United Way of Summit County is pleased to announce the total dollars it is investing in the community will remain consistent for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017 as compared to the previous fiscal year. The stability of these community investments comes in tandem with United Way’s continued movement toward a new organizational model that began to take effect earlier this year.
The local United Way is reinventing itself. Launched nearly 100 years ago to coordinate charitable giving, it now aims to be a true catalyst of community change. Under the leadership of new president and chief executive officer, Jim Mullen, United Way board and staff members spent the past year examining the organization's operations and focus, and evaluating ways to ensure that its impact on the community is the most effective.
“The United Way board of directors is dedicated to making available adequate resources to support both United Way programming and the organization’s growth,” said Jim Merklin, Bober Markey Fedorovich partner and United Way board chairman. “We have been assessing United Way’s current status and are strategically positioning the organization to assume an even greater role to address, in collaboration with our partners, the most urgent needs in Summit County.”
Following this year of intense examination, United Way is now on a path to evolve from its roots as a fundraising organization to an engagement and impact organization that aims to strengthen its partnership with a wide variety of stakeholders–including businesses, community leaders, public officials and community residents–to expand opportunities for people in Summit County to succeed.
Mullen will present United Way’s new vision plan at its annual meeting, along with ideas on how individuals and organizations can assure the plan’s success. The community is invited to attend the event to reimagine both the work of United Way, and the future of our community, on Tuesday, April 19, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the John S. Knight Center in downtown Akron.
“Going forward, the aspirations of the community will be a key factor that drives the work of United Way,” said Mullen. “It is important for us to reach out and listen to and engage diverse community stakeholders to effectively improve the way we do our work. The idea of "turning outward" is a fundamental element of the new United Way of Summit County business model.”
Annual meeting table sponsorships and tickets can be secured at uwsummit.org/events.