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| Courtesy of Ron Niebrugge |
Alaskans embracing new ways of giving has lead to the close of the Kenai Branch office of the United Way. In a letter addressed to Kenai Peninsula residents Wednesday, the Board of Directors announced that the Kenai Peninsula United Way would dissolve effect June 30, 2018.
United Way Board Member Ron Long says the closure doesn’t demonstrate a shift in the generosity of the people of the Kenai or a change in the agencies that they work with, simply a shift in the means they use to donate.
Ron Long: “With Pick, Click, Give and with direct easy electronic access to all the member agencies, the model that worked so well for United Way in the past – where we had record year after record years of giving – was based on employer participation, and being able to deduct from your employee paycheck and have matches. It’s pretty archaic and maybe even quaint by today’s standards.”
The Board’s letter says that in the past eight years they had experienced a downturn of 77% in charitable giving, and were increasingly finding that they were in direct competition with their member agencies for the same donors and the same dollars.
KPUW told their donors that at least 85% of each dollar donated went to the member agencies, and that model raised over $12 million over the past 30 years. The Board says that goal is no longer attainable.
Starting July 1st of next year, United Way Worldwide will assign the Peninsula Zip Codes to the United Way of Anchorage to continue to provide collection of funds – and donors are advised that it will become imperative that they consider designating to their favorite non profit so that Peninsula agencies continue to be the recipient of funds through the United Way program.
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