There is a basic truth for all nonprofit organizations that money is tight. A second truth is that the United Way of Southern Chester County is not exempt from the first one.
According to the group’s acting President Marie Olson, programs this past year were underfunded by $300,000 because the larger out of area corporations have changed the way they allow United Ways in to run campaigns.
Olson — who became president after the death of Bill Brower in December — made the remark during the group’s annual meeting on May 20. Prior to taking over for Brower, Olson spent her six years on the board in various roles, including vice president of allocations and vice president of campaign.
“We’re experiencing a big shift in where our campaign dollars are coming from. Our ability to fundraise on the corporate level is becoming increasingly more difficult as our out of area corporations are moving or having a lot of shakeups,” she said.
More creative ways of raising money are to focus on smaller and more local businesses as well as using a direct mail approach, Olson said.
John Moriarty, the incoming vice president of campaign for this fall and a retired DuPont manager, echoed Olson on the change in focus.
“There are challenges. But we’re optimistic about the opportunities we have in front of us with other corporations that do routinely support us…We have to reach out to all of our 1,800 donors and work with them to help them make more of a commitment to us and to find more donors,” Moriarty said.
Dave Salomaki, who was elected to replace Olson as president, said most of the work is done within the committees.
“I see my goal as trying to support the committees and make sure they have good goals, good directions and good measures for what they’re trying to achieve. I’ll try to enable them. I’m the director of committees where the real work is done,” Salomaki, a software engineer, said.
During her final address to the board as president, Olson reminded the audience that there remains a homelessness issue in the area. Yet, there is hope for improvement.
“To scare you a little bit in the 2013/14 school year a survey showed that just in our little area of Southern Chester County including Kennett, Unionville, Oxford, and Avon Grove school districts, there were almost 500 children impacted by homelessness. To make matters worse we have no shelters in our area to help these families” she said.
However, a plan by the UWSCC is in place to change that with the establishment of a new organization called Family Promise. That new group will work with churches to provide shelter for up to 13 families at a time.
During the meeting, seven new directors and eight officers — including Salomaki and Moriarty — were voted into office
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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