year.
The $9.35
million package is a combination of:
-
Investment decisions made by these volunteers and
gifts specifically designated by donors
-
United Way’s fundraising partner American Red Cross,
Summit County Chapter contractual amount
-
Community Services, including The Volunteer Center,
United Way’s Community Impact Program, Labor/Community Services
Liaison
-
Designations to other community agencies and United
Ways in other communities:
-
Designations to targeted areas of service (Portfolios
of Care).
“The
impact of the United Way goes beyond our ability to raise and distribute
funds,” said Bob Kulinski, President, United Way of Summit County. “The
true measure of our success is how these investments in quality
services, programs and initiatives will improve people’s lives.”
The
available money for distribution came for the most part from our
generous community, which contributed $11,150,000
to the 2006 United Way/Red Cross Campaign. The organization set an
aggressive goal – to raise $300,000 more than in 2005 – and while we did
not reach that goal, one of the highlights in the campaign is membership
in the Tocqueville Society (donors of $10,000 or more annually), which
has grown from 67 to 114 in three years; those 115 individuals
contributed $1,354,879 or more than 15% of all individual gifts.
More than 600
companies and organizations participated in the annual campaign this
year, and individual gifts from the retiree population grew over
$50,000. Helping to offset significant losses and achieve overall
growth, twenty-six companies achieved increases of $5,000 or more over
the prior year for a combined increase of more than $300,000.
Overall we saw
significant increases in new leadership giving across the campaign with
more than 200 donors making new leadership gifts. An unprecedented level
of engagement with the Akron Bar Association resulted in an increase in
the number of leadership donors among Bar Association members by 60%
and total dollar amount contributed by Bar Association members by
63%.
Kulinski also
said, "We are so very proud of our community for raising over $11
million during a very tough economic climate. These resources will make
a real difference in people's lives, and create lasting impact and
sustained change in individual and family lives in Summit County. Our
continued funding at our network of affiliated agencies will enable them
to do more of what they do and to do their good work even better. These
resources will also help us develop new and creative solutions to unmet
needs in our community, and implement innovative new initiatives such as
the United Way/Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority early childhood
program "Born Learning" in the Summit Lake housing community."
David A.
Brockman, of Brockman, Coats, Gedelian & Co, said, “During my two years
as chair of United Way of Summit County’s Board of Trustees, I have been
impressed with the stewardship shown by the organization’s staff. They
consistently look for new ways to raise funds, while simultaneously
working harder and smarter, and utilizing technology and other resources
to reduce overhead.”
2006 volunteer
campaign chair Mike Caporale added, “There are many successes in this
campaign that we can point to with pride. There were 26 campaigns that
saw increases of more than $5,000, including two first time campaigns
that each raised more than $23,000. I want to thank the hundreds of men
and women who volunteered their time to make the 2006 United Way
campaign so successful.”
United Way of
Summit County improves lives by mobilizing community assets for health
and human services. For more information, call 330-762-7601, visit our
website at www.uwsummit.org, or write to us at United Way of Summit
County, 90 N. Prospect St., P.O. Box 1260, Akron, Ohio 44309-1260.
