By Cliff Peale
Enquirer staff writer

The United Way of Greater Cincinnati is trying to raise $61,125,000 this fall for nonprofit agencies around the region. And Jeff Rosen is already hard at work.

Rosen, an executive vice president for community development at U.S. Bank, is leading a group of about two dozen volunteers calling on local companies who have not previously run employee campaigns. The New Business Development Initiative is one way the United Way will try to top the $60.5 million raised last year. Proceeds benefit 159 nonprofit agencies and 12 strategic initiatives. The goal from Rosen's New Business Development group is $700,000. Among the new programs is a "Dine Out for United Way" night Oct. 6. United Way is asking restaurants to donate one-quarter of their sales that night, minus alcohol, to the campaign. The campaign kicked off last week and ends Oct. 28.

WHAT ARE THE first steps?

Most of the folks we have are making relationship calls on companies, or individuals who own companies, who don't run campaigns now. They're calling people and companies they know. We're looking for either the smaller ones to run employee campaigns, corporate gifts or CEO gifts from the individual who owns the company.

WHY IS RECRUITING new businesses so important to the United Way?

You have to grow the base of givers. We can't continue to rely on all the great companies that run successful campaigns now.

BY NOW, HASN'T EVERY company with more than 100 employees already been asked?

You'd be surprised. Two of the three companies I talked to last Friday hadn't been called in the last few years. There may have been leadership changes in these companies, a new CEO may have come in.

WHAT CAN YOU TELL companies about what contributing to the campaign will do for them?

The first thing we tell them is about community. They're a part of the community, and the community needs them. The cost of doing business for these agencies is going up. ... Many of their employees have been touched by a United Way agency, and they don't even know it. And when they find out, that creates a lot of excitement.

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E-mail cpeale@enquirer.com