By Addie Nardi
Director of Resource Development
I used to be a pretty good saleswoman. It all started innocently enough. I was right out of college and had been promoted from secretary to Group Events Manager for the Frederick Keys, which meant I was responsible for selling group tickets and catered events. With no experience and a touch of ADD that doesn’t allow me to do ‘bored’ very well, I opened the phone book and just started calling people.
Then the money came in the form of commission, and then my competitiveness kicked in and I wanted to be, no HAD to be, the number one salesperson. So I set about working my way up the corporate chain.
And then I realized that it just wasn’t enough.
So I took my sales and marketing skills and I left the wild, wonderful world of sports and entertainment and found myself right smack dab in the middle of a fundraising campaign in the middle of a recession.
What was I thinking?
I’m proud of the dollars that we’ve raised to invest in the community since I have been with United Way. I’m proud of the work that we have done to improve lives in Washington County. I’ve NEVER worked as hard for dollars to come in as I have since I came to United Way. But I think that makes me appreciate the dollars and the donors even more.
But the flip side of that is that it’s hard to not raise the money we need. My first two campaigns here fell short. That not only hurt my ego (and believe me, it did), but it meant that one less person in our community that was accessing the help that they needed to get back on their feet. That’s one less child that was being helped. That’s one less uninsured person who was getting the health care they need. It’s one less senior citizen getting the nutrition they need. And that was a far worse realization than just appeasing my ego.
So our campaign is coming to a close for this year. And you, Washington County, have done a phenomenal job. I have several companies whose employees were able to increase their giving by more than $20,000! That’s a nice problem to have, isn’t it?
But the reality is, we’re not there yet, and we’re not done. We have just over a month to reach our campaign goal.
This is my plea to you to consider investing in our community through this year’s campaign if you haven’t already. It is super easy to donate to United Way. You can call me (I’m really very nice and if you’d like, I’ll tell you a joke) at 301-739-8200 Ext. 12. You can email me at anardi@unitedwaywashcounty.org or you can donate through our website at www.unitedwaywashcounty.org.
Your community (and my ego) will thank you.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Holiday Hopes
I grew up in Alaska about 20 miles from a town called North Pole. North Pole, Alaska knows how to celebrate the holidays. Not only is the town decorated for Christmas all-year long, but right in the middle of town is Santa’s house complete with candy cane pillars and reindeer. I spent 20 years living in Alaska and have been asked many times if I miss it, if I’d like to go back. The answer is usually no; I don’t miss Alaska, but do miss North Pole every once in a while.
This time of year makes me wish I was in Alaska again. Not for the cold. I do love the weather in Maryland. Alaska had a way of making me feel young and alive. It’s all that fresh air, I guess. You know, the holidays do the same thing – make me feel young. While I don’t love the shopping or the crowds in December, I do love the cooler weather, the time with family and the decorations. It’s true. For me there’s nothing more exciting than a street lined with houses decorated for the holidays. It doesn’t matter how they’re decorated, either. No, for me it’s the lights, the excitement, the colors. I see a house fully decorated and I think about kids opening presents, mom baking (and eating) cookies and watching Christmas movies.
While I’ve never been much for traditions, I do love some of the traditions we have around the holidays. I love that my mother has always let me open a present on Christmas Eve. I love that my 15 year old son begs to do the same. I like the stories behind the gifts people give and get one another. There’s tradition in that. I’m 35 and I still get a make-up set from my mother – why stop after 25 years? I used to get my father Old Spice each year. That’s all he wore. He’s been gone 18 years and I still think about him every time I’m in the cologne aisle at CVS. I hope to never forget that smell.
My New Year’s Resolution this year is simple – I’m going to work on my memory. I’m going to allow myself to forget the things that are hurtful, sad or that worry me. I’m going make a promise to myself that I will never forget how much I love this time of year and the people I get (and have had the chance to) share it with.
Happy Holidays
Leah Gayman
Executive Director
This time of year makes me wish I was in Alaska again. Not for the cold. I do love the weather in Maryland. Alaska had a way of making me feel young and alive. It’s all that fresh air, I guess. You know, the holidays do the same thing – make me feel young. While I don’t love the shopping or the crowds in December, I do love the cooler weather, the time with family and the decorations. It’s true. For me there’s nothing more exciting than a street lined with houses decorated for the holidays. It doesn’t matter how they’re decorated, either. No, for me it’s the lights, the excitement, the colors. I see a house fully decorated and I think about kids opening presents, mom baking (and eating) cookies and watching Christmas movies.
