BY B.G. GREGG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Cincinnati's United Way & Community Chest raised a record $54.1 million this year. Warren County's United Way raised a record $1.8 million. The Butler County United Way is in the process of raising a record $2.3 million.
Together, that $58 million will be spent on social service agencies in eight counties. Cincinnati's United Way services six of those eight.
Why not all?
In an era of regionalization, when governments are collaborating on everything from transportation to landing international companies, local businesses are opening branches in growing suburbs, and people are living in one county and working in another, area United Ways have different opinions on coming together and crossing geographical boundaries.
The reason: Some believe the money saved by combining operations and streamlining administrative services will not offset the loss of local decision-making regarding social services.
"We are not governed by a large organization," said Sylvia Geisler, executive director of the Butler County United Way. "Decisions are made on a local level to address local needs."
While Cincinnati's United Way preaches collaboration to its agencies to avoid duplicating services - even if that means an agency losing business or closing up altogether - it has yet to convince its United Way brethren to merge and become part of the larger organization.
"We want to serve the region in the most economical way," said Dick Aft, executive director of Cincinnati's United Way & Community Chest. "I believe live-work patterns make a community. Those live-work patterns establish what ought to be a United Way campaign area."
What it means
While the difference of opinion over United Ways merging is not well known to the community that supports the organizations so well, there are some implications for donors.
As population has moved from the city to the suburbs, many of those who work in Cincinnati but live in Mason or West Chester or southeastern Indiana are primarily supporting social service agencies that neither they nor their neighbors will ever use.
And, as corporations in Cincinnati expand or move to outlying suburbs, their workers, many of whom still live inside the city, may be asked to support social service agencies in suburban communities. Mr. Aft argues this is not entirely true. He said Cincinnati is the center of this region and, thus, there are some services that are only available in Cincinnati and those who live in outlying areas must come here for help.
For example, he said, someone in Mason seeking help for cerebral palsy would go to the Cerebral Palsy Services Center in Avondale, a United Way agency funded by Mr. Aft's organization.
But, beyond that argument, Mr. Aft believes people who live and work in different communities should have the convenience of a single United Way. He sees a "seamless" United Way that works for everyone. He pictures Cincinnati's United Way as the infield, and the other United Ways as the outfield, and all working together as a team.
"People should not have to figure out, 'Which United Way did I give to?' Which should I give to?' Which is going to provide the services I need?" he said.
Other arguments
Other United Way leaders do not necessarily disagree. They'd like to make it easy for donors, too, but they think a regional pledge card that gives all donors the option of which United Way they want their money to go to is a possible solution.
They also would consider a regional campaign with the same theme. But they don't want to lose the right to make decisions on money at the local level.
"Regionalization is not the trend in social services," said Jim Pottebaum, executive director of Warren County's United Way. "Look at welfare reform. The federal government dictating what is going to be done is a thing of the past."
In 1996, Mr. Pottebaum's organization, which has been around for 29 years, conducted a study on the merits of merging with United Ways in either Cincinnati or Dayton.
In short, the study found that regionalizing some services - computer technology, accounting, marketing and information and referral - would be a good idea and save money, but losing the authority to make allocations, run the campaign and try to solve community problems was not in the organization's best interest. Mr. Pottebaum said the leaders of several Warren County companies were in on the study.
"These guys primarily look at dollars, and they didn't think it made sense," he said. "Big is not always better. You lose a lot of the responsibility."
Ms. Geisler said her organization, which has been around for 76 years, did not conduct a study, but she agrees with the findings in Warren County.
"Our needs are different than Cincinnati's," she said. "For example, the homeless issue may not be as dramatic in one county as another. Our local leadership feels they have a better handle on what is going on in their community.
"It's not the staff saying, 'We don't want to merge,' it's the community saying, 'We don't want to merge.' "
Savings
Mr. Aft said it is possible to merge and keep decision-making at the local level. He said that is what has happened in Middletown, which merged with Cincinnati in 1996.
"Our decision-making in Middletown is made by Middletown volunteers," he said.
Mr. Aft also likes to point out that the merger with Middletown cut administrative costs in Middletown from 16 percent to 10 percent. Only one job has been lost: a long-time accounting employee who retired.
He said mergers cut down on salaries, and expenditures for items such as paper, accounting and computer systems.
Cincinnati spends slightly more than 10 percent of the dollars it collects on administration and campaign costs. Butler County spends 17 percent, and Warren County spends 12.6 percent.
Mike Sanders, manager of the Middletown office, said there was initial hesitation at merging with Cincinnati.
"There was a lot of concern in the Middletown community about losing autonomy and losing local decision making, and that hasn't happened," he said.
He said 15 Middletown volunteers just finished allocating $1.4 million in donations to various agencies. In 1996, the year of the merger, the organization had $1.1 million to give out.
He said the organization has been helped in more ways than saving money. It can also tap into resources such as Cincinnati's communications division.
Leaders of United Ways outside of Cincinnati say administrative costs need to be controlled, but the small percentage that would be saved by joining Cincinnati is not worth it.
But in a city where the campaign was stagnating, such as Middletown, which struggled to raise $1.4 million in 1994 and 1995, the last two years it was an independent United Way, hooking on with a larger United Way could mean a lot.
"In Middletown, the base of their campaign was declining," Ms. Geisler said. "It was an economic decision."
Who makes the decision?
The United Way of America, which acts as sort of a trade association for the nation's approximately 1,600 United Ways, does not take a position on consolidation of United Ways.
Mr. Pottebaum said that there are so many United Ways because most people want decisions made at a local level. Most people don't believe bigger is better, he said.
"Then why don't we have an Ohio United Way?" Mr. Pottebaum asked. "Where does it stop?"
Mr. Aft answers with his live-work patterns argument. But, he acknowledges, the decisions on mergers will not be made by people like himself or Mr. Pottebaum, they will ultimately be made by the real people behind area United Ways, the corporate executives who raise the money and guide United Ways.
"As we see consolidation and expansion of companies throughout the metropolitan area, those companies have to decide how many United Ways they want," he said. "We think you get more bang for your buck if we come together."
