By: Megan Reynolds
As I reflect on my first year as Director of Donor Engagement at United Way of Central Illinois, I cannot help but to be so grateful for this opportunity to serve this community that I love in a new way. I remember sitting in my interview and telling the staff, “No one can do this job better than me.” I have modeled the work that I have done since then on that statement that I made so confidently, however it took a while before I could just as confidently explain WHAT I do.
In short, all the work I do on a day-to-day basis boils down to one thing- to show our donors the impact that their gift makes. This means that every communication that I have is intentional. I want everyone that invests in this incredibly important organization’s work to understand just how thankful we are for their partnership.
I am a lifelong learner, always trying to learn new things and skills, and I wanted to share some of the important things that I have learned this past year-
1. Just how special our “100%” message is-
In the nonprofit world, administrative fees are inevitable. It costs money to pay staff, keep lights on in the building, put postage on mailings, but not many people think of where that money comes from. At most nonprofits, that money comes from a percentage taken directly from donations, but at United Way, we utilize special corporate partnerships to underwrite our entire administrative cost, so every penny of your gift stays where you want it to go. Even within the United Way network, this is unheard of, and just one of the many reasons that your dollar goes further with United Way of Central Illinois.
2. How much work goes on behind the scenes-
Most people know that United Way gives out grants to partners in the community doing amazing work, but have you ever thought about how it’s determined who gets the grant, and how much it is? I hadn’t! We utilize a group of community expert volunteers to sit on our Vision Councils, and they work all year long. Not only do they review and approve applications for funding each grant cycle, but through site visits and quarterly reporting, they are making sure that each organization is achieving their goals and outcomes.
3. The importance of collective action-
Everyone has heard the phrase, “there is power in numbers,” and I think United Way is a perfect example of this concept at work. Through the power of our Community Fund, we pool gifts together and can make an even greater impact where our community needs it most! There is no gift that is “too small” when you’re coming together with your teammates, friends, and family members, all while doing amazing things.
4. The trust this community has in United Way-
As I meet with our local supporters, I have asked the question “why United Way?” an immeasurable number of times. Everyone that I asked had varying answers, but the one that surprised me the most, and the one that I think I have gotten the most is: “because I don’t HAVE to think about where my money would make the most impact.” Donors trust that United Way is making the hard decisions and working towards quantifiable, measurable results in the community.
Each day is a learning experience, and I could go on and on forever about by amazing team, organization, and community, but I will leave you with these for now.
Thank you for being a partner in this amazing work that we are doing. Thank you for showing me how important it is to come together and make lasting change in others’ lives. I could work here for 15 more years and not learn everything that I need to know, but thank you for allowing me in to your lives and asking the question- “what is your why?”