Helping our community is no ample trick

Non-profit funding organisations work on both sides of the funding equation — approaching donors  for funds and identifying local organisations for funding.

United Way, across the world, partners with many local implementing agencies, supporting initiatives in their communities. John Mcmillan, president of United Way of Wilson County shares useful insight on approaching donors for financial support, identifying local partners and working closely towards community development.

Below are excerpts from his article published in The Lebanon Democrat and Wilson County news. Click here to access the original article.

When addressing potential donors:

I love magic. Over the years I’ve tried to put a magic trick or two into my presentations. Working for United Way of Wilson County, I can usually sense the fear that I’m going to ask my audience for money, so a magic trick can break the ice and set everyone to ease.

In a former life, I worked alongside a lady who happened to be the company employee trainer. She started out performing a couple of magic tricks as ice breakers. Before you know it she was taking magic classes and the ice breakers became more elaborate; her training presentations became in great demand all over the country in short order. 

When determining partner agencies:

[United Way of Wilson County] helps in giving limited financial support to 32 local agencies that help Wilson County residents.

These agencies have been visited by our allocations volunteers, their financial records have been inspected to make sure that donors can feel safe that their donations are being spent wisely and to great benefit for the community.We don’t fully fund any of our partner programs. Our hope is that we can provide donors a means to make an educated choice about where to give and be sure that they are getting the most bang for their buck. In return, the partner agencies can devote more of their time to doing what they do best and that is serving the people of this community.

Your help doesn’t end at financial support:

United Way has always believed that team strategies are best to tackle tough problems. Working together with many agencies and professionally administered programs help move make our communities a better place to live.

I consider the directors who run our partner agencies my friends and I have seen, first hand, their struggles to raise funds through various means. I feel good that every dollar brought in to UWWC takes a little burden off their plate and allows them to work on the needs of this community. Making a pledge to any of these agencies through your donation to UWWC is magic we can all create.

Excerpts from original article: Helping our community is no ample trick by John Mcmillan.