The recent merger of Heart of West Michigan United Way and United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties is expected to infuse a new level of efficiency that will streamline fundraising requests for its 80 community partners while reducing the nonprofit’s expenses.
The new organization will be known as the Heart of West Michigan United Way. It will serve Allegan, Kent, and Ottawa counties.
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Courtesy Heart of West Michigan United WayUnited Way volunteers pose during the Ottawa Day of Caring.
Among the community partners that support the merger is Arbor Circle, which provides mental health services, substance abuse treatment and family services. Its service area includes, but is not limited to, Allegan, Ottawa and Kent counties, and it received $105,000 in United Way funding last year for the three counties.
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Courtesy Heart of West Michigan United WayKristin Gietzen, president and CEO of Arbor Circle.
That effort took time, according to Kristin Gietzen, president and CEO of Arbor Circle. Each United Way has its own application deadlines and grant requirements. Now, Gietzen foresees the merger creating consistency and predictability across county lines, allowing it to interact with one organization regardless of the county for which it seeks funding.
Cost-saving efficiencies
“As West Michigan continues to grow and those municipal borders kind of get blurry, it’s somewhat arbitrary to have these county distinctions,” says Gietzen. “We are anticipating that this merger will provide some efficiencies and really allow, from a provider standpoint, some efficiency on our end so we have the same system that we’re recording in and the same backroom systems that we’re dealing with rather than having three distinct United Ways.
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Courtesy Heart of West Michigan United WayA United Way volunteer stocks food pantry shelves in Allegan County.
“Each United Way currently has a different time frame for applications and a different funding cycle, so we’re reporting and applying at different times of the year,” Gietzen says. “By combining those things and making those consistent, we as a potential recipient of dollars can align our efforts at one time of the year instead of multiple times of the year.”
The governance board from the Allegan and Ottawa organization has been dissolved, but one board member from each county will join the Heart of West Michigan board. Existing locations in each county will remain.
The state attorney general approved the merger in April and United Way was to finalize it June 1.
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Courtesy Heart of West Michigan United WayDeborah Erickson, former board chair of United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties.
“At the end of the day, (the merger) is helping us focus our resources, helping to make sure that more of the money we raise is directed right back into the community,” says Deborah Erickson, former board chair of United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties. “By sharing their internal resources such as accounting, HR services, they bring depth, breath and more money to give to ALICE.”
ALICE is an United Way acronym that means Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, referring to the increasing number of individuals and families who work, but are unable to meet their basic needs, including food, child care, housing, health care and transportation.
Money will stay at home
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Courtesy Heart of West Michigan United WayBecki Postma, Heart of West Michigan United Way’s chief administrative officer and former interim CEO for United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties.
The merger has raised questions and concerns, according to Becki Postma, Heart of West Michigan United Way’s chief administrative officer and former interim CEO for United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties.
Chief among those questions: Will donated dollars still honor the donor’s intent and stay within the county the money was raised?
“We’re getting that question like crazy,” says Postma.
The answer is yes, Postma confirms. Dollars raised through local businesses, individual contributors, and foundations in each county will continue to be allocated to the specific county or as directed by the donor.
No staff was laid off as a result of the merger, but some positions were not filled when employees retired.
“We’re hoping that through these efficiencies and through some standardization that there will be some cost benefit to this merger and that providers will be able to have more of a user-friendly experience and not have to put as many of our organizational resources into these relationships with these application processes,” says Erickson. “This will reduce overhead so more money can go back into the communities.”
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Courtesy Heart of West Michigan United WayRepresentatives from the United Way in Ottawa County
United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties was created in 2021 when Allegan County United Way and Greater Ottawa County United Way combined. Then, a confluence of events nudged United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties to merge with Heart of West Michigan United Way, Erickson says. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a drop in donor donations, and after 16 years with United Way of Ottawa and Allegan Counties, President and CEO Brian Gaggin left the nonprofit.
By then, Heart of West Michigan United Way already was providing back office services such as human resources, accounting and IT for a three-year term, while Postma was serving as interim CEO.
“She did a wonderful job,” Erickson says of Postma. “It was clear to the board this wasn’t going to be three years of shared services, so instead (they decided) to merge. We realized we could more effectively align our passion for raising money here, and it stays here. We’re just collaborating with a larger team.”
Paul R. Kopenkoskey has been a freelance writer for more than 30 years. The Calvin University grad has written for many West Michigan publications, and he has sat in the editor’s chair for three monthly magazines. His first historical fiction novel, ”Karl Beguiled: A Journey of Hope and Sacrifice,” is available on Amazon.com. He can be reached at paulrk@hotmail.com