Blog

“Downtime” at United Way Sometimes people ask me if, now that campaign is over and we hit our goal, if we relax a little or have a little “downtime.”  I do try not to laugh or smirk but for some reason it takes me by surprise every single time.  To be honest, there really…

Broader Participation Needed When you first enter nonprofit work from outside the sector you can undergo a little bit of culture shock.  It may appear to work like a business and we do our best to use business principles in our operations but there are a number of…

Myth Busting United Way I am deeply thankful to Jeffrey Jackson, editor, and Tom Murray, publisher, for earlier this year giving me the opportunity to write a monthly column which allows me to open a window into the work of United Way of Steele County.  Our work can be…

Reasons to be Thankful Steele County is a great place to live.  People are caring and generous.  Opportunity is present for individuals and families.  At this time of year we are called to reflect on what we have to be grateful for.  And, we should remember that even though…

What is the Federal Poverty Level? What is the Federal Poverty level and what does it mean, really? Just like every industry, there is a fair amount of coded language or lingo in the nonprofit world (and there are some very funny nonprofit bloggers out there who will…

Why United Way I get this a lot: “United Way, aren’t you just a clearing house for funding for local nonprofits?” or “you just fundraise and give money out to local charities, right?” The short answer is no – we have evolved from our humble but effective-at-that-time…