$28.5M raised to fight poverty
The latest United Way of Central Ohio campaign raised about $28.5 million to invest in local povertyfighting efforts, a “dollars to mission” tally revealed Tuesday at the agency’s annual celebration.
“If we’re going to fight the scourge of poverty, it’s absolutely essential that we work together,” said Robert Schottenstein, cochairman of the 2016 campaign. “This will make a big difference.”
The gathering at the Ohio Union on the Ohio State University campus was the first with the United Way’s new president and CEO, Lisa Courtice, at the helm.
It also was the second year that a campaign total wasn’t publicly announced. The United Way still makes that information available — overall campaign pledges totaled about $51.6 million — but doesn’t focus on the larger total now that it no longer sets a dollar goal for its campaigns.
The “dollars to mission” total represents more of a local bottom line, one that reflects the amount the United Way can direct to its mission. Many donors earmark their contributions for other agencies and causes, effectively removing that money from local United Way control.
Officials hope that by emphasizing the dollars-to-mission figure, more donors will consider making unrestricted contributions.
The $28.5 million total is about 55 percent of the 2016 campaign total. The sum is down about 4 percent from the previous year’s dollars-to-mission tally of $29.7 million.
Earmarked donations are “still on an upward trend,” said United Way spokesman Kermit Whitfield.
The United Way also has lost many dedicated workplacecampaign supporters through attrition, as growing numbers of baby boomers retire. Whitfield said the agency has been preparing for that by launching efforts to appeal to younger donors.
The United Way will keep working hard to raise awareness and to rally responses to the Columbus area’s deep economic divisions, Courtice said.
“There is not one entity or one funder who can solve these complex problems that Columbus is facing,” she said.
About 1 in 3 Franklin County residents lives in a household with income that is at or below 200 percent of the poverty level. That often means “you can’t get your basic needs met without some form of help,” Courtice said.
“Columbus, more than (most) other cities, is segregated by race and class,” she said.
Courtice cited recent “Dividing Lines” stories in The Dispatch, which has been reporting on the area’s worsening income inequality and the struggles of lowerwage workers.
The United Way also presented annual campaign awards on Tuesday. Recipients were: Grange Insurance, the corporate award of excellence; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio, the funded partner award of excellence; Directions for Youth & Families, the Richard V. Carrick community leadership award; Providers of Healthy Living, the best new partner; American Electric Power-IBEW Local 1466, Live United 365 award; Mettler Toledo, leadership giving award; KPMG LLP, impact partnership award.