The United Way of Washtenaw County’s annual campaign kicks off on Sept. 10 with a luncheon at the Marriott Eagle Crest in Ypsilanti. 

This year, more businesses in this region will be participating in the effort. The Campaign Committee has been working for months to plan this year’s campaign effort, including revitalizing the New Company Acquisition Division, which has been  recruiting new companies to join this year’s United Way efforts.

In these challenging economic times, recruiting companies to run workplace campaigns and to make company contributions is a critical effort.

The rise in unemployment in Michigan is creating a real strain on the non-profit agencies that provide the safety net for those most in need. Local food pantries, shelters, and health care clinics report huge increases in the demand for services.

Today, there are approximately 3,500 companies operating in Washtenaw County, yet 220 companies participated in the 2008 United Way Campaign raising pledges from employee and company contributions of just over $5 million.

This year’s Campaign Chair, Tim Marshall, president of Ann Arbor Bank, and United Way executives, led by President Sandy Rupp,  orchestrated a more robust campaign to improve participation rates via the New Company Acquisition Campaign.

This campaign is better resourced by volunteers and a more concerted effort is underway compared to prior years. Twenty senior executives from the Washtenaw County business/government sectors are volunteering their time to call, network, write, and visit key business leaders to encourage them, and their companies, to participate in this year’s campaign.

These dedicated volunteers executives are often asked, “Why should my company support the United Way?” It is an easy answer.

United Way brings people and resources together to address the most pressing human services needs here in our community.

The United Way has a clear strategic focus on five areas: Early Childhood Care and Education; Shelter and Housing; Alleviating Hunger; Aging in Place and Access to Health Care. United Way supports these needs by funding 28 key non-profit agencies.

United Way concentrates on solving specific community issues, strategically distributing resources to demonstrated community needs and making measurable differences in five critical areas. The strategy is to focus donors gifts on specific problems, collaborate with the best organizations and experts to solve - not just manage -problems, define success, then measure and track results and report back to donors demonstrated success stories and positive outcomes.

The volunteer executives also are delivering the message to the workplace community that there are other reasons for  supporting the United Way - including the fact that successful companies benefit from having a solid, stable, and strong community.

Early results from the 2009 New Company Acquisition efforts are encouraging as key local companies are joining the effort by running workplace campaigns. These new companies include: Cueter Chrysler Plymouth Jeep; Fischer Honda; Liberty Title Company, University Bank and Insurance Center, and HandyLab.

United Way executives and executive volunteers hope for continued strong support from individuals and companies in the Washtenaw County.

Rod Gauvin is Senior Vice President for ProQuest and Chair of the New Company Acquisition Division for the United Way of Washtenaw County.  If you would like to get involved, email Sandy Rupp.