The United Way of Central Missouri has a new administrative coordinator - Hannah Gerard.
Gerard started her career with the nonprofit March 8, just three weeks ago.
There couldn't be a better time for the young woman to begin, as the United Way is in the midst of its annual five-week fund allocation process.
It's a head-spinning time at the nonprofit, but most are.
Every year during the allocation process, the nonprofit's 28 partner agencies reapply for their partnerships. They each make presentations to review panels and the nonprofit's board.
"It has been eye-opening so far," Gerard said. "I have learned all about the fund allocation and all the different agencies that we have."
Through the fund allocation process, the United Way determines how much of the money it raises through its annual fundraising campaign goes to each agency.
With only a few weeks under her belt, Gerard said she feels like she's just getting her feet wet.
"I had no idea how much the United Way does for our community until I started here," Gerard said.
The local United Way serves nine counties in Central Missouri. During its fundraising campaign last year, it raised more than $2.1 million.
Gerard helps with meeting after meeting - including maintaining minutes for some meetings.
She has been helping keep the office together, she said. And she's helped Vice President Theresa Verslues prepare for an anticipated influx of applications for Community Support Grants.
The nonprofit announc-ed in February it had made $150,000 available for partner agencies, for which it raises money every year. The application deadline for those grants passed about two weeks ago.
However, at the same time the nonprofit announced the agency grants, it also announced it would open applications for another $250,000 to any nonprofits working within its nine-county region. That process opened March 22.
The United Way of Central Missouri serves Cole, Camden, Maries, Miller, Moniteau, Morgan, Osage, Phelps and southern Callaway counties.
Before arriving at the United Way, Gerard spent several months in an internship at Central Bank, whose employees make up among the region's largest group of supporters of the nonprofit.
"Central Bank is a big supporter of the United Way - especially the people I worked with over there, Matt Tollerton and Brinn Thorsten," she said. "They were behind the United Way and got me going with the organization. When this position came open, they encouraged me to apply for it."
They discussed the work they'd done with the United Way. Tollerton is chairman of the United Way Board of Directors. Thorsten is on the United Way Governing Body.
Gerard studied information technology, data analytics and business analysis at Missouri State University. During her last two months at Central Bank, Gerard said, she wrote a formal document concerning a gap analysis between the bank and artificial intelligence or personalization, and target and marketing unification.
She finds banking and the processes for fund allocations are similar.
Everyone relies on each other, she said, very much like in the bank.
"I never ever saw myself ending up here," Gerard said, "but I'm glad I did."