The United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg isn't the organization it used to be. It's more.
No longer does the agency simply funnel money from the annual workplace campaign to charities around the region. The United Way also has developed its own initiatives in the focus areas of education, income and health.
Those initiatives need money, too, so the United Way is giving greater prominence to other fundraising efforts through a new position of chief development officer.
Richard Schultz, formerly executive vice president of FeedMore, began the job in January.
Sherrie L. Brach, the local United Way's CEO, said the idea is to build long-term relationships with donors for the agency's long-term projects through the workplace and elsewhere.
About 40,000 people participated in the United Way workplace campaign this year, contributing $17.5 million in total revenue for the organization, she said, but their feeling of connection may be to their job rather than the United Way.
"We want to find a way to connect donors with what they're interested in," she said. "It's a whole experience, not just a transaction of giving money every year. If people feel connected to what you're doing, we will be able to retain those relationships over time."
To Thomas N. Chewning, chairman of the Smart Beginnings Greater Richmond partnership to improve kindergarten readiness, "the needs we see are more than the funding that can be successfully raised in the annual campaign."
The United Way's other initiatives include the Partnership for Out-of-School Time for youth, MetroCASH to help low-income people file for the Earned Income Tax Credit, and Age Wave to prepare for baby boomers turning 65.
Schultz said he's looking forward to telling the United Way story in a personal way to donors. "I'll be finding out where we need to be connecting, getting in front of donors and telling them about the program work we need to be doing."
kcalos@timesdispatch.com
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