As the 2014 United Way Campaign co-chairs, Brian and Sue Iverson are talking with individuals and businesses about the impact their investment in United Way will have in the community.

Most people are uncomfortable asking others to give money. Brian Iverson would count himself among them. But Iverson jumped out of his comfort zone and took on a volunteer leadership position to encourage folks to invest in the future of our community by supporting the work of United Way of Douglas County and its 29 community partners.

As the 2014 United Way Campaign co-chairs, Iverson and his wife, Sue, are talking with individuals and businesses about the impact their investment in United Way will have on helping at-risk children get the support they need to succeed in school, ensuring vulnerable populations have access to health care so they can get and stay healthy, and helping people who are in financial crisis find jobs and affordable housing.

The United Way’s annual fundraising campaign typically runs between September and December. The goal of the campaign is to encourage community members to invest in the work of United Way and its community partners to ensure everyone in Douglas County can achieve education, health and self-sufficiency.

“United Way is something I’ve felt passionate about for a number of years,” said Brian Iverson, who is the manager of commercial lending for InTrust Bank in Lawrence. As a numbers guy, Iverson likes United Way’s collective impact model, where funded partners are required to work together to use resources more efficiently and produce measureable results.

“If you look at your money going to United Way as an investment, and you want to see what the impact of your dollar is, with the measurements we are putting in place, you can see ‘this percent of children are at proficiency for reading’ or ‘this number of people are going through financial literacy classes,'” he explained. “It puts in a new level of agency accountability, and that should give people a level of comfort in donating to United Way.”

For Sue Iverson, who is the director of education and organizational development for Stormont Vail Health Care in Topeka, serving as the campaign co-chair has given her a chance to learn more about the needs of vulnerable people in Douglas County and how United Way and its partners are creating long-term solutions to meet those needs.

At the kickoff of the campaign, the Iversons and other campaign volunteers toured United Way’s community partners to learn more about the challenges in Douglas County and how they are working together to address our community’s key needs in education, health and self-sufficiency. The tour was eye-opening for the couple and made them redouble their efforts to support the innovative work being done.

“I was both impressed by the scope of outreach within the community as well as I was really overwhelmed and surprised at the number people who are living lives of despair and need and homelessness and hurt,” Sue Iverson said. “It left an impression on me. This is the message everyone needs to know in Lawrence: There are people who really need our help.”

The Iversons have been inspiring leaders to work with, said Colleen Gregoire, United Way vice president and campaign director.

“Our campaign volunteers have the opportunity to learn about the collaborative programs that are helping thousands of our most vulnerable citizens every year. Brian and Sue were deeply moved by the success stories they heard on the agency tours last summer and were inspired to share them with donors throughout the campaign. It makes fundraising so much easier when you’re passionate about the end results.”

The Iversons will complete their time as campaign co-chairs in February at the United Way’s annual meeting, where they will announce the impact the community’s investment in the work of United Way is having on its 29 community partners and the thousands of vulnerable community members they serve.