After COVID-19 Will Your United Way Return to Normal?

I will not keep you in suspense, nor surprise you with my response, but “No” your United Way will never return to normal after COVID-19.

Over the past couple of decades, there have been a number of events after which United Ways never returned to normal. For example, when access to the internet became widespread, it changed how people researched charities, how they gave to charities, and how they interacted with United Ways. After the internet, United Ways did not return to normal. Another example would be the economic recession of 2008. Although workplace campaigns were challenging prior to the recession, following the recession workplace campaigns started a long and consistent decline. After the recession, United Ways did not return to normal.

Although we may not fully grasp all of the ways COVID-19 will impact the future of United Ways, it is very clear that United Ways will not return to normal. Here are two ways your United Way must change to be sustainable and relevant post-COVID-19:

First, raising money for people impacted by COVID-19 was something that everyone understood. People who donated to your United Way’s COVID-19 fund realized the need and trusted United Way to get the money where it would do the most good. When COVID-19 becomes a distant memory, will people understand why they should give to your United Way? The fact that people do not understand what United Way does is not a new challenge, but it will become worse now because people will wait until the next disaster to give to United Way. When United Ways are known for addressing disasters, it causes giving to spike and fall with each disaster. Your United Way must be known for something beyond collecting money for COVID-19 or disasters.

Second, with so many employers changing how they worked due to COVID-19, this made workplace campaigns even more difficult, if not impossible. United Ways need to move from building relationships through workplace campaigns to building individual donor relationships. Obviously, everyone who gives to United Way through a workplace campaign is an individual – so United Ways need to stop thinking of individual donors as a “workplace” and actively work to build individual donor relationships. Building individual donor relationships will require United Ways to actively communicate with donors outside of the workplace and ask people to donate beyond workplace campaigns.

So, how does your United Way get known for doing something beyond collecting money for disasters and how does your United Way develop individual donor relationships and diversify resources? The answer is simple – adopt an issue focus. An issue focus is a proven business model for United Ways where you decide what issue to impact, how to impact the issue, ask for the money to do it, and measure progress toward the bold goal.

With an issue focus you will have a clear, one sentence explanation of what it is your United Way does. Your United Way will be known for your work to address your issue. For example, donors will know that “donating to United Way helps halt hunger” or “donating to United Way helps lift families out of poverty.”

With an issue focus you will diversify your revenue beyond workplace campaigns. When you focus on an issue, you will be able to raise additional resources from grants, events, planned giving, and sponsorships that will reduce your dependence on workplace campaigns.

Learn more about an issue focus and how it works by watching our United Way Survival Guide video.

The answer is “No” your United Way will never return to normal after COVID-19. However, you can overcome the challenges of the new normal by adopting an issue focus.