Shawano County United Way on Track to Meet 2025 Fundraising Goals
The Shawano County United Way is likely to reach at least its minimum fundraising goal for 2025, according to Executive Director Uriah Williams. This year, the local program set an initial goal of raising $100,000 to help fund initiatives by local nonprofits. Additionally, a higher target of $145,000 was established with the hope of supporting even more community projects.
“We set a bunch of different campaign goals, depending on where the money was coming from,” Williams said. “Whether it’s personal donations, business donations (or) other campaigns, our goal was between $100,000 and $145,000, somewhere in there. We’re doing very well.”
Recent figures show that United Way has more than $80,000 confirmed, possibly approaching $90,000. However, this total did not yet include contributions from CoVantage Credit Union, which has been conducting a Giving Tuesday initiative to benefit the organization. The CoVantage Cares campaign closed on December 16, and Williams was informed that it may bring in over $20,000 once all donations are tallied.
Williams anticipates the official fundraising total will be confirmed in February, as some last-minute donations are expected at the end of the year from donors seeking tax credits. Despite the wait, he remains optimistic that the United Way will have reached its baseline goal.
“We are making really great progress in meeting the goal for the year,” Williams remarked. He explained that the $80,000 to $90,000 raised so far this year is largely due to new workplace campaigns in businesses the United Way hadn’t previously partnered with, as well as strong individual donor support.
Funding Requests Focus on Local Impact
This year, United Way received 20 funding requests from organizations, mostly based in Shawano and Menominee counties. According to Williams, requests from organizations outside these counties will only be considered if their projects clearly benefit the local community.
One example is Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, headquartered in Green Bay. While the organization itself is located outside Shawano County, its community giving closet operates within Shawano, making its request relevant to local needs.
“It’s a wide variety of requests,” Williams said. If United Way reaches its top fundraising goal of $145,000, it would be able to fund about 75% of the requests made.
Local Giving Defies Statewide Trends
Williams noted that charitable giving in the Shawano area has increased, countering the statewide trend where many regions have seen donations decline. He attributes this positive local trend to the Shawano United Way’s smaller size and close connection to the community.
“When you support United Way, it’s like supporting the whole nonprofit community,” he explained. “I don’t know what you want to take from that. For us, our baseline was so low.”
Over the past five years, the Shawano County United Way has been on an upward trajectory in fundraising and community support. Williams credits much of this progress to his predecessor, Nancy Schultz, noting that when she took over, the organization was raising about $40,000 per year. Since then, the goals and fundraising efforts have steadily increased.
Key Community Partners Supported
Some of the organizations requesting funds this year include Safe Haven, Shawano Area Matthew 25, Shawano Area Food Pantry and Resource Center, Shawano Area Food Center, FRESH Project, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the Boys and Girls Club.
“Most of our budget goes toward supporting those organizations,” Williams said. In addition to supporting partners, the fundraising efforts will also back programs that United Way directly oversees, such as the diaper bank and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program—both of which are volunteer-run.
For more information, contact Uriah Williams at [email protected].
https://www.newmedia-wi.com/united-way-expected-meet-2025-goal