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Agency’s work goes beyond funding
Fort Collins Coloradoan
November 14, 2002
United Way in the News
As the director of the Colorado AIDS Project, I come face to face with many of the challenging issues that our community faces.
Hunger, illness, isolation, ignorance, homelessness and discrimination are but a few of the daily obstacles that must be overcome. Such a struggle could not be undertaken without a combined community effort.
United Way plays a critical role in providing agencies such as ours with the support and assistance necessary for us to succeed. While the financial support we receive through United Way is critical, it is in no way the only assistance they provide.
Technical assistance is available to provide many nonprofits with the technological, fiduciary and organizational support that the individual agencies cannot generate internally.
United Way also provides an oversight role that is beneficial to both the community at large, which provides the funds United Way distributes, and to the agencies themselves, which benefit from the financial accountability and the focus on measurable outcomes.
At this time when financial resources are becoming increasingly scarce, efficiency is critical. United Way provides a way that individuals can conveniently contribute to local charitable organizations and be assured that their money is being well invested.
Through the relatively painless process of payroll deduction, a small monthly contribution can be leveraged into a huge community benefit.
The collective effort that the United Way campaign generates allows organizations to spend less time in direct fund raising and more time in delivering the services their organizations are designed to provide.
When an organization has been around for a long time there is tendency to take it for granted. Please know that the organizations that United Way supports and the clients they serve do not - cannot - take United Way for granted.
I urge you to support United Way and help our community.
-By Jorge L. Figueroa
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