United Way Leeds & Grenville reflects on 2024 challenges, urges continued support for critical community services
As previously reported by Brockvilleist, The United Way Leeds & Grenville (UWLG) recently put out a community plea to receive extra support for their Christmas donation campaign, a lifeline for over 20 essential services in the region.
While the plea was successful in garnering many fresh donations over the holidays, the UWLG has yet to meet its fundraising target. Hailie Jack, executive director with the organization, shared the update during a conversation with Brockvilleist where she discussed her reflections on 2024 and what lies ahead for UWLG in 2025.
According to Jack, the greatest challenge the organization faced in 2024 was securing donations from community members and businesses.
“When it comes to social services and fundraisers in general, there is a lot of competition, and I don’t mean that in a negative way. We are all in need, and we’re all reaching up to the community and asking for help and very well needed charities.”
She continued, “But it goes to show you the gaps that are within our system that are essential for us to have in our community. So every program that we fund is what we dub critical social infrastructure. That means this infrastructure and these services are so important that there will be a loss to people in our community.”
The challenging economic climate and rising cost of living are creating significant hurdles for fundraising organizations like the United Way. With an increasing demand for support in the community, coupled with donors’ reduced capacity to give due to financial strain and economic uncertainty, charitable organizations are facing an uncertain future themselves.
“There is not one part of Leeds and Grenville that isn’t serviced by some sort of service that we support. So if people are looking to give to a charity, United Way is always a great choice, because we are across Leeds and Grenville making sure that these services continue.”
When reflecting on her first year as Executive Director of UWLG, Jack explained that one of her larger realizations was that many people are unaware that UWLG is an entirely community funded organization that receives zero municipal or government funding.
“So I think that that’s my biggest motivator for 2025 with the United Way, is just to continue to connect more deeply and share more information in our community.”
“We need to find a way to connect with everyone in Leeds and Grenville and encourage donations, even if it’s small donations, because that’s kind of the meat and bones of the United Way.”
Jack explained that her top priority moving into the new year is education, specifically finding methods and opportunities to educate the public on what essential services the United Way has to offer.
“It is my goal for 2025 to just continue to encourage the education piece and the stakeholdership, even from people who don’t donate. You know, I guarantee when you’re out and about in a day, you’re walking past somebody who receives something because of United Way funding. And if we all knew that, I think that we’d all see more value in us, you know, staying here and being well supported.”
Donations can be made:
- Online
- By mail
- Via email money transfer to accounting@uwig.org