Quinte United Way announces strategy to bridge funding gap

By Katie Perry

BELLEVILLE – The United Way of Quinte has announced that it will give five per cent less than it had promised this year to some of the agencies it supports.

The cut comes after the organization fell short of  its 2017 fundraising goal. It reached 95 per cent of its $1.97 million target.

The United Way commits funds to certain community organizations over three years. The amount is based on the fundraising targets for those three years.

Brandi Hodge, director of community engagement for the United Way, said the organization had planned to set aside $985,000 over three years to give to some of the agencies it supports – mostly larger ones – based on hitting the $1.97 million target in 2017. But because of falling five per cent short of that target, it will reduce the $985,000 by five per cent.

The money will be distributed equally among the organizations, with each getting about five per cent less than was pledged to it for the year, Hodge said.

Kathy Murphy, the United Way’s executive director, said the organization has reached out to the agencies it funds to identify how the gap will affect support to the community.

One of those agencies is the Hastings and Prince Edward branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association.

Sandie Sidsworth, executive director of the branch, said the United Way is distributing the shortfall in a fair way.

Hover over columns for exact totals. Graphic by Katie Perry, QNet News

“This will have an impact on agencies, but it is an impact that all will feel, not one or two agencies bearing the brunt of the shortfall,” Sidsworth said.

In a new release about the allocation of money for the year, Murphy said that there is a growing need for funding to support vulnerable people and many organizations are looking for support from the community. That makes fundraising a competitive landscape, she said.

Funding from the United Way to smaller community programs will be announced in late February or early March.