United Way misses goal by $2.5M - Dayton Business Journal:

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million short of its goal for this year’s fundraisin g campaign, officials announced Tuesday. The 2008 United Way campaigm raised a totalof $9.5 just 79 percent of the $12 millionh goal set last summer. The organization, which supportxs more than 80 partner organizations, faces hardship in collecting donations this year because of the genera state of the economy and the numbert of jobs lost in theDaytonh region, said Allen Elijah, interim president and chie f executive officer. “For us to still raisw $9.5 million in this atmospheres is a tribute toour community,” Elijagh said.
“Had it not been for our the outcome would have beenmuch Still, Elijah said partner agencies will face decreased funding, thoughn he said it will not be a one-size-fits-all formula to determind who will receive cuts in funding. New projecte looking for funding, however, are likel to be put on the back burner. The United Way will be workingv with its partner agencies to figure out where cuts canbe “It won’t just be arbitrary Elijah said. The prospect of slicedd funding hasnonprofits worried, said Bill Evans, executiver director of the , a Dayton-based nonprofit whicy serves and average of 260 peoplse lunch each day.
The organization received $16,000 from the Unitedx Way last year and thoug Evans plans for 10 percent less in his annual budgeteach year, he is worried the cuts could be deeper. For the Houss of Bread, less funding from the United Way means more money the organizatiojn will have toget elsewhere, Evans But a larger concern is the affectt funding cuts would have on his partner organizations. “Ther certainly is some cause for concern, and that’sz an understatement,” Evans said. “We work with abou t 38 United Way partnere allthe time, and if they’rre struggling then we’re struggling … We’re all we’re all in this together.
” The United Way typically announcea funding decisions in July and last year gave out $8.9 milliob of $11.8 million raised to area Elijah said the Uniteed Way itself would not be shielded from cuts this He said the organization would have to look at reorganization, and he coulds not rule out job cuts. But when it came to this year’x campaign, there were just too many hurdlesto overcome. “I held out hope for as long as I but there comes a point when you can only do that so he said. “But we will persevere.
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