Lake Area United Way and United Way of Porter County are merging to better service the Northwest Indiana community. The two organizations began evaluating the benefits of a merger after Lake Area United Way CEO Lisa Daugherty announced she was leaving her position in March to serve as CEO of Center for Workforce Innovations.
“I think our organizations have always worked closely together in serving Northwest Indiana, and as any organization, we are always evaluating how we can better support our communities. Both boards and organizations felt that this warranted further exploration to see how we can make a bigger impact in all of Northwest Indiana, not just the individual counties,” said Jeff Strack, newly elected board president of United Way of Northwest Indiana.
The merge of the two organizations provides endless benefits and opportunities for the communities they each serve.
“I’m really excited about the opportunities that it presents to our communities and how we could continue to build a better community where all individuals can really achieve their full potential,” Strack said. “I think United Way is situated to provide that better than any organization right now in Northwest Indiana.”
One of the largest goals of the merger is to provide more support to the community by expanding existing programs.
“Being able to see the impact of all the programs throughout the Region has been pretty fun and exciting, and I can’t wait to see what's going to happen as we’re able to expand those programs in each of the areas,” said newly elected Vice Chair of United Way of Northwest Indiana, Heather Ennis said. “Need does not know county lines. It’s really been beneficial to look at this with a broader brushstroke.”
The merger will also benefit donors as it provides them a streamlined giving experience. According to Ennis, part of this benefit includes a reduced number of meetings as donors who would typically give to the Lake Area and Porter County can now give in one go.
“It makes perfect sense to combine these counties. There are so many similarities in the issues that exist across those areas,” Scott Kleppe, owner of Sensit Technologies and dedicated partner of United Way said. “It allows an opportunity to really put the help where it's necessary, having everything under a single umbrella is going to be really, really good.”
United Way of Northwest Indiana will be able to cover more counties and provide help for a larger number of people as well as leave a more positive impact on the surrounding communities.
“The number one goal is to serve more families and more residents to make a greater impact,” Strack said.
United Way personnel and donors alike are excited about the opportunities this merger will bring to Northwest Indiana.
“I think the ability to be more visionary is a large benefit. As you look at the full region, you have the opportunity to dream a little bit bigger, to get noticed more, and to help more,” Ennis said.
The board looks for United Way of Northwest Indiana to be officially merged by end of year.
To learn more about the merger and the exciting opportunities it brings, visit unitedwaynwi.org.
