March 30, 2020
Written by Nicole Angresano, Vice President of Community Impact
United Way’s Board of Directors has approved a temporary measure to give our nonprofit agency partners more flexibility in how they spend the dollars allocated to them by United Way.
Dollars donated to United Way’s Community Fund are traditionally invested in specific programs at local nonprofit agencies; programs that meet a community need and are proven effective. Donors trust United Way because they know their hard-earned dollars go where the need is greatest and contribute to real, lasting change.
Due to COVID-19, many of our partners are experiencing unprecedented challenges and require funding to meet the needs of their clients. For those that remain open, like shelters, food pantries, some child care centers, and medical clinics, they need dollars for supplies and staff time. For those agencies that continue to serve their clients remotely, additional technology is needed to effectively do their work.
We trust our agency partners to know how to best serve their clients and we hope that flexibility in how they use their United Way dollars will help them do just that.
I’d like to thank our Board of Directors for their careful consideration and approval of this unusual request. They asked the right questions and kept donor intent top-of-mind throughout the decision-making process.
This temporary measure is in place for the months of April, May, and June. We continue to work with our partners to forecast their future needs and put plans in place to help them keep doing what they do best: serve our community.
If you’d like to help United Way and our partners during this time, consider a donation to our COVID-19 Urgent Needs Fund. I hope that you and your family stay safe and healthy as we get through this together.