Key Points

• United Way of Tompkins County is seeking to raise $300,000 by the end of the month
• The fundraising campaign includes events such as a radio telethon and online auction
• The money will be used to fund United Way’s programs and other community organizations in need

Fundraising: for some people, it’s simply a reminder of what they had to do in school to support whatever club or team you were a part of. But for nonprofits, fundraising is crucial to the organization’s survival.

United Way of Tompkins County, like many nonprofits, relies on public donations in order to finance its many programs and services to the community.

This month it is faced with a challenge. In order to meet its funding goal for 2017/18, United Way needs to raise $300,000 by the end of the month.

The Race to $300,000

Steph Woodward, United Way’s senior relationship manager for resource development, knows that reaching their fundraising goal will require a lot of hard work.

“It’s going to take all hands on deck for the last month and big increase in outreach,” she said.

According to Woodward, United Way ran a similar campaign in 2010, when the organization was similarly short of its yearly funding goal.

She also said fundraising has become increasingly difficult in recent years.

“Last year was tough fundraising-wise, I think mostly because of the political climate,” Woodward said, suggesting that people were less inclined to donate to a nonprofit with a seemingly more pressing political campaign ongoing. “You need to raise more now than you have in the past.”

Getting the Word Out

United Way is organizing various community events throughout the month in order to reach its goal of $300,000.

On Friday March 2, United Way partnered with WHCU, Ithaca’s talk radio station, to host its fourth annual “Wine and Dine Telethon” event, in which wine and dinner pairings from local vineyards and restaurants were auctioned off.

In total, the event brought in over $4,000, although it has raised over $5,000 in the past. Woodward said this year’s telethon was smaller than in years past because of the snowstorm that day.

“We typically bring people in, but we couldn’t this year because of the snow,” she said. “The volunteers were really limited, so we had a much smaller group.”

Despite the smaller scale, the dedication to achieving the goal was evident, says Jake Davis, promotions director for Cayuga Radio Group, who helped organize the event.

“They were there all day manning the phones,” he said about the United Way members. “They really believe in what they’re doing.”

Another event happening this month is the Big Red Auction at Cornell on March 9, in which all proceeds go to benefit United Way. Woodward said that in the past, the event has raised about $6,000, but they are aiming to raise closer to $10,000 this year.

Where Does the Money Go?

United Way is unlike many other nonprofits in that it doesn’t run many of its own programs. Instead, it mainly funds other organizations in the community that provide health and human services.

Much of the money raised through fundraising goes to these other organizations.

“A lot of people don’t understand what it is we do,” said Woodward. “Programs that get your money are the ones that are in the greatest need.”

However, the programs that United Way does run itself rely on this money as well.

According to Olivia Simialek, United Way’s relationship manager for community impact, these programs include The Urgent Rx Prescription program, which provides free prescriptions for those in need and without insurance, and the Asset Coalition program, which helps provide resources to increase employment opportunities for people with limited income or barriers to employment.

Another program that relies on fundraising is the Youth and Philanthropy initiative. Simialek said that this program focuses on educating students about taking action to help resolve community needs, and giving them funding so they can develop grants and invest in those needs themselves.