In difficult economic times we must all pull together
Recent data seems to tell the whole story: |
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Corporate profits were down 18 percent.
Giving was down 5.7 percent. (The largest single year decline on record since they started keeping records in 1955.)
Giving to human services was down 12.8 percent.
Philanthropy is more reliant on the ability to give than on the need in the community. If people do not feel they have resources to give, it is only logical they will cut back. It may be difficult to believe but I recite these statistics, not with a sense of doom and gloom, but with a sense of resolve. We do not raise money to make the big thermometer go up. For us, it is about the work of reducing need, especially now.
It's about how much we must raise to continue to help people avoid homeless shelters; to have access to affordable homes; to earn and manage their money; to succeed in school; and to have access to a safety net if they need it. These are the focus areas of United Way of Rhode Island, laid out nearly six years ago, and today they are more important than ever.
At United Way, we know all too well how tough times are. Information referral specialists at United Way 2-1-1 in Rhode Island - a free 24/7 human and health services referral hotline took calls from some 30,600 Rhode Islanders in need last winter. Many of these callers are those who until recently held decent paying jobs with insurance coverage. Some formerly hailed from households with two incomes.
Those in two pay check households that lost one job rationalized that they could get by on a single income. They felt uneasy, but figured they could weather the storm, especially if the remaining wage earner had access to health insurance. When the second job ended, income and insurance ended and financial woes began to mount. United Way was there to help guide people and, in some instances, keep people from going into shelters.
We are not out of the woods yet. Next year will be every bit as challenging. That's why we have held our ground and set this year's campaign goal at $15 million. Some $7.6 million will go to the Community Impact Fund. Contributions to the Community Impact Fund support the organization's mission to address Rhode Island's most serious social problems at their roots. We are committed to long-term change through community investments as well as responding quickly to immediate safety-net issues.
I am ever more certain of the commitment of our donors in this state, a place where we all pull together to get through tough times. I believe all of us are up to the challenge because we all do our best to GIVE, ADVOCATE, VOLUNTEER. This is what it means to LIVE UNITED.
Thank you,
Tony |
