I want to follow up on Sunday’s article about the United Way’s new model (“United Way’s new model funds 20 programs”).

Year after year it has become harder for nonprofits to raise funds.  The United Way was strategic in addressing options to support community programs and looked at what other communities were doing. They participated in a community needs assessment and gave us (member agencies)  a two-year window to transition to the new community impact grants model, where anyone in the community can apply.

It is understandable that, if the money is raised in the community, it should be available for anyone to apply.    

Families First has been a United Way member agency for 23 years and, along with my fellow member agencies, we all were anxious about what the new process would look like and how it would impact all of us and the people we served.

We participated in the needs assessment  and wondered what the final product would look like. We understood that United Way was strategic in deciding how to address the funding challenges of each year’s campaign. While the community impact grant model was a good choice for future funding, it was still a scary process for member agencies.

It’s not that the member agencies were not wanting to share: we’re just advocating for the population we serve. All of the member agencies provide a special service that helps others in our community every day.

Unfortunately, they don’t all meet the new criterion anymore and that’s a tough adjustment. Knowing the member agencies and their compassion and commitment to serving others, they will find a way to make it work.

I am very grateful to the United Way staff and volunteers for all their hard work in finding ways to raise funds each year that generously supports programs  in our community.  All of us do what we do to help others. This community is blessed with a lot of caring and compassionate people who make a difference every day.

Jeannie Sherrill

Salisbury

Editor’s note: Jeannie Sherrill is executive director of Families First NC.