United Way chapter suffers shortfall

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BANGOR – In the wake of a disappointing United Way of Eastern Maine campaign, many nonprofit agencies are scrambling to find new funding sources or risk cutting programs and services.

“We’ll need to put the pedal to the metal and look for grants – we may find ourselves soliciting individual donors,” said Helen Genco, director of Bangor Area Visiting Nurses, one of more than 70 social service organizations that receives United Way of Eastern Maine funding.

Located throughout the country and the world, each United Way organization is autonomous and governed by a local board. The system focuses on helping health and human services agencies through funding, volunteerism and collaboration.

With the latest UWEM campaign in Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington, Waldo and Hancock counties falling short for the first time in a decade, partnering agencies received an average of 85 percent of the funds they were allocated last year.

Washington-Hancock Community Agency sustained the largest percentage cut, receiving $5,835, down from $12,000 last year.

Meanwhile, a handful of agencies came away with more support than last year. The largest increase – from $10,000 to $21,370 – was allocated to Down East AIDS Network in Ellsworth so the agency could expand into Washington County.

Lamenting the $2,000 cut for the visiting nurses organization, Genco said last week that she had been optimistic going into the application process, since “in past years we’ve gotten what we wanted.”

United Way of Eastern Maine officials also felt confident about the 2000 fund-raiser.

Figuring that the bottom line would increase by 6 percent as it had each year during the 1990s, the organization counted on raising $2.6 million through the workplace campaign, the centerpiece of United Way’s fund-raising activities.

Instead, the closings of HoltraChem in Orrington and mills in Costigan and Passadumkeag, the financial problems experienced by Eastern Paper in Brewer, employees’ worries about layoffs and about having to assume higher health insurance payments all conspired to yield a $177,000 shortfall.

United Way chapters across the state suffered the same fate, according to Nancy Roberts, vice president of community impact at United Way of Eastern Maine.

Of the nine other United Ways in Maine, only United Way of Greater Portland, United Way of Aroostook and United Way of Kennebec Valley hit their marks, Roberts said.

Last week found local agency representatives grappling with a wide range of emotions.

Profoundly grateful for the help the United Way has given them over the years, some directors nevertheless found themselves wondering if things could have been fairer.

“If everyone’s taking a cut, OK – but we’re going to feel this pinch acutely; it puts us in a real bind,” said UCP [formerly United Cerebral Palsy] of Maine Development Director Lynn Boulger, whose agency received about $12,000 less than last year.

Camp Capella in Lucerne-in-Maine, UCP’s camp for children with special needs, surely will need to raise tuition again this year, according to Boulger.

“I recognize many agencies are competing for United Way funding, but I’m frustrated,” she said.

“We’re the backbone in this community. Families tell us if not for UCP they wouldn’t be able to live here because there would be no services for their kids. Yet I feel like we’re always struggling for our survival,” Boulger said.

Sandra Prescott, director of Washington-Hancock Community Agency, sounded grim as she reported that fewer children will be able to attend the preschool violence prevention program.

And staff for Peaceful Choices, the agency’s domestic violence project, now will need to “spend more time finding innovative ways to have people contribute,” Prescott said.

“To be reduced by [49 percent] isn’t understandable,” she continued. “It’s disappointing that funds did not … return to Washington County the way they should have. We certainly have greater needs than are being recognized and somebody needs to pay attention to that.”

Not surprised that he’s fielding many more questions this year, United Way of Eastern Maine President Jeff Wahlstrom understands the frustrations of agency directors.

“It feels terrible not to get the funding you asked for,” he said. “If you know other agencies got more you’re always looking at your program and thinking, ‘Gee, we’re just as good if not better.’

“So it certainly would be a lot easier if we had just said, ‘OK, everyone’s getting a 15 percent cut this year.’ But that’s not what our donors would want us to do,” he said.

“They want us to look at each program carefully and determine where the needs are greatest, what program would have the greatest impact and do the most good.”

United Way’s funding criteria have undergone a sea change, according to Wahlstrom.

Half a century ago, partnering agencies could refer to “their share” of United Way funds, since allocations were based on financial strength, history and reputation and the kinds of programs they offered, he said.

For about the last 10 years, United Way began funding individual programs instead of agencies as a way to ensure that the neediest people were being helped.

“It’s very hard. The people involved in the process put a lot of time and energy and heart into going out to visit all of the agencies and trying to understand the programs and the impact they have on the communities,” said Jean Mellett, one of the United Way volunteers who makes the funding decisions.

This year for the first time, agency representatives were asked to identify their programs’ desired outcomes and describe how they intend to measure them.

In the future, funding will depend in part on how well programs have met those outcomes.

Allocation decisions will be easier once agencies begin keeping track of results, according to United Way volunteer Russ Lumley.

“We’ll have the data to compare program A to program B, to see who has the best return on our investment,” he said.

Eastern Agency on Aging, which received $5,000 more than last year, offered the type of information United Way will want to see.

Agency representatives not only reported the number of clients, but also pointed out that they saved 770 seniors more than $900,000 by enrolling them in Medicaid and in the low-cost drug card program, according to Roberts.

“It’s not just how many people are you serving, but how are you changing their lives,” she said.

The director of New Hope for Women, the domestic violence project in Lincoln, Knox and Waldo counties, voiced a concern common among partnering agencies.

Since the allocation for New Hope’s school outreach and community education programs was cut by $4,000, or 52 percent, Kathleen Morgan said she was worried that “this will be read that something is the matter with the programs.”

But because United Way funding also depends on whether a program receives other types of financial help, Morgan wasn’t entirely surprised that New Hope took a hit.

“I was clear with them that if we weren’t funded, it wouldn’t stop us from going ahead with the program,” she said.

Meanwhile, some agency representatives were philosophical about their decreased allocations.

“It’s newsworthy because there’s been such a long positive trend in Bangor, so this is a bit of a trip,” said Charles Newton of Penquis CAP, whose agency received $32,355, down nearly $3,000 from last year.

“But that’s the nature of the beast. The community remains real generous and we’re optimistic that things will turn around again,” Newton said.

Francine Stark of Spruce Run, Bangor’s domestic violence project, said her agency would make do even with its nearly $16,000 cut.

In the 1980s, when her agency’s budget was considerably smaller, a decrease would have been a real hardship, Stark said.

Now, “we have more flexibility to deal with those kinds of fluctuations,” she said.

United Way’s predicament reminded the director of the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter about a complaint he’s had for a while.

Although most of the people who use the shelter have significant mental health issues “and are arguably clients of the department of mental health,” the state provides no financial help, said Dennis Marble, whose agency received the same amount of United Way funding as last year.

“What all of this speaks to me about is lack of policy,” he said. “If the departments of mental health, Human Services and Corrections would do what I think they’re obligated to do, we wouldn’t need any United Way money.”