Staff and volunteers of the United Way of Mid Rural New York stand next to the fundraising thermometer outside NBT Bank in Norwich. The organization set a $600,000 fundraising goal in 2023 to fund nonprofit entities in Chenango, Madison, Otsego, and Delaware counties. (Photo from United Way of Mid Rural New York)

NORWICH – It’s been three years since Chenango County United Way Executive Director Elizabeth Monaco set out to form a blueprint with neighboring United Way agencies that would merge three concurrently operating agencies into one. 

In 2023, details of the merger were sewn up as the Chenango United Way, Madison County United Way, and the United Way of Otsego and Delaware counties became one single entity, dubbed the United Way of Mid Rural New York.

Now, with one agency overseeing United Way efforts across four separate counties, Monaco and her team of two full-time employees are ironing out the details concerning donations, allocations, and the impact it all has on the nonprofit entities kept afloat by the financial support of the United Way.

“It’s been a really big year for us,” Monaco said, citing the January finalization of a merger between the Chenango and the Delaware-Otsego United Ways, and the subsequent merger with Madison County United Way in April. “We’re now a four-county United Way, but we’re operating with a business model to keep each county independent in some ways.”

The United Way of Mid Rural New York (operating with the same staff as the former United Way of Chenango County) is ensuring that the four counties it serves will keep a local identity, but their needs will be addressed independently. And while it now operates as a United Way under one umbrella, with marketing materials that combine all four counties, the organization spent most of 2023 getting into those counties to form personal connections and better understand their needs.

“Keeping dollars local is what United Way is all about,” United Way Board Chair Jennifer Telesky said in a statement when the Chenango and Delaware-Otsego United Ways merged back in 2023. “This was a key concept in the discussions held by our joint task force, and we believe this model will best serve individuals and families in our rural communities.”

Monaco has pointed to a number of similarities between the four counties that have been identified since the merger. Each county has similar demographics, with similar services, and similar needs to boot. Most notable, she said, is the comparable populace of each county that fits the demographic known as ALICE – individuals who are asset limited, income constrained, and employed; or colloquially referred to as the “working poor.”

The ALICE demographic struggles to afford basic needs, such as child care, housing, food, transportation, and healthcare. Roughly 13 percent of Chenango County lives at or below the federal poverty level, but the percentage of those who are categorized as ALICE is much higher.

“What was really interesting that we found from getting out into the four counties is that the needs are very similar across them. The ALICE population average across all four counties is at 40 percent at or below the ALICE threshold,” said Monaco, citing transportation, substance use, child care, and housing as key priorities.

The United Way is currently compiling data for its 2023 annual report which it hopes to roll out in the spring. With new counties in the mix, Monaco said it’s taking more time than usual to sift through all the numbers.

Yet despite not having finalized figures of an annual report, Monaco said she and her team already know where the data will fall. The United Way has requested six-month reports from the agencies that receive its help. Last June’s numbers were a reflection that everything seemed on track at the time, and the organization doesn’t expect any surprises when numbers are crunched for the last two quarters of the year.

What does raise somewhat of a red flag, said Monaco, is the unequal campaign donations between the four counties served by the United Way of Mid Rural New York. Donations in Chenango County outpaced contributions from Madison, Otsego, and Delaware counties while needs across those four counties were comparable.

“We have a lot of room for growth in fundraising in other counties,” said Monaco, adding that the topic could likely become a focus of the United Way’s updated strategic plan to be compiled later this year. That plan will also tackle a transitional funding application for organizations seeking financial support, and other priorities to be mapped out by Monaco and the United Way Board of Directors.

“A strategic plan will help us see if the issues we’re seeing in these communities are anything we want to concentrate more on,” she said. “We’ll be able to ask: Is childcare or housing something we want to drill down on, or is there something else?”

A strategic plan will likewise direct the organization toward a more targeted approach to fundraising. Hopes are to work with more businesses and other organizations in Madison, Otsego, and Delaware counties in 2024 in an effort to bolster United Way contributions from local employees.

“We really need to raise more money if we’re going to these need areas. And those other communities are raising much less than they could be,” Monaco said. “We plan on focusing on companies that don’t participate in the United Way campaign and look to strengthen community donations too.”

As the year rolls on, the United Way of Mid Rural New York intends to count their successes and handle challenges as they come.

“I’m excited that we’ve merged, and there’s a lot of opportunity,” Monaco said. “The community has shown its support so far, so we’re excited to see what happens next.”