The needs keep rising, and La Verne Gold hopes the support will go up as well.
"People are having a tough time," said Ms. Gold, the president and chief executive officer of the United Way of the CSRA. "We have never been able to support all the needs in the community, and we will never be able to. We serve as much as possible. Our agencies have waiting lists."
On Monday, the organization will kick off its annual fundraising campaign at a luncheon at the Bell Auditorium.
"Calls to our 211 (referral line) showed a 50 percent increase in 2008. We had 16,000 calls. We are almost at that already," Ms. Gold said.
Last year, the organization set a goal of $4.5 million and fell about $169,000 short.
"The large majority of our donors are the good old hardworking folks who work in small businesses," said board President Mark Maund, who served as campaign chairman two years ago.
About two years ago, the United Way introduced the Caring Club, an incentive to any donor giving $12 a month or $144 a year. More than 50 area businesses offer discounts to those who use the club card.
The United Way is also reaching out more to Columbia and Burke counties with more Caring Club vendors in those locations. Also, many of the agencies have satellite offices in those counties.
The organization has pared down the number of programs it funds. A few years ago, it funded 60 programs at area charities. Now it serves 18 agencies and only 40 programs.
A volunteer board evaluates agencies and determines where the dollars are being spent.
The United Way is adopting an "outcomes-based" measurement to determine the effectiveness of a charity and its programs.
"What kinds of positive impact are they having? If you can't correlate the two, they won't be funded," Ms. Gold said.
The United Way has brought in a facilitator to train agencies on this new system, she said. The concept will be implemented in July 2011.
Registration for Monday's luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. The cost is $25. For more information, call (706) 724-5544.
INSURANCE COSTS AND LOSSES
| Aiken County | Columbia County | ||||
| Costs | Losses | Year | Costs | Losses | |
| $933,722 | $758,616 | 2005-06 | $261,516 | $615,640 | |
| $964,722 | $628,337 | 2006-07 | $263,713 | $530,541 | |
| $868,949 | $517,408 | 2007-08 | $257,667 | $515,779 | |
| $375,168 | $936,202* | 2008-09 | $162,940 | $359,321 |
* estimated figure that could change as several settlements are still pending
Sources: Aiken County Risk Management and Columbia County Emergency Services Director Pam Tucker
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