While I’ve never been much for traditions, I do love some of the traditions we have around the holidays. I love that my mother has always let me open a present on Christmas Eve. I love that my 15 year old son begs to do the same. I like the stories behind the gifts people give and get one another. There’s tradition in that. I’m 35 and I still get a make-up set from my mother – why stop after 25 years? I used to get my father Old Spice each year. That’s all he wore. He’s been gone 18 years and I still think about him every time I’m in the cologne aisle at CVS. I hope to never forget that smell.
My New Year’s Resolution this year is simple – I’m going to work on my memory. I’m going to allow myself to forget the things that are hurtful, sad or that worry me. I’m going make a promise to myself that I will never forget how much I love this time of year and the people I get (and have had the chance to) share it with.
Happy Holidays
Leah Gayman
Executive Director
Thursday, December 15, 2011
'Tis Tax Time
by:Karen Sigler-Goldstein, Finance Director
It’s that time of year again…..no I don’t mean the Holidays-tax planning. I know I hear, the mumbling and grumbling and yawns but planning now will help you out come April 15th. So to make this week’s blog a little more enjoyable, perhaps you could put on some Christmas music, sip on some egg nog and read on….
While we gladly accept cash, check, credit card and even stock donations here at the United Way of Washington County, there are certain rules for claiming the charitable contribution deduction on your tax return.
• You must be able to itemize- usually if you paid interest or taxes on your home, made large charitable contributions, among others.
• You must actually donate cash or property-a pledge is not deductible until ACTUALLY paid.
• You must contribute to an organization that is a qualified tax-exempt organization-payments to individuals, political parties, labor unions, chamber of commences or business associations, for-profit schools and for for-profit hospitals, as well as the value of your time for services are not deductible.
• You must keep records of your donation-this would include a bank record or perhaps a written communication from the organization to include name, date of gift and the amount. For any amount above $250, you must have a contemporaneous written acknowledge from the organization. The acknowledgement must include whether organization provided any goods or services in exchange for the gift and if so that must be described.
• Donations of stock are usually valued at the fair market value of the property-If you contribute property with a fair market value that is less than your basis in it, your deduction is limited to its fair market value. On the other hand, If you contribute property with a fair market value that is more than your basis in it, you may have to reduce the fair market value by the amount of appreciation (increase in value) when you figure your deduction.
Generally, you can deduct cash contributions in full up to 50% of your Adjusted Gross Income and appreciated stocks in full up to 20% of your Adjusted Gross Income. Any excess can be carried over for five years until it is used up.
This is a very brief overview of charitable contributions. If you have any questions, I suggest contacting a tax planning professional. Now, go out there and enjoy the holidays-the parties, time with family and friends, shopping, religious activities. Tax time will be here before you know it! Oh and remember the United Way when you finally do think about your charitable gift giving. The end of the year is only a few weeks away!
It’s that time of year again…..no I don’t mean the Holidays-tax planning. I know I hear, the mumbling and grumbling and yawns but planning now will help you out come April 15th. So to make this week’s blog a little more enjoyable, perhaps you could put on some Christmas music, sip on some egg nog and read on….
While we gladly accept cash, check, credit card and even stock donations here at the United Way of Washington County, there are certain rules for claiming the charitable contribution deduction on your tax return.
• You must be able to itemize- usually if you paid interest or taxes on your home, made large charitable contributions, among others.
• You must actually donate cash or property-a pledge is not deductible until ACTUALLY paid.
• You must contribute to an organization that is a qualified tax-exempt organization-payments to individuals, political parties, labor unions, chamber of commences or business associations, for-profit schools and for for-profit hospitals, as well as the value of your time for services are not deductible.
• You must keep records of your donation-this would include a bank record or perhaps a written communication from the organization to include name, date of gift and the amount. For any amount above $250, you must have a contemporaneous written acknowledge from the organization. The acknowledgement must include whether organization provided any goods or services in exchange for the gift and if so that must be described.
• Donations of stock are usually valued at the fair market value of the property-If you contribute property with a fair market value that is less than your basis in it, your deduction is limited to its fair market value. On the other hand, If you contribute property with a fair market value that is more than your basis in it, you may have to reduce the fair market value by the amount of appreciation (increase in value) when you figure your deduction.
Generally, you can deduct cash contributions in full up to 50% of your Adjusted Gross Income and appreciated stocks in full up to 20% of your Adjusted Gross Income. Any excess can be carried over for five years until it is used up.
