Newsmakers, January 5, 2017

The closing of the United Way of Greater Winona at the end of 2016 has left human service agencies in Wisconsin and Minnesota scrambling for how to fund dozens of independent programs.

It’s also left neighboring United Way organizations trying to figure out if they will continue to fund programs that the Winona branch has traditionally funded.

The Great Rivers United Way in Onalaska will pick up fundraising for agencies affected in Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties in western Wisconsin. The United Way of Olmsted County in Rochester will absorb partner agencies in Winona. But its unclear if and when any of the agencies will receive funding they’ve been accustomed to.

That leaves the providers of services in a tough spot. Western Dairyland Community Action Agency got about $10,000 annually from Winona’s United Way to fund temporary apartments for the homeless and a free caregiver program to check on seniors living alone in their homes. Western is committed to keeping the programs, but may have to scale them back as they search to replace the money.

“We are the only homeless shelter in Buffalo and Trempealeau County. We are the only free volunteer caregiver service in those counties,” said Western communication coordinator Dale Karls. “So while the population is smaller, the number of service providers is not there either, so the services are needed even more. If we cease to offer these services, there’s nobody else there.”

The closing of the United Way organization in Winona is another sign of a tough environment for fundraising organizations. In the last two years, United Way organizations in the city of Eau Claire and Chippewa County and another in Superior and Duluth have consolidated.

While the Great Rivers United Way has managed to make its goal in recent years, the 2016-17 campaign which wraps up at the end of January is still $185,000 short of its $2 million goal.

Great Rivers United Way Executive Director Mary Kay Wolf said times are tough for fundraising with increased competition among non-profit organizations, but she said the closing of Winona may create some opportunities for her organization.

“I don’t know who was partners (businesses that ran employee-based fundraising campaigns) with the Winona United Way,” said Wolf. “My initial feel is that there weren’t very many in Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties. I think the bulk of their funding came specifically from the Winona community. But there are some businesses in Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties that we have our sights on.”