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United Way giving flattens out
Fort Collins Coloradoan
November 28, 2002
United Way in the News

As the economy slumps, more local non-profit organizations face higher demands and increasing needs while government cutbacks have left those organizations with drastically reduced budgets.

Donations to the United Way of Larimer County - the Fort Collins Office and the United Way of Loveland, Berthoud and Estes Park - have flattened after a promising start, Stephanie Giard, marketing director for the two organizations, said Wednesday.

"Right now, where, we’re on track to raise as much money as we did last year, that’s great considering the economic conditions, but it’s just not good enough," Giard said. "Having a flat campaign isn’t an option."

This year’s goal was to increase donations by 28 percent to $5.5 million.

In a tough economy, the services provided by agencies that receive United Way funding become even more valuable to the community, Giard said.

"These nonprofits are seeing all these (government funding) doors closing and they’re turning to us to fill these gaps," she said. "We have to gather community support to do this."

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Larimer County has been hard hit. The clubs serve an average of 110 kids a day and have 1,168 members, said Executive Director Kathi Wright.

United Way donations account for 10 percent of clubs’ budget, Giard said. And other funding sources have dried up as the organization lost government funding, she said.

The leaner budget could force the clubs to cut back on trained staff and to replace those positions with volunteers, Wright said.

"We are just so hopeful the community will completely understand the needs in this county and help the United Way meet those needs," Wright said.

At Respite Care, which provides care 24 hours a day for children with developmental disabilities, 25 percent of its funding comes from the United Way, Executive Director Sherry Pelton said.

This summer, the county cut $18,000 Respite Care was to receive from Health and Human Services funds, she said.

"That’s money we have to make up somewhere," Pelton said. "We’d rather cut off our arms than cut services."

Like the Boys & Girls Clubs, Respite Care will rely more on volunteers to make ends meet, she said.

Unexpected state and county government cuts have left the Women’s Center with one full time employee - Executive Director Melissa Selby. The remaining employees have cut at least 10 hours out of their workweek, Selby said.

"United Way is our primary funder," she said. "With all of the county and state funding sources being cut, less funding from United Way is yet another huge hurdle for us."

The center, which offers programs and resources to help women become self-sufficient, already has cut a career program, and beginning next week, will close its Fort Collins office on Fridays and its Loveland office on Wednesdays and Fridays, Selby said.

Most United Way donations are done through payroll deductions, which are the foundation of United Way support, Giard said.

"It’s so painless," she said. "Five dollars a week doesn’t sound like very much, but it adds up."

But as companies downsize, having fewer people on the payroll impacts the campaign, she said.

To bump up donations, the agencies will extend the pledge campaign through January, Giard said.

-By Sally Bridges

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