With dozens of social service agencies in Cabell County and other counties near it, questions of how to raise money are common – and United Way of the River Cities is a nonprofit that has been helping fund these agencies for nearly a century.
“The challenge is telling compelling stories that align with your passion,” said Bill Rosenberger, the Director of Resource Development for UWRC. “There are emerging needs that we want to take care of.
Founded in 1922 by local citizens to improve human service concerns, UWRC helps fund over 30 social service agencies in four counties of West Virginia and one county in Ohio. One of Rosenberger’s main duties is securing those funds.
“I raise the money – or at least, I attempt to,” Rosenberger said. According to Rosenberger, while funds are raised in all five counties that the UWRC works in, the majority of money comes from Cabell County, West Virginia.
Rosenberger is a fundraiser, but that doesn’t mean that he has administrative power over the allocation of those funds – that power goes to an independent council within United Way of the River Cities.
“I ask for money, but I don’t decide where it goes,” Rosenberger said.
The funds raised by UWRC go toward a variety of social service agencies in the five counties that it works in. One of the primary recipients is the Huntington City Mission, which the UWRC provides about 25,000 dollars a month in funds for. Another agency that receives funding is Harvest for the Hungry, a food bank in Ironton, Ohio. According to Rosenberger, the UWRC recently gave 5,000 dollars to Harvest for the Hungry to help pay their electric bill.
“That’s going to keep their pantry open,” Rosenberger said.
Another initiative that UWRC helps fund is Super Saturday, an annual event that UWRC hosts to help families with childcare advice and literacy. Though Super Saturday primarily focuses on children, UWRC also helps with adult literacy training for those who need it. However, the UWRC does not directly act during Super Saturday – rather, local agencies in Huntington help organize and perform the event.
“We just organize the event and let [people] come in,” Rosenberger said. “Typically, a lot of young families come in.”
United Way of the River Cities also helps with tax preparation and provides it for free for individuals or families who can’t normally afford it because of the steep prices that other tax filers tend to ask. According to Rosenberger, in the spring and summer months, UWRC is less focused on funding social service agencies and more focused on running these types of programs and updating donors.
The UWRC also partially determines where their funds will go through their Community Needs Assessment, which determines what the UWRC believes to be the most pressing issues in local communities. According to Rosenberger, the most pressing issue used to be obesity – however, in recent years the most pressing issue was substance abuse and recovery. Rosenberger believes the opioid epidemic and its fallout are the most pressing issue to all of the counties that the UWRC is active in.
As for the people that UWRC helps, Rosenberger admits that it’s a bit different than what he’s used to.
“My ability to see the bigger picture can be compromised because of my socioeconomic stature,” Rosenberger said.
United Way of the River Cities continues to function, even during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The primary function UWRC is currently serving is supporting 211, a free helpline that connects people to local health and human services resources in their local communities. The UWRC is also serving to inform local communities on updates regarding COVID-19 and is providing a list of various resources for people in their active areas to take advantage of.
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