The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
United Way has new funding model
Focus on aging, housing, health care, child care and hunger
By Kevin Korpal, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: February 21, 2008
Washtenaw United Way is making it easier for people to choose what charity they want as a recipient of their donation.
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The group has developed a new model of funneling money to charities, allowing the donor to choose a cause to benefit.
The new model is focused on donating to five local issues: aging, housing, health care, child care and hunger.
A donor can choose which issue they would like to donate money to and the money will be put into a pool of funds. It then will be split among the various groups involved in the issue.
Debbie Jackson was hired by United Way to help develop and implement a new strategy of helping local nonprofits in need. She views the new model as a less competitive way of distributing the funds.
"We think this will facilitate a working environment between the various organizations," Jackson said.
In the old model, each organization would apply for funds individually, Jackson said. The new model makes each organization work together to formulate a plan for the funds. When they have decided on the distribution, those agencies apply for one large fund. When the organizations apply for the money, they must show United Way officials how they are working together.
The new model is also encouraging people to keep their donations local as the donors specify a charity they want their money to benefit. That charity could be something large like the American Red Cross, where the funds could be used anywhere across the country, or it could be to a specific charity.
Jackson said the new model would not deny people the opportunity to donate to specific companies. This plan, she said, is just trying to make it easier for funds to be used by organizations and for donations to remain local.
Sixty percent of the United Way's funds will be used for the new model. The other 40 percent will be used by new agencies, which will help individuals meet their basic needs. It will be a highly competitive program because there is simply not as much money, Jackson said.
The benefits of the switch, she said, are that it helps organize work around issues and promotes teamwork to fight these issues. She also said there were drawbacks to the new model such as a lack of money to support every issue.
Some people have raised the concern of duplicated charities and services, but Jackson doesn't view that as a problem all of the time.
"It doesn't make sense for someone who needs food in Saline to have to drive to Ypsilanti to get it," she said. "Sometimes duplication is good. It allows for easier access to services."
Some cities in Washtenaw County don't have their own United Way office. Saline, Dexter, Milan and Manchester are all allotted money by the Washtenaw United Way for specific needs, such as the school system.
The plan is to implement the new model over a three-year period. Jackson said it may take longer, but the first step is to get the idea to the table.
Kevin Korpal is an intern at the newspapers. He can be reached at kkorpal@emich.edu.
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