United Way sees fundraising shortfall

specific corporate sectors.

But it’s no surprise that some steelmakers aren’t contributing as much as they did in the past.

At U.S. Steel, for instance, revenue fell 11 percent last year and the company reported an unexpected loss of $180 million loss in this year’s first quarter.

The U.S. Steel Foundation, which is funded by the corporation and does not have an endowment, hasn’t awarded any grants since 2015 “due to business conditions,” according to a spokeswoman.

To counter the decline in fundraising in Allegheny County, United Way has already made adjustments in its grantmaking and operational costs.

It stopped allocations to several nonprofits that had management or organizational issues, Mr. Nelkin said, and has reduced staff size at its Strip District headquarters to 74 from 78. It has also trimmed expenses at its offices.

“We certainly wouldn’t make adjustments outside and not internally,” he said.

For the fiscal year that began July 1, the agency has allocated $20.3 million for programs and agencies that assist at-risk youth, senior citizens, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and women and families in crisis.

Among programs targeted for expansion are a mentoring initiative for middle school students in the Mon Valley; the PA 2-11 Southwest help line, which will add a 24-hour text service; and an employment program that will help students with mental health challenges and autism find jobs.

Since taking over as United Way’s chair in April, Ms. Larrimer has been convening board members, United Way staff and community leaders to craft the five-year strategic plan that will be implemented in 2018.

While the workplace campaigns conducted at about 700 companies account for 82 percent of United Way’s annual fundraising, “We want to think outside that box,” she said.

“The community keeps changing and corporate headquarters and chief executives change. We have to look to engage beyond the workplace level and engage individuals.”

Specific donor groups the agency aims to grow are its Women’s Leadership Council for women who donate $1,000 or more annually and target much of their giving to women in crisis; and the Tocqueville Society for individuals who donate $10,000 or more per year. The Tocqueville Society includes 500 members who raised over $9 million for the recent campaign.

A major thrust of the strategic plan is finding ways to reach people in their 20s and 30s.

“That’s absolutely critical to the success of the United Way going forward,” said Ms. Larrimer.

Already the organization has developed a Next Generation Playbook that it has distributed to companies as a guide to getting younger workers involved in philanthropy.

And last year it introduced UPledge for Good, an online platform that gives donors more detailed options about where to direct their giving.

At PNC, Ms. Larrimer said, a longtime practice of having a veteran executive chair the workplace campaign is changing this year so that a millennial-age employee will be paired with that executive to “infuse new ideas and bring new thinking to engage that audience.”

While the proliferation of appeals people receive through web emails and social media are some of the “disruptive forces in traditional charitable giving” that have impacted fundraising at United Way, said Mr. Nelkin, the agency is anxious to embrace technology if it helps draw donors.

“Online giving is now omnipresent,” he said.