In an effort to raise more money the United Way of Chatham-Kent is taking some advice from the ag sector.
CEO Karen Kirkwood-Whyte says it was important to reach the community earlier for their Bushels of Hope campaign so they're sending flyers in the summer and fall. "We always like to have approximately 15% to 20% of our campaign in the door by the time we kick off our campaign" says Kirkwood-Whyte. "It just provides a little bit of an impetus to going after the rest (of the money)that we are going to need in order to wrap up our campaign." She says in the past they would wait until the fall harvest to send out the donation flyer and envelope.
Other changes include a new redesigned mailer, and a return of the Bushels Of Hope Future Fund for a second year, designed to invest in new and emerging needs in the ag sector.
Bushels of Hope raised $8,500 last year, while the United Way board committed an additional $10,000. The United Way raised almost $1.95-million total last year for its funded agencies, surpassing their $1.9-million goal.
