Posted: Sunday, January 17, 2010 7:09 am

The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties has extended its annual fundraising campaign through Feb. 14, the local non-profit has announced.

The campaign, which was originally scheduled to conclude on Jan. 31, is projected to finish with a total of $2.2 million in pledges based upon trends. This year’s goal is $2.8 million.

During the 2008-2009 campaign, the highest amount of pledges to date was secured with $2.734 million; however, there were $1.4 million in unmet requests from partner agencies due to lack of funding. The funds raised during the United Way campaign are allocated back to its 45 partner agencies through an application process that considers outcomes, impact, and other sources of funding for the agency.

“We have met a difficult obstacle in our fundraising campaign due to the current state of the economy,” said Brian Hercules, president and CEO of the local United Way. “Ironically, as the impact of the economy causes a reduction in donations, the needs from our agencies increase.”

A recent calculation done by United Way estimated that if each household in Rutherford and Cannon counties donated $50 per year (which is less than $1 per week), the fundraising campaign would total over $6 million. The funds that are allocated back to the partner agencies intend to meet the most serious community needs first and often impact people who are not always aware they are utilizing an United Way agency. In fact, United Way agencies directly impacted over 93,000 people (about one-third of the population) in Rutherford and Cannon counties last year.

United Way reported that 100 percent of its 45 partner agencies and its board of directors were currently contributing to the campaign, however, shortages in funding for partner agencies often result in a reduction of services provided or number of people served.

For example, the Boys and Girls Clubs was required to reduce their services by nearly 400 hours last year. Moreover, this year, $1,000 less in funding for Domestic Violence may mean that approximately 19 domestic violence victims go without a shelter, counseling and meals. For each $850 decrease in funding for Meals on Wheels, a senior citizen could go without meals for a year. In addition, a $2,000 decline in funding for the Cannon County R.E.A.C.H program could result in seven children no longer receiving tutoring services.

"We're turning to our communities in these final hours of the fund-raising campaign with this direct, simple message: We need your help so we can help others,” said campaign chairman Andrew Oppmann.

"Anything we can do in these last days will make a difference in the lives of people who need our aid now more than ever."

Options for donating to the United Way include online at www.uwrutherford.org, contacting United Way to receive pledge forms for payroll deduction, joining the Over the Top Club with a $100 donation ($250 for organizations and companies) and being featured weekly in The Daily News Journal, or simply mailing checks to United Way at P.O. Box 330056, Murfreesboro, TN 37133.

The United Way and its 45 partner agencies and programs work to advance the common good in Rutherford and Cannon counties by focusing on the essentials for building a strong community: education, income and health. The United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties is located at 615 Memorial Boulevard, Suite 200 in Murfreesboro. For more information, call (615) 893-7303 or visit www.uwrutherford.org.

DID YOU KNOW?

• United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties (UWRCC) partners with 45 agencies and programs to provide critical health and human services locally. UWRCC is operated by a local staff and volunteer board of directors. UWRCC focuses on the essential building blocks for a strong community: health, education, and income.

• UWRCC focuses on fundraising efforts for its partner agencies so that they may focus on providing direct services to those in need.

• One-third of people in Rutherford and Cannon Counties are directly impacted by a United Way partnering agency.

• UWRCC has an 11 percent overhead (14 percent during campaign months), compared to the national average of 20-25 percent overhead of many organizations.

• UWRCC invested $1,617,574.52 back into the local community following the 2008-2009 campaign.

• UWRCC engages over 100 local volunteers (who are also donors) that carefully examine and review each agency for funding. Items of consideration include degree of need, outcomes, number of people served, overall finances and budget, etc. These volunteers then make a recommendation to the United Way Board of Directors. The recommendation includes which agencies are eligible for funding and their suggested allocation amounts.

• By donating to UWRCC instead of directly to an agency, your gift helps to ensure high standards of agency service through oversight and accountability standards, helps meet the most serious community needs first, and frees agencies to devote their time to providing direct service while UWRCC fundraises for them.

• UWRCC provides community outreach through two initiatives: Success by 6 and Project PASS. In addition, the 2-1-1 program allows community members to connect with numerous services and resources with one phone call.

• UWRCC had requests in 2009 for $1.4 million from partner agencies that went unfulfilled due to shortages in funding.

• The money raised in each county stays in each county unless otherwise designated by the donor on the pledge form.

• The 2009-2010 fundraising goal is $2.8 million.