This is a very brief overview of charitable contributions. If you have any questions, I suggest contacting a tax planning professional. Now, go out there and enjoy the holidays-the parties, time with family and friends, shopping, religious activities. Tax time will be here before you know it! Oh and remember the United Way when you finally do think about your charitable gift giving. The end of the year is only a few weeks away!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Holiday Hope
By Jenny Fleming, United Way Community Impact Director
Buttons can do amazing things. Now, I’m not talking about those on our shirts, coats and pants. I’m referring to those that are connected to an electrical machine or device - buttons on elevators, remote controls, phones and computers. I just love how technology has made my job easier. When I started working at United Way, we didn’t even have Internet access. I surely don’t miss the fax machine, which is how I sent reminders to meetings or other communications.
Technology helps to get the word out about important issues and recently assisted me to harness the caring spirit of our many supporters in the community. I had heard the director of the Department of Social Services (DSS) mention in a meeting that they had numerous families and children who had not been “adopted” to receive Christmas gifts. While direct services isn’t what United Way necessarily does, we certainly felt compelled to tell this message, especially when DSS isn’t in a position to solicit these gifts. I used another wonderful invention – Constant Contact – to inspire our 3,000+ people on our e-mail list to consider buying gifts. Ok, I can’t emphasize enough how powerful it was to hit the send button that day. Within 4 minutes, we got our first response. This was followed by another . . . . another . . . and yet another . . . and soon our phone and e-mails were being flooded. Some people who responded weren’t even on our list. The message was forwarded to friends, families, churches and organizations.
I sure wish everything was this easy! I’m incredibly glad this happened and hope that these families, in addition to enjoying the wonderful gifts they are about to receive, understand what a generous community this is. When times get tough, everyone rallies to get things done.
This compassion is so important because many of these families need some sort of hope to hold onto. They haven’t had the positive start that many of us have been afforded. Personally, I challenge myself when I hear of an overwhelming story to press yet another button “rewind.” Does this mean that I ask them about the details of their lives up to this point? No. It is just a method for me to understand it probably has been a rocky road that led them where they are today. The important part is to start from this point and move forward. This is exactly what everyone has done for the families at DSS. Many, many thanks to all of you who bought items. Let’s keep this generosity going into the New Year and make 2012 prosperous for Washington County.
Buttons can do amazing things. Now, I’m not talking about those on our shirts, coats and pants. I’m referring to those that are connected to an electrical machine or device - buttons on elevators, remote controls, phones and computers. I just love how technology has made my job easier. When I started working at United Way, we didn’t even have Internet access. I surely don’t miss the fax machine, which is how I sent reminders to meetings or other communications.
Technology helps to get the word out about important issues and recently assisted me to harness the caring spirit of our many supporters in the community. I had heard the director of the Department of Social Services (DSS) mention in a meeting that they had numerous families and children who had not been “adopted” to receive Christmas gifts. While direct services isn’t what United Way necessarily does, we certainly felt compelled to tell this message, especially when DSS isn’t in a position to solicit these gifts. I used another wonderful invention – Constant Contact – to inspire our 3,000+ people on our e-mail list to consider buying gifts. Ok, I can’t emphasize enough how powerful it was to hit the send button that day. Within 4 minutes, we got our first response. This was followed by another . . . . another . . . and yet another . . . and soon our phone and e-mails were being flooded. Some people who responded weren’t even on our list. The message was forwarded to friends, families, churches and organizations.
I sure wish everything was this easy! I’m incredibly glad this happened and hope that these families, in addition to enjoying the wonderful gifts they are about to receive, understand what a generous community this is. When times get tough, everyone rallies to get things done.
This compassion is so important because many of these families need some sort of hope to hold onto. They haven’t had the positive start that many of us have been afforded. Personally, I challenge myself when I hear of an overwhelming story to press yet another button “rewind.” Does this mean that I ask them about the details of their lives up to this point? No. It is just a method for me to understand it probably has been a rocky road that led them where they are today. The important part is to start from this point and move forward. This is exactly what everyone has done for the families at DSS. Many, many thanks to all of you who bought items. Let’s keep this generosity going into the New Year and make 2012 prosperous for Washington County.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
The Importance of an Income Focus
By Meg Harsh
Immediate Past President of the United Way Board of Directors
As an active volunteer within the community, I am constantly amazed at the generosity of the citizens of Washington County, and the great work provided by so many local agencies. In my time with the United Way, I have had the opportunity to work more closely with two very dynamic partners – R.E.A.C.H and The Washington County Community Action Council.
