Welcome to our online chat with Ann Gardner and Jo Bryant about United Way.

The chat took place on Thursday, October 27, at 1:30 PM and is now closed, but you can read the full transcript on this page.

Moderator: Welcome this afternoon to our chat with Ann Gardner, the Journal-World’s editorial editor, who is chairing this year’s local United Way fund-raising campaign, and Jo Bryant, director of United Way of Douglas County.

I’m Dave Toplikar, World Online editor, and I’ll serve as the moderator for this online discussion.

We have several questions that have already been submitted and I’d ask our readers to go ahead and submit more questions during the chat.

To get us started, Ann, could you tell us a little about this year’s goal and how long the campaign will last?

Ann Gardner: The active 2005 campaign will continue through Nov. 18. We hope to raise $1.56 million this year to support the 25 United Way agencies in Douglas County.

Arthur, Lawrence: I’ve heard about “donor fatigue” from extraordinary events like Hurricane Katrina. Are local folks continuing to meet the ongoing needs here in Douglas County?

Jo Bryan, left, and Ann Gardner, right, participate in an online chat Thursday afternoon.

Ann Gardner: At this point, the campaign is running about even with last year’s campaign, but there have been disappointments in a couple of areas. It’s hard to tell what impact nationwide fundraising efforts have on the local campaign. We don’t want to discourage people from donating to those causes but we also hope they’ll remember the needs of our Douglas County people. We certainly want to encourage anyone who’s still considering a United Way donation to go ahead and make a pledge. If you need a pledge form or more information, you can call the United Way office at 843-6626 or go online at www.unitedwaydgco.org to get a form or make a pledge.

Randi, Lawrence: I live in Lawrence but work in Topeka. Is there a way to arrange for my United Way payroll deduction to be designated for United Way of Douglas County?

Ann Gardner: People who work in Topeka just have to fill in the portion of the Topeka pledge card where you give your ZIP code and indicate you want your donation to go to United Way of Douglas County. Those funds then are forwarded here from United Way of Greater Topeka. Kansas City commuters need to ask for a donor choice form in addition to their pledge card to designate their donation to Douglas County. Thanks for asking. During last year’s campaign, more than $200,000 came from commuters, so you’re an important part of our campaign.

Lawrence: Why should I donate through United Way instead of giving directly to my chosen charity?

Ann Gardner: United Way of Douglas County helps the community and agencies plan for the services the county needs. United Way helps direct funds to where they’re most needed in the community and helps encourage collaboration and reduce duplication of services. Having United Way support also allows agencies to have a dependable base of financial support that they can count on from year to year. United Way also reviews agency operations to offer assistance so that donors can be confident their gifts are being used well.

This also give us an opportunity to mention the new Community Impact Fund which will provide grant funds to a community coalition that includes at least one United Way agency that has a plan to address a specific community need. The goal again is to encourage collaboration and perhaps form partnerships in the community.

Stephen, Lawrence: Questions for Jo Bryant:

1. What do you consider to be the area of greatest success for United Way of Douglas County under your tenure?

2. With regard to social services in Douglas County, are there significant areas of duplicate services and if so, is this an issue that should be addressed?

3. With seeming increase in need for aid and assistance, do you see the role of organizations such as United Way that consolidate solicitations for the private sector becoming more or less important?

Thank you, Jo, for your dedication and passionate service to our Community.

Most sincerely,

Stephen

Ann Gardner: The United Way of Douglas County has experienced a great 7 years and I have really enjoyed being a part of that. I am happy with the solid working relationship which has developed between the United Way of Douglas County board and the member agencies. We all have the same goals for serving the community. Second, the increased collaboration among agencies which we have encouraged, such as the merger between Ballard Center and Penn House, has had a positive impact on the community. I am also proud of the operation of the United Way Human Service Center, which was recently cited as one reason why our community is one of the 100 Best in the County for youth.

There is some duplication of services, but it’s not a big problem. It’s more a question of getting people to work together so our efforts are more comprehensive.

United Way isn’t the dominant fundraising drive that it once and there certainly is increased competition for charitable dollars. It’s hard to predict how our role will change but United Way still can serve an important role.

Sue, Lawrence: What local social service agencies does the United Way fund?

Ann Gardner: Agencies supported by United Way of Douglas County funds in 2005-06:

* Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Kansas, Douglas County affiliate

* Boy Scouts of America/Pelathe District
* Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence
* Brookcreek Learning Center
* Douglas County CASA
* Girl Scouts of Kaw Valley Council
* Van Go Mobile Arts
* Ballard Community Center/Penn House
* Douglas County Child Development Assn.
* Independence Inc.
* Trinity Respite Care
* American Red Cross, Douglas County Chapter
* Douglas County Dental Clinic
* Douglas County Visiting Nurses Assn.
* Health Care Access Clinic
* Hospice Care in Douglas County
* The Salvation Army
* The Arc of Douglas County
* Catholic Community Services
* Douglas County AIDS Project
* Douglas County Legal Aid
* GaDuGi SafeCenter
* Headquarters Counseling Center
* Housing and Credit Counseling
* Women’s Transitional Care Services

John, Lawrence: I work for an employer who intimidates the employees into giving to the United Way. Since the major scandal a few years involving the United Way hierarchy, in what ways has the United Way improved, and what do you think of employers using intimidating tactics in order to get their employees to donate? Incidentally, employer intimidation of employees giving is very common.

Moderator: While Ann is responding to this question, I’d like to say we’re sorry for some of the delays we were having late in this chat. Our server was getting a lot of activity, which, I’m told by our technical folks, slowed down the responses.

But that’s all the time we have today

Ann Gardner: We really appreciate the support of employers who agree to have internal campaigns and allow United Way to answer questions and provide information to their employees, but we hope no one feels pressured to make a donation. That kind of intimidation really would be detrimental to our efforts over the long haul.

Moderator: Ann, I’d like to thank you and Jo for taking part in today’s chat. I thought we got some good questions. And despite the slight glitch with the server, it went well.

Ann Gardner: Thanks for the opportunity, Dave.