United Way of Central New York falls short of its 2009 fundraising goal

Syracuse.com reported that the United Way of Central New York in March put out an unprecedented second call for donations. It needed $1 million more to try to reach its $8.5 million goal for its annual campaign.

The tactic brought in another $364,000, United Way President Frank Lazarski announced Tuesday. That leaves United Way $635,338 shy of its goal, a shortfall likely to mean cuts in money to some or possibly all of the agencies it funds, he said.

The total, $7,864,762, is down 7.44 percent from the $8,497,019 collected the year before. Still, the 2009 campaign brought roughly 93 percent of what it set out to raise, and that’s great, given the poor economy, Lazarski said. The campaign began last fall and ended April 15.

This would be the second consecutive year of cuts in funding. The United Way cut this year’s allocations to agencies by 7 percent across the board.

The United Way of Central New York recognized the exceptional work of companies and individuals with a series of awards announced Tuesday night.

The United Way is considering several options for making the cuts, Lazarski said. It may cut based on the performance of agencies, it may cut across the board or it may work with individual agencies to determine mutually if they could afford a cut greater than 7 percent, Lazarski said. It will decide what to do by April 30, he said. The funding year begins July 1. Read more here.