Our Mission: To increase the available resources and enhance the effective delivery of charitable services in the community.
Annual Report 2006
| Robin A.R. Smith, LSW, MGM | Executive Director |
| Judy Foster, BS | Development Director |
| Christine Santy, BA | WV 211 Resource Coordinator |
| Toni Balenger | Administrative Assistant |
| Joanna Damron Bromfield | FSU Scholarship Recipient |
| Lauren Cogar | FSU Scholarship Recipient |
Introduction Letter
January 23, 2007
Dear Marion County Residents:
2006 has been a whirl wind of activity. The New Year was ushered in with a flurry of events to push the campaign goal closer to 100%. We called the campaign in March sitting just over 80% recognizing that world and national events like a tsunami, Sago, and Katrina can make a major impact on small communities around the world.
Our member agencies started the New Year with training after training
in Outcome Measurements and Logic Models. Logic Models were presented
as part of the 2006 funding cycle and gave everyone the opportunity
to look at our programs in a different light. In addition to providing
services to Marion County, our agencies were involved with the Sago
mine disaster (American Red Cross), the North Central WV Homeless Initiative
(Scott Place), and Warm Hands and Hearts (The Connecting Link), which
are projects that are touching West Virginia families across the state.
We are very proud of all of our agencies and the work that they do to
improve the quality of life for our families.
As we welcome a new program to the United Way Family this year, we also say goodbye to two. The Marion County Child Advocacy Center is coordinating resources and services to provide a safe and neutral environment for forensic interviews of children that have been victims of abuse or sexual assault. Operating under the Marion Country Family Resource Center, they have secured funding for professional training and video equipment to allow the documentation of the child’s experience without having to re-traumatize the child with multiple interviews in cold, sterile, and frightening environments by strangers.
Our two “graduates”, Alzheimer’s Association and Stepping Stones have both voluntarily left the United Way rolls but will still be providing services to Marion County families. We wish them the best in their future endeavors and look forward to a continued relationship with them in Marion County.
Summer brought us nicer weather and a new and energized campaign team for the 2006-2007 campaign. Jim and Sabrina Chadwell, our first husband and wife team, gathered a strong cabinet to do the work of the campaign. We saw two Pacesetter campaigns, Fairmont General Hospital, and the West Virginia High Tech Consortium Foundation, set the mark for other Marion County businesses and organizations to meet. Fairmont State University met the challenge by exceeding last year’s goals, as well as Allegheny Power’s renewed commitment to Marion County with the first company match program in four years. Our Corporate Cup Challenge, the kick off event, saw the Fire Department defending their softball championship and encouraged businesses of all sizes to participate in a week of fun activities while raising money and awareness for the United Way.
It would be impossible to talk about the fall activities without mentioning Light up the Park. Morris Park is a living example of the good things that can happen with collaborations. The Rotary Club of South Fairmont set out on a mission to raise money and volunteers to put electric service in Morris Park to support our holiday light display. Through fundraising efforts, business donations, and volunteer labor, Morris Park is now serviced with electric throughout. The addition of six new displays and our Avenue of Trees complimented the weekly special events and made the Park project very successful for its second year. We look forward to that event growing, not only to benefit the United Way but as an attraction that will bring people into Marion County.
As we begin our 50th year as a United Way, we embrace our successes
and challenges. We are currently sitting at 70% of our campaign goal.
We will be creating strategies not only to meet the goal but to also
increase our awareness and involvement in Marion County. We are here
to make an impact, and together we can make a difference in our communities.
Jeannie Brenneman - President, Board of Directors
Robin A.R. Smith - Executive Director
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United Way of Marion County
- Community Needs Assessment - Summer/Fall 2003
*** An updated Community Needs Assessment is being
worked on for 2007
Background: We realized in early 2003 that the data we were basing
our decisions on had not been re-evaluated since 1997/8. . We needed
to update the data, focused on the health and human services programs
that United Way would traditionally fund. Our goal was two fold: 1)
We wanted to determine what the community felt were the needs of Marion
County and 2) then set priorities for United Way funding.
Timeline: The assessment began in July of 2003 and the results
were presented during a Town Hall meeting in December 2003
Process: Our assessment was three part: survey, focus groups
and interviews. We developed a survey that we distributed through the
Marion County churches, at each of our focus groups. 249 of those were
returned. We conducted five focus groups, attempting to capture a reflection
of the county’s population. The focus groups included government representatives,
Council of Churches, the directors and board representatives of our
member agencies, consumers of member agency services and community leaders.
Each focus group was asked the same series of questions concerning available
services and unmet needs. Finally, one-on-one interviews were conducted
by a Fairmont State intern with consumers in our member agencies.
What we learned: We learned several lessons through this process.
We were able to identify the needs of the county and how the representatives
felt they should be prioritized. We also discovered that, for the most
part, our donors felt we were funding the issues and services they felt
were important. The community voiced a concern with duplication; us
funding more than one agency to provide the same services. The most
astounding discovery was the United Way message is not getting out to
the community. We learned that people generally do not associate our
campaign to the services provided by the member agencies. And finally,
we learned that the community does not feel that our message is consistent.
As one participant stated: “You are in the paper every week during the
campaign, and then we don’t see or hear anything about the United Way
until the following year.” Pretty powerful message.
