Ulman Seeks New Path to Fund Social Services

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Local nonprofit leaders urged a cautious approach to Howard County and potentially other business leaders about abandoning a partnership with the United Way, as proposed by County Executive Kenneth Ulman last week.

However, they praised his interest in the financial difficulties local social service groups face.

Ulman said last week that he was considering dropping the county's employee contribution partnership with the United Way of Central Maryland because some local agencies lost the funding they had received from that chapter in prior years.

The county is seeking to make up some of the nonprofits' losses in this year's operating budget, but the executive had harsh words for the changes.

"We don't feel like the United Way on a regional basis should tell us what our needs are," Ulman said at an April 5 breakfast meeting hosted by the Association of Community Services of Howard County, an umbrella group of more than 100 local social service groups.

County employees gave just under $100,000 to United Way in 2006. The county does not track how much of that money is designated to specific causes or how much was given to the United Way to distribute at its discretion.

Ulman said he has also spoken with local business leaders who indicated they would follow the county if it broke from the United Way, although he refused to identify them.

A United Way-like group focused on Howard County could present a strong message of giving to the community, Ulman said.

Larry Walton, president and CEO of the local United Way chapter, said representatives from the United Way are creating a task force that will also include other local foundation leaders in hopes to alleviate the county executive's concerns.

Walton said a shift in the focus of the United Way of Central Maryland has upset some agencies that lost funding. But he said those gaining money were very happy about the changes.

The chapter serves five counties and Baltimore. No other county executives or mayors have discussed parting ways with the United Way over changes, Walton said.

"I'm not saying this to protect the United Way, but to set up a parallel organization, the administrative costs would be inordinate," said Walton, who is a Columbia resident.

A winner urges caution

Congregations Concerned for the Homeless, or CCH, was a Howard County group that received funding for the first time under the local United Way's new funding mission.

Toni Volk, executive director of CCH, said the nonprofit agency's board of directors has not taken a position on whether a split from the United Way would benefit local agencies. However, speaking for herself, she urged a cautious approach before breaking from the foundation.

As the head of a group who has missed United Way funding before, Volk said she can empathize with those that lost money. But rather than splitting from the United Way, the county could promote direct giving to an agency of choice through the United Way, she said.

"If the county pulls out, you miss the opportunity to write in" the contribution of your choice, Volk said.

Carol Beatty, executive director of the Arc of Howard County, which supports people with developmental disabilities and was one of the groups that lost funding, said she was unsure how a local United Way-like group would work because she had always dealt with a regional chapter.

However, she applauded Ulman's interest in supporting local social services.

"I think it's unbelievably great that the county executive has stepped out and tried to find a solution to the problem" of local agencies losing funding, Beatty said.

Overall donations declined

Falling public donations are one reason some Howard groups were among 94 grant requests throughout the region that went unfulfilled, Walton said.

Richard Krieg, president and CEO of the Horizon Foundation, a philanthropic group that funds health initiatives in the county, agreed.

"The real issue is raising the total number of dollars that come in" to local nonprofits, he said.

Howard County's wealth creates a false perception among some that few Howard residents need charitable help, said Barbara Lawson, president and CEO of The Columbia Foundation, which provides support to local nonprofits.

However, Lawson said, Howard has need in several areas, particularly the growing needs among the county's aging population.

The new United Way task force, which include Krieg and Lawson, is set to meet in coming weeks to address the problems.

"We've been trying to work behind the scenes to increase funding to local nonprofits," Krieg said. "How that looks at the end of the day I don't know. My prediction is it will remain with United Way. But we are looking for other alternatives."

-- Nate Sandstrom