Inflation is a major reason why this year’s United Way Sarnia-Lambton campaign isn’t expected to meet its fundraising target, the agency’s executive director says.
Inflation is a major reason why this year’s United Way Sarnia-Lambton campaign isn’t expected to meet its fundraising target, the agency’s executive director says.
“All of the donors are paying more at the gas pumps, and the difference they’re paying at the gas pumps alone may even have been what they donated per paycheque (last year),” said Dave Brown.
With two days left in the campaign, about four-fifths of the agency’s $1.65-million goal had been raised through donations, Brown said.
He and other United Way officials hoped a few last-minute donations would still help close the gap.
The agency, which provided funding to about 30 programs through nearly 20 agencies in 2022, has missed its fundraising target every year since at least 2018.
Every time, as a result, the bar has dropped lower.
Dropping to this level is “going to force us to take a hard look over the next 12 to 18 months, cutting not only our own costs, but what kinds of things are we doing in the community that we could do differently, or maybe not at all,” Brown said.
That review will be an effort to maximize the amount of funding that goes to local agencies for programs that help with poverty reduction, mental health initiatives, and youth and seniors, he said.
He noted only 15 per cent or so of campaign dollars raised have gone to administrative costs on average over the past five years.
Several more programs are seeking funding this year, and the United Way board is expected to make its decision Jan. 16, he said.
The return of fundraising events like an Enbridge Car Show and barbecues at local workplaces weren’t enough to counter the effects of inflation, Brown said. A couple of local companies also changed their donation policies, which also had an impact.
But it’s not all negative, Brown noted.
“Even though we’re going to miss (our) goal and we’re really focusing on narrowing that gap, there are success stories within the campaign,” he said.
That includes $4,000 raised through the annual Sarnia Sting Black and White game, nearly triple what was raised in 2021, he said.
It also includes forming new partnerships with local businesses.
“They’re willing and wanting to do things next year that we didn’t do this year,” he said.
That includes support like a portion of sales going to the campaign, he said, “so we’re excited about promoting local business and the local campaign going forward.”
The United Way is also receiving some money through the $400-million federal Community Services Recovery Fund.
Applications open Jan. 6, and it’s expected the money — Brown said he wasn’t sure if the amount available locally had been made public yet — will be awarded around March.
“So there may be some new programs and services we can fund through that avenue as well,” he said.
Meanwhile, anyone interested in making a last-minute donation still has options, he said.
One is online at theunitedway.on.ca.
About five per cent of donations in 2021 were made online, Brown said, and that number has been increasing in recent years.
“Our website is local and people are understanding that, ‘yes, this is a way to support local agencies,’” he said.
People can also mail cheques, which are tax-receipt eligible so long as they’re sent before the end of the year, or drop-off donations at the nearby Kumon Math and Reading Center at 1362 Lambton Mall Rd.
“Then we’ll just pick them up Jan. 2 or 3” after returning to the office, Brown said.
The final campaign result should be known by the second week of January, he said.