While both organizations are most commonly known for providing emergency services and crisis intervention, both groups work tirelessly to promote self sufficiency within the customers they serve. They partner with each other and across the community to offer emergency shelter, transitional housing for those who have lost their residence, and affordable housing alternatives.
When you think about the breadth of these issues and services, you might question what affordable housing really means. Given the recent publicity about the drop in real estate, one might think that housing is cheaper so it has to be more affordable. However in Washington County our median income levels barely put fair market housing in reach to the average citizen.
According to HUD, housing costs including utilities and insurance should represent no more that 30% of our monthly income. If you own your home, maintenance and taxes should also be considered in this figure. The median income in Washington County is $53,600. At 30% of their monthly salary, a family can afford $1339 in housing costs. Fair market rent for a three bedroom establishment is $1200 in Washington County. This means that almost 50% of the families in Washington County cannot afford rent and utilities. Similar research indicates that to maintain $1200 a month on housing expenses, families would not able to afford a home that costs more $189,000 (assumes 30 year mortgage at 6.25%)
This issue is further compounded by a shortage of jobs that pay at median income levels. Washington County is largely comprised of retail, service, hospitality, and warehousing opportunities. The Maryland Department of Labor forecasts the majority of growth to occur in these sectors more so than in higher paying occupational areas. Families will be challenge for both parents to work or for a single parent to work more than one job; further deteriorating quality of family life.
The inability to afford shelter creates a snowball effect in other areas of a family’s financial stability. As more money is spent on rent or mortgage, less money is available for other basic needs including health care, food, and transportation. Issues in any of these areas contribute to missed work days. Missed work days contribute to a person’s ability to maintain gainful employment, which in turn calls into question the ability to afford shelter. Maybe a better metaphor is a spider web versus a snowball.
No easy answer to this problem exists. I firmly believe that we need to continue to support the agencies previously mentioned, as well as those groups helping our citizens to locate and maintain employment in Washington County. We need to bring new programs into the county like Housing First as outlined in the strategic community impact plan. We should be partnering with local developers to offer tax incentives for building affordable housing within new neighborhoods.
Lastly we need to support our educators and our youth in not only improving high school graduation rates, but also in obtaining advanced degrees and certifications to qualify for higher paying jobs. As the level of education increases, we will be able to better partner with our local economic development groups to not only recruit more business to Washington County but to shift the occupational landscape from a largely service, retail, and warehousing community to one with more highly skilled positions.
As our education improves, so will our income. As our income improves, so will our job opportunities. As we achieve greater financial stability we remove the barrier of affordable housing. Once our home is stable we can truly then focus on the components contributing to a higher quality of life.
Immediate Past President of the United Way Board of Directors
As an active volunteer within the community, I am constantly amazed at the generosity of the citizens of Washington County, and the great work provided by so many local agencies. In my time with the United Way, I have had the opportunity to work more closely with two very dynamic partners – R.E.A.C.H and The Washington County Community Action Council.
While both organizations are most commonly known for providing emergency services and crisis intervention, both groups work tirelessly to promote self sufficiency within the customers they serve. They partner with each other and across the community to offer emergency shelter, transitional housing for those who have lost their residence, and affordable housing alternatives.
When you think about the breadth of these issues and services, you might question what affordable housing really means. Given the recent publicity about the drop in real estate, one might think that housing is cheaper so it has to be more affordable. However in Washington County our median income levels barely put fair market housing in reach to the average citizen.
According to HUD, housing costs including utilities and insurance should represent no more that 30% of our monthly income. If you own your home, maintenance and taxes should also be considered in this figure. The median income in Washington County is $53,600. At 30% of their monthly salary, a family can afford $1339 in housing costs. Fair market rent for a three bedroom establishment is $1200 in Washington County. This means that almost 50% of the families in Washington County cannot afford rent and utilities. Similar research indicates that to maintain $1200 a month on housing expenses, families would not able to afford a home that costs more $189,000 (assumes 30 year mortgage at 6.25%)
This issue is further compounded by a shortage of jobs that pay at median income levels. Washington County is largely comprised of retail, service, hospitality, and warehousing opportunities. The Maryland Department of Labor forecasts the majority of growth to occur in these sectors more so than in higher paying occupational areas. Families will be challenge for both parents to work or for a single parent to work more than one job; further deteriorating quality of family life.
