Aug. 3, 2026
Mark Bumgarner - Executive Director of United Way Catawba County
Hello friends,
Recently, someone made a comment along the lines of “United Way only helps government agencies”. Now, it’s is hard to leave me speechless, but this did for a hot minute. It would be easy to dismiss this comment as ignorant, but it did make me realize that many don’t understand our funding model or that of well-functioning nonprofits. It is incumbent on us to ensure people have the knowledge they need to understand what we do.
So, I’m thankful that this comment gave me the realization I shouldn’t expect everyone to know what I know about how we fund agencies. So, if you know this, pardon me. If you don’t, welcome. If you think you do, just keep reading anyway!
First, we fund programs, not agencies. That’s an important distinction because it means we invest dollars into specific things an agency does, not into general funding.
Second, it is true that these agencies have other funding sources to support their programs. They must have. We do not fully support a program’s budget, we simply can’t. We expect them to have multiple sources of funding. A well run and managed agency should have diversified sources of revenue. An agency with a single source of funding will not survive long.
Thirdly, many times supplemental funds do flow through government sources. This is not unusual or improper. Most agencies you work with or are familiar with are likely to have some source of governmental funding. It may be Medicaid reimbursable grants for services, block grant funding, funding through FEMA or others.
And lastly, perhaps a good reflection of all of us to stop before we reach conclusions or speak (especially speak!) is to ask ourselves “Do we really know what we think we know? How could we learn more before forming an opinion?”.
I think that’s always a great way to expand our contextual understanding. United we learn and grow!
Got questions for Mark. Email him at mbumgarner@ccunitedway.com.