United Way's new strategy moves away from traditional fall campaign

The United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton is still fundraising this fall.

But its fundraising effortsthisyear won't look muchlike the United Way campaigns people are used to seeing.

Years of stagnant support for the annual campaign and lack of increase in donations haveforced it to rethink its strategy and approach to fundraising.

As much as it worked for a time and was very successful, we're moving forward to this community impact model.- Bobbie Oates, United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton

It'sreleasing thenew strategy this week. Itwants Hamiltoniansto see it as a year-round charity committed to three focus areas "from poverty to possibility," "healthy people, strong communities" and "all that kids can be."

Gone are the charity's days of onlybeing an umbrella organization that filters dollars through to other agencies. Gone are campaign kickoffs with a dollar goal on a large sign, and periodic updates over five months of how close it is to the target.

It wants you to see it more like the Canadian Cancer Society in terms of year-round need.And it wants you to measure its impact not by whether it reaches a dollar goal, but by the change it makes.

"Traditionally, we've been seen as an umbrella fundraising organization," said spokesperson Bobbie Oates. "As much as it worked for a time and was very successful, we're moving forward to this community impact model."

It's a big change for the agency, which will launch its Road to a Greater Impact websiteWednesday. But change was necessary.

Within the current environmentthe status quo is no longer enough.- Lough Barnes, consultant, in a report to the United Way about the new strategy

The social service landscape is complex, with more than 700 local organizations serving an increasingly diverse population, saysa consultant report for the local charity.

Also, the old fundraising method isn't bringing in new money.

"Within the current environmentthe status quo is no longer enough," saysthe report from Lough Barnes. "For more than a decade, support for the annual campaign has been stagnant with little to no growth in key revenue areas."

Charitable investors, the report says, don't just want to give money to worthy causes. They want to see measurable social change.

This doesn't mean the United Way is abandoning its fall fundraising campaign, Oates said. It's still successful, and that's when people are used to giving. The agency also has a general goal of about $6.5 million. (Last year, it raised $6,225,000 of its $6.8 million goal.)

On Saturday, there was a launch. United Way and UPS came together at the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to pull a plane.

And Wednesday is "United Way Day," which marks the kickoff ofall-important workplace campaigns. People atMcMaster University will pull a bus. Hamilton Health Sciences staff will have a tricycle race obstacle course.

The local United Way currentlysupports 63 programs at 37 agencies.