For the first time, the United Way of Rhode Island will kick off its annual fundraising campaign with a WaterFire event, sponsored by Bank of America. The Sept. 5 WaterFire will give the nonprofit agency a public platform to kick off a 2009-10 campaign that promises to be another difficult year for fundraising.
The United Way raised $14.8 million during the fundraising drive that began in the fall of 2008 and extended through June 2009, about 8 percent or $1.2 million less than the year before, according to Anthony Maione, president and CEO. He has set a goal of $15 million for this year’s effort, in spite of the challenging economy. “We’re not afraid of a challenge,” he said.
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The drop in donations mostly affected the general funds given to the local agency to spend at its own discretion, according to Maione. He was quick to add that the United Way still reaches approximately 2,500 charitable organizations through contributions in which donors can designate a 203(c) nonprofit recipient anywhere in the nation.
Bank of America is sponsoring the kick-off WaterFire because the United Way is “a key community partner” of the bank’s and because of the economic benefits that WaterFire brings to the area, according to spokeswoman Anne Pace. WaterFire “brings in thousands of people,” she said, “and helps support the local economy” by, for instance, bringing business to nearby eateries. The bank also will be conducting its own in-house campaigns nationwide to raise funds for the United Way, Pace said.
The recession is a double-edged sword for the United Way and the agencies it helps, increasing the need for services among the general population while at the same time limiting the resources that individuals and corporations can draw upon to donate.
A survey done by Acadia Consulting Group for the United Way of Rhode Island this year showed that most nonprofit health and human service providers in the state saw an increased demand for services in the previous 12 months, with 73 percent of the respondents reporting increases of 30 percent to 69 percent.
At the same time, the survey found, the fiscal health of nonprofits is on the decline, with more than half surveyed reporting a drop in income during the previous year, with the average decline at 22 percent.
To cope with less income, the agencies took these steps, the survey said: realigned staff (47 percent); reduced nonpersonnel line items (47 percent); adjusted salaries (35 percent); reduced hours for some jobs (31 percent); and laid off employees (29 percent).
Seventy-three of the respondents laid off a total of 525 employees in the past year, the survey said. Conducted from Feb. 17 to March 9 online, the surveyhad 230 respondents.
The survey was one of three “critical steps” that the United Way took during the last year to improve services on an immediate basis and to strategize for the future.
A second element was the study conducted with the R.I. Public Expenditures Council (RIPEC) on the state’s social services safety net. The study, released Aug. 20, found the state’s safety net to be disjointed and expensive.
Maione said the agency will work with state officials and policymakers to implement the report’s recommendations to better coordinate and streamline social service efforts. A specific goal he mentioned is to set up a system that will provide “one-stop shopping” when those in need apply for benefits.
The third step, and one that Maione expects to repeat in the coming winter, was the raising of $240,000 for a newly created fund to prevent homelessness by, for instance, covering rental and heating payments for those in short-term crisis.
The United Way of Rhode Island was not without its own financial pain this year, eliminating eight staff positions and making other organizational changes to compensate for a drop in revenue from trust funds that cover the cost of administrative and fundraising activities. Loss of eight staffers in June left 42 people working at the agency, based in Olneyville.
For the Sept. 5 kickoff, the United Way is looking for 150 to 200 volunteers of all ages to play a role in the WaterFire celebration, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Those over 18 can help by serving as torch bearers. Carrying actual lighted staffs, they will stand in a ring around the basin at Waterplace Park, take part in an “awareness parade” and provide the first flame to light the river-based braziers as part of the campaign kickoff.
Anyone interested in volunteering can register by e-mail, waterfirevolunteer
@uwri.org or call (401) 444-0749. Volunteers will be asked to sign a liability waiver form and bring it to the check-in Sept. 5 at 3:30 p.m. at the tunnel under Memorial Boulevard.
Volunteers will receive a light dinner and refreshments, along with a United Way T-shirt.
