Gales Ferry, Conn … If you read about United Way of Southeastern Connecticut’s recent funding decisions, you may have questions. For more than a decade this United Way has experienced increases in its annual campaign thanks to a robust local economy. There were double digit increases in the campaign for nearly a decade even as other United Ways across the country began experiencing decreases in their fundraising efforts. In Southeastern Connecticut, nonprofit groups that United Way supports became accustomed to increases, or at the very least flat-funding.

Then the natural disasters came - the tsunami in December of 2004 and the 2005 hurricane season resulting in the outpouring of generous contributions to those relief efforts. Closer to home, threats of subase closure and layoffs at some of the area’s larger employers left the donors wary. As a result, the 2005 United Way campaign raised $800,000 less than anticipated, creating a huge gap in the amount of funding available to support United Way’s partner programs. Allocations volunteers were forced to make tough funding decisions at all of the agencies.

“One of United Way’s values is our allocations or citizen review process,” said United Way President Janet Pearce. “Nearly 100 community volunteers spent hundreds of hours during a three-month period reviewing each program. These volunteers are charged with providing excellent stewardship of donors’ dollars which is usually a rewarding and exciting task. Unfortunately, this year those volunteers were forced to make difficult choices. But it is important to understand how this happened and for the community to realize that we all have an opportunity to be part of the solution…by contributing to the 2006 United Way Campaign.”

United Way’s mission is to bring people together to provide solutions that strengthen our community. Fundraising is a strategy in making that possible. And while it is only a strategy and not our main purpose, it is a function that we take seriously. That is why we are busy planning and promoting this year’s campaign.

“Our Campaign Cabinet has been meeting for months and are out there right now educating people and companies about the importance of United Way to the community,” says 2006 Campaign Chair Bill Hakkinen. “We are an extremely optimistic and enthusiastic bunch and we’re getting down to the business of mobilizing community resources and expertise in order to help people in need and create community-wide, systemic change.”

That mobilization is already underway as AT&T recently presented its corporate gift to United Way at a meeting of the Campaign Cabinet volunteers. In the photo, John Bodein, Employee Chair of AT&T’s Community Service Committee, presents a check for $14,750 to Janet Pearce and William Hakkinen.

“Just like in the support we receive from AT&T, we strongly believe that when someone learns more about United Way and how it helps the community, they will choose to give,” Mr. Hakkinen continues. “We’re determined to achieve positive results this year.”

Those positive results translate into more people getting help through United Way’s safety net of health and human services that meets short-term and immediate needs. And it also means United Way can focus some of its time and resources on community-wide issues that will make large-scale, systemic change.

For example, United Way president Janet Pearce is co-chairing our region’s Ten-Year Plan to End Homelessness. The plan will be a long-term, thoughtful way to once and for all, resolve the issue of chronic homelessness and put people in quality, affordable housing. It will not build more shelters. It will get to root causes of the problem and decrease the drain on State, town, and other resources. And there’s proof it works, New York City adopted a similar plan and last year closed down a 350-bed shelter that was no longer needed.

“With continued support of the United Way Campaign, the results that New York City experienced can happen here,” Ms. Pearce says. “After all, that’s why we exist – to help more people become self-sufficient and to strengthen this community.”