Stratford-area United Way lagging behind in annual fundraising campaign

Staff and volunteers with the United Way Perth-Huron are worried about reaching the $2.5-million goal for the 2023-2024 fundraising campaign as donations at this point lag roughly 16 per cent behind last year’s efforts.

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So far, the annual fundraising campaign has brought in a little more than $1 million through individual and corporate donations, workplace campaigns and other money-raising efforts by locals. United Way Perth-Huron executive director Ryan Erb said the donations collected so far make it difficult to predict whether the local United Way will be able to raise the money it needs to support its community partners and services while meeting the soaring demand from the vulnerable people the charity serves.

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If the fundraising target isn’t reached, it will impact the support the United way can provide its community partners and its own services, such as the Stratford Connection Center that helps the region’s homeless.

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“We’re about 16 per cent behind, which represents well over $100,000, so I think that’s a lot for us to be behind at the moment. … We’re seeing the economic downturn that’s in front of all of us so, as inflation happens, it’s happening to people and they’re making difficult choices. Some of them are saying, ‘This year I need to spend money on food instead of charity, which is unfortunate.’ At the same time, of course, the needs are going up because there are people in that situation where they’re struggling. We feel the tension on both sides … and not as many people seem to be able to help,” Erb said.

The hope for this year’s campaign, Erb added, was to raise roughly $200,000 more than last year’s campaign total, which finished at just more than $2.29 million. Erb, though, said he’s no longer confident this year’s campaign will be able to exceed that number.

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“That’s a very real possibility at this time. It can always turn around, and sometimes it does, but we are concerned that we might not reach our goal. We’re actually concerned we might not reach last year’s,” said Erb, noting the last time the local United Way didn’t meet its annual fundraising target was at least seven years ago. “We were counting on growth to try to help organizations that were struggling with rising costs that they’re facing too. …We’re just asking those that can to step up a little bit more.”

Erb says the best way for locals to contribute to the campaign and help the United Way reach its 2023-2024 goal is to visit perthhuron.unitedway.ca and donate online, send a check made out to the campaign by mail to the United Way Perth-Huron, or drop a check off in person at the United Way’s Stratford office at 32 Erie St.

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