In the Nonprofit Quarterly‘s Nonprofits in the Age of Obama project, we have committed to following significant trends in and around nonprofits as our economic and political environment re-calibrates. This has led us to review news reports of the traditional goal setting of the nation’s United Ways. We noticed some interesting trends and wanted to pass them along.

We also seek your input on what you see happening with your local United Way:

  • If you are a United Way, has goal setting been frustrating?
  • If you are from a community group, is your United Way going after new donors to fill the gap in ways that reduce the fundraising capacity of community groups, whether affiliates or not?
  • What new fundraising strategies are being deployed and how are they being received?
  • How is the new Community Impact Strategy faring in the midst of the downturn?

Your comments will help our readers understand the state of this important resource. What’s going on with United Ways? We will continue to follow this story carefully.