United Way Gifts Total $5.05 Million Donations Could Set Record, Break Slump

Donors pledged an estimated $5.05 million during this year’s United Way of Spokane County campaign, the charity announced Tuesday.

It could be a record amount and could break a fiveyear stagnation.

The announcement was made at a celebration dinner attended by more than 300 United Way volunteers.

United Way officials thought last year’s campaign set a record, too. But by the time the returns were counted, the projected $5.1 million in pledges had dwindled to $4.87 million.

This year, accountants changed their procedure for projections and hope it will be more accurate, said campaign chairwoman Anne Marie Axworthy, customer service manager at Washington Water Power Co.

For the last five years, the United Way annual campaign has garnered between $4.8 million and $5.1 million in pledges.

“It was essentially a flat campaign and that wasn’t for lack of trying,” Axworthy said. “On top of that there is simply a greater need in the community.”

The number of people giving to United Way in Spokane dropped from 29,000 to 25,000 during that same period. So the people who gave were actually giving more, Axworthy said.

This year, a projected 26,000 workers are expected to sign up for the payroll deduction plan.

Axworthy called this year’s campaign a success. From the kickoff breakfast with Bill Gates as the keynote speaker, there was a lot of intangible energy, she said.

“There’s a marked difference this year,” she said. “There’s this renewed spirit of philanthropy. We feel this is an improvement, especially when we compare it to the $4.87 million from last year.”

In the future, United Way volunteers will try to understand why some campaigns seem to go better than others. Every year some companies have record responses while others struggle.

“We really need to understand more what drives the campaign to be successful,” Axworthy said. “Why are certain years better than others? And each company, it seems, is unique in that area.”

The final returns won’t be counted until January or February. After that, United Way will begin dispersing the money to its 36 member agencies, which provide social services throughout the county.

, DataTimes