Since 2019, United Way of the Golden Triangle region has grown from serving one county – Lowndes – to serving seven, expanding its support across Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Winston, Webster, Choctaw counties and adding Clay County earlier this month.

Now, Executive Director Renee Sanders hopes that growth extends beyond geography and into greater financial support.

“I want to be a multi-million dollar United Way, not just so United Way can have more money in the bank, but I want to fund these agencies fully, so they can really focus on doing the good work and not worry about payroll and how they’re going to pay the bills,” she said Tuesday at Lion Hills Center during a Rotary Club of Columbus meeting.

United Way currently partners with 22 agencies across the region to provide financial support. Sanders said the goal each year is to allocate half or more of United Way’s funding back into the agencies and communities, but how much funding they receive entirely depends on donations.

Sanders is working to build funding sources outside of Lowndes County, both to help more people, but also to ensure other counties are the ones contributing to their local agencies. Lowndes currently provides the most funding out of the seven counties and also has the most agencies under the nonprofit’s umbrella.

“Right now, Lowndes County is funding these agencies,” she said. “That’s why it’s so vital for me to step out to some of these other counties, so that they can also support.”

United Way also sets aside $15,000 to use for mini grants to go toward smaller projects, Sanders said.

“We’re hoping that just that little small amount will help prove that we are true to what we say we want to do,” she said.

In the past, Sanders said United Way heavily relied on payroll deductions to help raise funds, but she said the method is becoming less popular.

“United Way Worldwide already shared with us that payroll deduction is going on the decline, and if that’s your bread and butter, you won’t live long,” she said. “So what we are asking people to do is give their fair share (or) one hour’s pay per period.”

If you buy a coffee every work day, reallocating the cost of one coffee per week or month to United Way could be another easy way to give back, Sanders said.

Funding also ensures United Way is prepared to help when a crisis happens, like earlier this month, when the Emergency Hope Crisis Response Network – made up of United Way, the Golden Triangle Regional Homeless Coalition, Lowndes County Emergency Management and Columbus’ police and community outreach departments – opened a warming shelter.

The city council voted to match up to $2,000 in private donations toward the effort. So far, Sanders said there’s been roughly $1,200 collected for the cause. Raising funds on short notice like that can be especially challenging, she said.

“How do you get the word out, especially when you need it out so quickly?” she said. “We don’t have time to write letters to a church. It is just strictly word of mouth.”

She hopes to secure donations more proactively to avoid any last minute community efforts, especially those that can be anticipated.

“Instead of us reacting, let’s be … proactive on asking people in advance,” she said. “I’m going to continue to raise those funds because it’s just January. It’s bound to be cold again in February and more likely in March as well.”

Aside from funding, Sanders said United Way is in need of new board members to keep up with the expansion. There are currently 25 board members, but she would like to have 10 more.

There are no limitations for who can join the board, Sanders said. Anyone with a desire to help the community is a good fit, she said, but there are a few people in particular she would like to invite.

“I strategically like to have someone sitting on the board that holds a seat at some of these big corporate plants,” she said. “It makes it so much earlier for me to be able to talk to them and share what’s going on if they’re sitting at the table. I also want to ask … people who don’t support the United Way. I want them to come sit on the board because you can always understand something better from the inside out than from the outside in.”

McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.