When I became Executive Director of the Hutchinson Area United Way in November 2006, I had friends who I’d grown up with in town express they were unsure as to United Way’s function, or even local existence. Those statements are not meant to disparage any of the civic-minded people who have volunteered their precious time serving on the organization’s board, or helping with the annual fall campaign dating back to 1962. It’s simply a reality, that despite a lot of people’s best efforts over five decades, a percentage of the region’s population knows little about United Way’s work. That’s not to say their lives have not been affected by our organization, they may just not realize it.

 After years of campaigning solely in Hutchinson, we are facing a steep learning curve as we branch out into towns that have their own history of community-giving in Winsted, Lester Prairie and Glencoe etc. We shouldn’t be surprised when we approach someone from another community for the first time about partnering with United Way, that we get a quizzical look in return. We became the United Way of McLeod County in March 2007. We fully expect that it’s going to take several years of informing folks about our partner agents and our own programs, before a majority of people know what we are about. 

Getting buy-in for our campaign and programs from individuals and businesses throughout the county that have until recently never been approached by United Way is an obstacle. Attracting a new generation of donors and volunteers is a hurdle that we are working to get over as well. One of the first steps we are taking is to bring a number of the local “community chests” under one umbrella. 

In the summer of 2008 the UWMC board reached out to the Glencoe Area United Fund to see if a partnership was feasible. After several meetings, the two boards came to the conclusion that they were in fact funding many of the same agencies and that it made little sense to run two separate fundraising campaigns just miles from each other. From those meetings emerged a new UWMC that campaigned in Glencoe and Hutchinson for the first time in 2009. The merger was viewed as a prime example of organizations coming together for the greater good of an area. We have spent a lot of time in Glencoe this fall talking to the small business owners and corporations to let them know we are now campaigning as one entity and hoping to get continued buy-in from them as we move forward. 

Another step we are taking this fall is forming a partnership with the Lester Prairie Community Chest. After nearly 40 years of volunteers going door-to-door in that community, they have asked us to help them with their efforts this year. Due to the shortened timeframe, we will be sending out a direct mailing piece to Lester Prairie residents in December. 

Of the 42 agencies/programs we are supporting financially in 2009, none are exclusive to Hutchinson residents and all have a McLeod County scope in clientele. In looking at the numbers our agencies have provided us over the years we see a pretty even split between those from Hutchinson who are receiving services, and clients from the other seven zip codes in McLeod County. Historically, a majority of the money to fund all of these county-wide programs has come from the companies, small businesses and residents of Hutchinson. We feel that this is an opportune time to reach out to folks in the other towns and ask them for assistance in funding these programs that help so many in every McLeod County community. 

Getting the word out about United Way is the biggest hurdle we face as an organization, as we continue to grow as a county-wide entity. It really comes down to us doing a better job of informing and educating folks as to what we are about as we re-introduce ourselves to Hutchinson and build new relationships in the region.

(This article was written by UWMC Executive Director Paul Thompson for local newspapers)