UNITED WAY Getting creative with fund raising

A Women's Leadership Initiative has been launched to bolster fund raising.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
SHARON, Pa. -- The United Way of Mercer County is turning to a largely untapped source in its efforts to reach a goal of $1 million this year.
"This is a pool of people that haven't been asked to do anything for the community [in a united effort]," said Rex Knisley chairman of the 2003 campaign.
Knisley said he got the idea for a Women's Leadership Initiative from the United Way of Allegheny County, which launched its own program last year, raising $1.8 million in the process from Pittsburgh area women who are leaders in their community.
The United Way of Mercer County tapped Caren Renz of Hermitage to serve as chairman of a steering committee that came up with the names of 700 women who have been invited to an inaugural breakfast Nov. 3 at the Radisson Hotel on Pa Route 18.
"We hope to get 300," Knisley said, noting the breakfast invitations ask for donations of $100 or more although participants are encouraged to give whatever they wish.
"We already got several donations of $1,000 or more," Knisley said, adding that the goal is to net $50,000 from the Women's Leadership Initiative.
That money can be used to secure matching grants from local foundations, he said.
The cost of the breakfast is being covered by an anonymous donor.
Other ideas
Getting support for the 2003 campaign is just part of the effort, Knisley said.
He wants to foster some long-term involvement on the part of the women who respond to the leadership drive to help carry the work of the United Way into the future.
The campaign is also focusing on some efforts that have helped campaigns in the past, said Jim Micsky, executive director.
A promotional gimmick that gave donors a chance to win a new vehicle, free air travel to a resort area or his-and-her rocking chairs worked well when it was introduced last year and is being continued, Micsky said.
People who pledge a minimum of $52 to the campaign for the first time or increase their past pledge by $52 are automatically entered into the contest. Increasing that contribution by multiples of $52 gets the donor additional chances to win.
Micsky said that effort garnered 538 new givers last year.
The United Way also continues to push its "Buck A Week" drive, encouraging donors to pledge $1 a week to the campaign, Micsky said.
Spreading the message
Knisley said there is a greater focus on getting the United Way's message out to the community this year.
His employer, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, has already hosted eight luncheons for various groups, he said.
Knisley is a senior vice president for commercial lending at First National.
Micsky said the United Way is moving toward a "community impact" agency approach, requiring the 25 human service agencies it helps fund to provide details of how they are meeting specific needs of the community.
"Our dollars are very limited," he said, explaining the need to be proactive in determining the human-service needs of the county.
That requires getting out into the community for a lot of meeting with various groups.
"We need people to tell us what is working," Micsky said, adding that those are the programs that the United Way will continue to fund.
The agency had a goal of $1,150,000 last year but netted only $964,000. It handed out nearly $800,000 to local human-service agencies in May.
"We hope to raise more than last year," Knisley said, adding that he is confident the contributions will grow.
"We're just plugging away as hard as we can," he said.
This year's campaign got off to a good start, raising about $17,000 at its annual Pro-Am Golf Tournament and another $17,000 at the annual Restaurant Revue.
Those two efforts brought in about $7,000 more than their total last year, Micsky said.