What we are doing: Our Board of Directors, in their annual February
planning retreat, took the information from the needs assessment to
formulate the work plan for 2004. Our number one priority was to attack
the communications issues because that affects and impacts everything
else we do. Our Communications Committee worked throughout the year
and has partnered with Fairmont State University to create an annual
scholarship for a student that will assist the United Way in marketing
and communicating our message to Marion County. Our scholarship recipient
will work with the committee to develop and implement a yearly marketing
plan.
Our Community Review Committee, responsible for the funding process,
has taken the identified service areas, and is re-defining the funding
process accordingly. They have also developed a statement of duplication
and will encourage agencies providing like services to collaborate together
to provide the service to the community in the most efficient manner
possible.
This is a work in progress. We feel that we have made tremendous progress
this past year in moving our United Way forward to be more responsive
to the community’s needs and to ensure that the needs of our residents
are being meet. We also continue to make every effort to contain administrative
cost and return the largest percentage of the donor’s dollar back to
the community in services.
A more detailed summary of the 2003 Needs Assessment is available on
the Needs Assessment page.
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Board of Directors
Term ending December 2006
Nancy Deming*
Bruce McDaniel*
Matt Kettering
Sonja Raddish
Dr. James Phares
James Reed
Rev. D.D. Meighen
Term ending December 2007
John Griggs*
Norman Clevenger*
Jeff Taylor
George Perich*
Bill Dunn
Melanie Thompson
John DeLawder
Term ending December 2008
Jeff Lilly
Doug Nuzum
Jeanie Brenneman
Jim Chadwell
Melinda Oliverio
Butch Osborne
Dixie Yann*
*Denotes term limited
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United way of Marion Count
2006 Committee Roster
Executive Committee
Jeanie Brenneman, President of the Board
Dixie Yann, Vice President
Nancy Deming, Secretary
George Perich, Treasurer
Jim and Sabrina Chadwell, Chair, Campaign 2006-2007
John DeLawder, Chair, Communications
Nancy Deming Chair, Community Review
Butch Osborne, Chair, Finance
Doug Nuzum, Chair, Nominations and Bylaws
Jeff Taylor and Jeff Lilly, Chair, Personnel
John Griggs, Chair, Strategic Planning
Dixie Yann, Chair, Agency Assistant
2005/2006 Campaign
Chairs: Jim and Sabrina Chadwell
FIRE (Finance): Bill Goettel
FIRE (Insurance): Brian Cheslock
FIRE (Real Estate): Fran Warner
Professional (Medical): Dr. Rusty Cain
Professional (Dental): Dr. Dave Bonasso
Professional (Attorneys): Jeff Lilly
Professional (Accountants): Don Conley
Public Service: Rev. D.D. Meighen
High Tech: Eddie Parker
Community/Special Gifts: Toni Balenger
Special Events: Deb Harris
Leadership: Jeanie Brenneman
Additional Committees for 2006
Strategic Planning
Chair: John Griggs
Finance
Chair: Butch Osborne
Vice Chair: George Perich
James Kisner
Matt Kettering
Chris Parr
Kim Sides
Personnel
Chair: Jeff Taylor and Jeff Lilly
Nancy Deming
Jeanie Brenneman
Nominations
Chair: Doug Nuzum
Jeanie Brenneman
Dixie Yann
Jeff Lilly
Butch Osborne
Communications
Chair: Bill Dunn and Melanie Thompson
Sabrina Chadwell
Carol Grimes
Amy Baker
Agency Assistance and Resource Development
Chair: Dixie Yann
Nancy Hoffman
Donna Nuzum
Community Review (Standing 15)
Chair: Nancy Deming
Vice Chair: Sonja Raddish
Barbara Taylor
Keri Childs
John Griggs
Norman Clevenger
George Perich
Kim Wade
Stacey Harvey
Mary Meighen
Amy Baker
Kim Sides
Karen Tucker
Amy Coleman
Lance Beckley
Dawn Ashby
Jeanie Brenneman
Joanna Broomfield
Tracey Beckley
Tanya Robe
Jill Dotts
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2005-2006 Allocation Schedule
| Agency | Allocation |
| 612 MAC | 4,000.00 |
| Alzheimer's Association | Designations Only |
| American Red Cross | 21,000.00 |
| Big Brothers/Big Sisters | 7,000.00 |
| Boy Scouts | 7,000.00 |
| Caritas | 1,200.00 |
| CASA | 13,244.00 |
| Cons Credit/Criss Cross | 1,800.00 |
| Family Resources Network | 5,000.00 |
| Family Services of Marion County | 18,139.00 |
| Girl Scouts | 3,500.00 |
| Hope, Inc. | 29,000.00 |
| Literacy Volunteers | 12,000.00 |
| Mannington Food Pantry | 16,000.00 |
| Morgantown Health Right | 6,546.00 |
| Salvation Army | 9,000.00 |
| Scott's Place | 5,000.00 |
| Soup Opera | 9,000.00 |
| Stepping Stones | 7,000.00 |
| The Arc of Marion County | 8,294.00 |
| The Connecting Link | 36,277.00 |
| YWCA | 5,000.00 |
| Totals | $225,000.00 |
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Financial Reports
Copies of financial reports for 2005-2006 are available by contacting the Marion County United Way office at:
112 Adams St. Room 205
Fairmont, WV 26554
(304) 366-4550
Profit & Loss Budget
vs. Actual 2006
Balance Sheet 12-31-06
Allocation
Payment Schedule 2006