For the third consecutive year, United Way of North Central Ohio (UWNCO) has met its annual Community Campaign goal before the June 30 end of the campaign cycle.

“This is the earliest we’ve gotten to 100% since the pandemic, and we’ve not only reached the higher goal set for the year by our board of directors, but we’ve exceeded it,” said UWNCO CEO Amber Wertman.

The dollars raised each year during the Community Campaign allow UWNCO to award funding grants to nonprofit community impact projects and collaborations in Crawford, Marion, Morrow, and Wyandot counties for the next fiscal cycle. In the 2023-24 cycle, donations to the 2022-23 UWNCO Community Campaign provided funding for more than 45 programs working to fill the community with successful children, healthy families, and self-sufficient residents.

“We are fully staffed now, with development directors working in each of the counties under our United Way of North Central Ohio umbrella,” Wertman said. “That visibility and outreach has made an impact with our donors, especially in the second half of the campaign year.”

UWNCO Development Director for Marion and Morrow counties Angie Voll and Development Director for Crawford and Wyandot counties Carmon Walter have been out in the community distributing Impact Awards to some of United Way’s exceptional donors and supporters. “The awards are just a small token of our appreciation for our donors, our partners, and the supportive communities we serve,” Voll said.

A list of the 2024 Impact Award recipients can be found at unitedwaynco.org/nco/impact-awards.

The overwhelming success of April’s Spring Purse Bingo event also contributed to the early trip across the campaign finish line. A flagship fundraiser for UWNCO, this year’s event netted a profit of more than $20,000.

The 2023-24 Community Campaign will remain open for donations through June 30. The recent expansion of UWNCO’s region to include Morrow County comes with an increase in funding opportunities, particularly with existing nonprofit partners who provide programming across the region. United Way of North Central Ohio also plans to establish a new fund dedicated to providing support for communities following local emergencies and natural disasters.

“We’ve been discussing creating a crisis fund for some time,” Wertman said. “The generosity of our campaign donors this year has given us the capital to establish a community response fund, and I look forward to announcing that soon.”

Submitted by United Way of North Central Ohio.