United Way Executives Visit Marshall University

            A United Way of the River Cities executive said in front of Marshall University journalism students Tuesday the agency will shift from its traditional focus of fundraising to increasing the number of people who donate to the organization.

            Cassey Bowden, director of resource development and marketing, said, “what matters is that everyone is giving and that those dollars are being used to positively impact the community.”

            The impact Bowden is referring to is something that the United Way wasn’t exactly focused on in the past. “Fundraising was the end...until about 15 years ago when we (United Way) looked at ourselves and thought maybe we’re not being as effective as we thought we were”, said Laura Gilliam, executive director of the United Way.

            In the past the United Way had been only a fundraising vehicle for other organizations throughout the community. “Our focus has been transitioning from a very transactional organization, to an organization that really is looking at what are the major problems and what can we be doing to address the root cause of those problems”, said Gilliam.

            The United Way has pinpointed 4 “focus areas” to improve on the aforementioned problems. Learning and earning is a point that focuses on students who leave high school without a diploma as well as adults who lack basic life skills. Health and wellness is concerned with childhood obesity and substance abuse with in the community.

            Another area, families and children, is concerned with decreasing unemployment and providing children with positive interaction inside and outside of the home. Basic needs and unforeseen hardships focus on giving independence to individuals who are chronically dependent on community agencies as well as accounting for rare scenarios.

The United Way determines areas of need through community needs assessments and data collected over a period of a year by volunteers.

The United Way remains diligent in its activities to decrease dropout rate, stop childhood obesity and in other areas such as substance abuse, early learning and financial stability. They partner with other organizations in the area to achieve those goals.

            “The United Way judges success not by how much money we raise, but by how we achieve the goals that we set,” said Gilliam.

            Bowden said the organization wants to raise increase the donor base by 15 percent because they feel it helps them raise the funds they need to improve the community and achieve their goals. “Fundraising is only the means to an end,” said Bowden.

United Way Assignment

The United Way of the River Cities is a non-profit organization serving the greater Huntington area.

Their mission is simple: to better the human condition in the Huntington community. The United Way of the River Cities supports a variety of programs and strategies that address issues such as Health and Wellness, learning and earning, families and children and basic needs/ unforeseen hardships.

The United Way accomplishes these programs through fundraising, grant writing and convening partnerships. Net assets of the United Way in 2007 were $1,902,191. They showed their appreciation for contributors in March when they hosted a “celebration of excellence” as well as various other family friendly events.

The Financial Stability Partnership of the River Cities is an initiative started to help families maximize their income as well as gain and benefit from savings and assets, such as homeownership, continued education, small business development and retirement planning. The Success by Six is another program that seeks to ensure that children in the River Cities will be ready physically, mentally, developmentally, emotionally and socially to begin kindergarten.

The executive director of the United Way of the River Cities is Laura Gilliam. Gilliam graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1985 with a degree in business administration.

Gilliam moved to West Virginia in 1990 and has been active in the community ever since as well as serving on a variety of local and state level committees. Gilliam has been with the organization since 2005. Gilliam’s husband Frank is on the faculty at Marshall University and they have two children.

Cassey Bowden is the director of resource development and marketing for the organization. Bowden was born and raised in Beckley, W. Va and then moved to Huntington to attend Marshall University where she received her degree in marketing and economics.

Bowden began working for the organization in 2004. Fundraising is the main focus of Bowden’s job. Bowden had several opportunities to leave the area for other jobs; however, Bowden and her firefighter husband Wes liked the area so much they decided to stay. Bowden had her first child in May of 2007.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Huntington is an organization funded by the United Way of the River Cities. The club’s main objective is to provide a place for children 6-18 a safe place to learn and grow. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Huntington offer educational and recreational activities for members. Free meals and transportation is also available for those eligible.

Common Mistakes

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