Our Opinion: United Way volunteers meet goal behind scenes

The United Way of Central Missouri is most visible in the community during the fall months when it conducts its annual fundraising campaign.

But one of its most active behind-the-scenes efforts - involving about 70 volunteers - recently was completed.

The effort is the Fund Allocation process, where five panels, each containing up to 15 volunteers, scrutinize the budgets of United Way partner agencies before advancing recommendations to board members.

The process is transparent and the recommendations are based entirely on an agency's ability to meet community needs. Those recommendations also must be approved by United Way's Steering Committee and Board of Directors.

In the May issue of "Live United," included in the News Tribune, United Way Board Chairman Greg Gaffke wrote that partner agencies "must reapply for partnership each year through the Fund Allocation process. Agencies must not only justify their current funding level, but also substantiate requested allocation increases."

The volunteers who analyze agency requests include people with backgrounds and experience in accounting, budgeting, business and other financial disciplines. In addition, they tend to be conservative and frugal when it comes to matters of money.

Gaffke wrote that the panel members "review and scrutinize agency applications to ensure goals have been accomplished along with program objectives. The panel volunteers must determine if fiscal responsibility and efficient operations dictate level funding, decreased funding or, if an increase is justified."

Allocation panel members recognize that although we are fortunate to live in a generous community, many worthwhile organizations, programs and individuals compete for charitable dollars

For those reasons, the Fund Allocation process insists that partner agencies demonstrate justified needs, which then are totaled to determine the annual goal of the fund-raising campaign.

We commend the Fund Allocation volunteers, past and present, for giving their time and energy to the process. They have established and maintained the area United Way's reputation for credibility and tradition of fiscal responsibility.