United Way Hopes to Raise $5.7 Million

United Way of Ventura County is widening its net in an effort to increase funding to its 53 member agencies next year.

The United Way, which kicked off its latest campaign period last week, hopes to raise $5.7 million over the next year. Last year, the organization raised $5.5 million, said its president, Sheryl Wiley Solomon.

In addition to continuing to target more than 500 larger companies within the county, the organization will look to 250 small- to medium-sized businesses for funding.

Through three mixers with area chambers of commerce, the United Way hopes to attract smaller businesses as contributors. The organization will also ask individuals to increase their donations, Solomon said.

“Every year we bring on new accounts,” she said. “This year, we’re taking more of a concerted effort to go after those accounts. We know it will pay off.”

Such donations aid dozens of groups within the county. Food Share, an Oxnard-based nonprofit organization that distributes food to people through 215 community agencies countywide, received $30,000 from United Way last year, said Food Share development director Susan Murphy.

Aside from the money, the United Way’s involvement brings much-needed exposure to nonprofits, Murphy said.

“The fact that the funds come in is extremely important, but they also raise awareness that we’re here and that’s really important,” Murphy said.

Until three years ago, United Way ran nine-month fund-raising campaigns, which made it difficult for the organization to accurately project how much would be available to nonprofits during the spring allocation period. Its campaign is now three months and much more aggressive, allowing United Way officials to stay on top of funding earlier and more often, Solomon said.

“We run a blitz campaign now,” she said. “It’s high intensity between September and December.”

Agencies funded by the United Way offer a number of services, including job training, a shelter for battered women and children, and activities aimed at keeping youths away from gangs and drugs.

Conejo Valley Senior Concerns, a Thousand Oaks-based nonprofit organization that provides support for seniors and the families who care for them, received $10,000 from the United Way last year. Executive director Lynn Engelbert is grateful for United Way’s fund-raising efforts.

“Every dollar, every dime helps,” she said. “They provide a venue that we might not normally be able to access.”