The inability to afford shelter creates a snowball effect in other areas of a family’s financial stability. As more money is spent on rent or mortgage, less money is available for other basic needs including health care, food, and transportation. Issues in any of these areas contribute to missed work days. Missed work days contribute to a person’s ability to maintain gainful employment, which in turn calls into question the ability to afford shelter. Maybe a better metaphor is a spider web versus a snowball.
No easy answer to this problem exists. I firmly believe that we need to continue to support the agencies previously mentioned, as well as those groups helping our citizens to locate and maintain employment in Washington County. We need to bring new programs into the county like Housing First as outlined in the strategic community impact plan. We should be partnering with local developers to offer tax incentives for building affordable housing within new neighborhoods.
Lastly we need to support our educators and our youth in not only improving high school graduation rates, but also in obtaining advanced degrees and certifications to qualify for higher paying jobs. As the level of education increases, we will be able to better partner with our local economic development groups to not only recruit more business to Washington County but to shift the occupational landscape from a largely service, retail, and warehousing community to one with more highly skilled positions.
As our education improves, so will our income. As our income improves, so will our job opportunities. As we achieve greater financial stability we remove the barrier of affordable housing. Once our home is stable we can truly then focus on the components contributing to a higher quality of life.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Phone-a-thon
by Andrew Sargent
United Way Board President
One of the time-tested, traditional ways of raising money is to pick up the phone and call people, en masse and impersonal. The professionals know exactly what to say: "Good evening. Is the person who makes charitable decisions in your house available?" Or "Hello. This is Joe Givemore from the XYZ Charity. I am calling with a fantastic opportunity for you to feel better about yourself."
Here at United Way, we are a little more personable and a lot less polished. Maybe it's because we don't make calls on a routine basis. Maybe we know you professionally or socially. Maybe we remember how we feel about receiving these types of phone calls ourselves, last night, at dinner, while the kids were crying. Maybe it's because we are better at showing you why giving to United Way makes such a focused impact. Or maybe it is because we just ate a veggie wrap that is acting like a prisoner planning a jailbreak and we don't have long to talk.
Regardless, telephone calls are an important way to remind our citizens that we are here, doing yeoman's work to make the greatest advances possible in the overall health of our community. And so we must join our ancestors in picking up the phone and calling many of you.
This week kicked off our annual phone-a-thon. It will be accomplished by a small group of volunteers dedicated to reminding folks to support our United Way.
If you get a call, please forgive our unpolished awkwardness. Disregard the urgency with which we speak. And if we are unclear, please ask that we show you personally how we assist the community with your good support. But if your caller ID says it is United Way calling, pick up the phone and listen.
It won't take long. I promise.
United Way Board President
One of the time-tested, traditional ways of raising money is to pick up the phone and call people, en masse and impersonal. The professionals know exactly what to say: "Good evening. Is the person who makes charitable decisions in your house available?" Or "Hello. This is Joe Givemore from the XYZ Charity. I am calling with a fantastic opportunity for you to feel better about yourself."
Here at United Way, we are a little more personable and a lot less polished. Maybe it's because we don't make calls on a routine basis. Maybe we know you professionally or socially. Maybe we remember how we feel about receiving these types of phone calls ourselves, last night, at dinner, while the kids were crying. Maybe it's because we are better at showing you why giving to United Way makes such a focused impact. Or maybe it is because we just ate a veggie wrap that is acting like a prisoner planning a jailbreak and we don't have long to talk.
Regardless, telephone calls are an important way to remind our citizens that we are here, doing yeoman's work to make the greatest advances possible in the overall health of our community. And so we must join our ancestors in picking up the phone and calling many of you.
This week kicked off our annual phone-a-thon. It will be accomplished by a small group of volunteers dedicated to reminding folks to support our United Way.
If you get a call, please forgive our unpolished awkwardness. Disregard the urgency with which we speak. And if we are unclear, please ask that we show you personally how we assist the community with your good support. But if your caller ID says it is United Way calling, pick up the phone and listen.
It won't take long. I promise.
Friday, November 18, 2011
The Value of Education
Did you have the chance to catch this article on msn.com?
http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/17/8861013-yes-college-degree-has-value-try-1-million#.TsWCcbmBRto.facebook
What are your thoughts on the value of education? How can our community prepare our children to reap the benefits of education?
http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/17/8861013-yes-college-degree-has-value-try-1-million#.TsWCcbmBRto.facebook
What are your thoughts on the value of education? How can our community prepare our children to reap the benefits of education?
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