STARKVILLE — The United Way of North Central Mississippi wasn”t immune to the downturn of the economy in 2010-11.
The charity, which allocates money to 18 agencies in Oktibbeha, Choctaw, Webster and Winston counties, experienced “one of it”s lowest years” of giving last year, Executive Director Nikki Grives said Wednesday during the 2012 kickoff event at the Oktibbeha County Boy”s and Girl”s Club.
The kickoff event featured information booths from all 18 agencies that receive allocations from the United Way, including the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army.
Grives said the idea was to raise awareness from local business and industry leaders about the impact the agencies have on the four counties the North Central division serves. The United Way receives the majority of its funding through corporate ties, typically through straight donations from the corporation or payroll deduction for employees.
“Last year, we came in just under $300,000, which was about $50,000 less than our goal,” Grives said. “We just didn”t have as many businesses and industries get involved. Hopefully, this kickoff helps get those businesses back in.”
Of the nearly $300,000 the United Way raised last year, $162,400 were allocated to the 18 member agencies.
“The last couple of years have been hard for everybody,” Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman. “One of the first things you”ll see when the national economy struggles is charitable giving tends to struggle as well. I know many of these organizations have not had the receipts they”d hope to have received over the last couple of years, but they”ve held strong nonetheless.”
The agency that received the largest allocation last year, the Boy”s and Girl”s Club, has other benefactors but receives a significant amount of its funding from the United Way.
Boy”s and Girl”s Club president Dr. Roy Ruby said United Way funding is “essential” to the numerous after-school programs and summer programs, which enroll about 120 children each semester.
To help offset lower allocations from the United Way, the Boy”s and Girl”s Club will add a fundraiser to its staff to serve Columbus and Starkville.
“We have to sell the idea and importance of what we do, which we hope will result in more benefactors and direct donations,” Ruby said.
Grives noted that in previous years, the fundraising goal for North Central Mississippi was $400,000, though the average annual haul ranged anywhere from $320,000 to $330,000.
The United Way set a fundraising goal during last year”s kickoff event but didn”t Wednesday. Grives said the North Central board of directors hadn”t met to discuss where they”d set the amount. She declined to say when they”d set a goal, instead choosing to focus on the active recruitment of businesses to allow employees to do payroll deductions.
“It”s hard to reach them if we don”t get in (to businesses),” Grives said. “Employee giving is our biggest contributor.”
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