Berkshire United Way Kicks Off 2024 Campaign, Honors Fundraising Coordinator
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire United Way has recognized Susie Brown for decades of leadership in fundraising efforts at Lee Bank.
Last week, she was presented with the Employee Campaign Coordinator Award for her work as the co-chair for employee giving campaigns at the bank since the 1980s. Brown, the senior vice president of administration, has inspired 100 percent (or close to) participation for many years.
"I love the United Way and have always loved the United Way but I don't do it alone," she said.
"The employees of Lee Bank have helped me for 35-plus years do these campaigns and made them successful."
Brown urged campaign coordinators to look at local agencies being funded and how employees' support will impact them. More than 4,000 employee donors from 140 local companies help raise around 65 percent of BUW's annual campaign from contributions, matching gifts, in-kind products and services, and more.
"The successful part of what we do at Lee Bank is you bring that back to the employees," she said.
"Yes, it's fun to do fun things to raise the money but when you make your employees aware of what's happening in your communities and what these agencies are doing for your communities — They don't know. They don't recognize all these little communities, all these little agencies, and all the people they help."
The Country Club of Pittsfield was packed with supporters for the campaign kickoff Friday morning.
Last year, BUW set out to raise $2.1 million and raised just over $2.2 million. A $2,300,000 goal has been set for this year's campaign with three strategic priorities: household stability, school and career readiness, and mental health.
President and CEO Thomas Bernard explained that the organization has heard time and time again that people are struggling and it has the responsibility, skill set, and convening power to start understanding where change can be made.
"You can't look at mental health without looking at school and career readiness and household stability. They overlap in so many ways and they are intersectional in important ways," he said. "But those are the foundation and that's how we take the inspiration to help everyone in the community thrive and that starts with investment in the community."
He is especially proud of the close, collaborative relationships developed with partner organizations and the shared commitment to work together to elevate BUW's work. These include the Pediatric Development Center, Greenagers, the Rites of Passage and Empowerment Program, LitNet, and the Thanksgiving Angels.
Bernard said 93.6 percent of enrolled children are achieving milestones in social and emotional development and school readiness; 87 percent of enrolled youth improved their soft skills, such as critical thinking and problem-solving, teamwork, and collaboration; 35 percent increased their salary; and over 6,800 volunteer hours of service contributed to the community at an estimated value of $228,000.
"It's those dollars and the support we provide that helps make those stories possible and the work of every one of our funded partners," he said.
"So the magic words today are collective power because we all accomplish more together than any one of us, any one organization can do alone."
Over the past century, BUW has raised more than $200 million that was invested back into the county. Board Chair Laurie Gallagher said it looks forward to the next hundred years and is "more energized than ever."
"We continue to celebrate this incredible milestone of 100 years of impact, innovation, and service for Berkshire County, the celebration is a testament to the unwavering commitment to our supporters, donors, partners, and community," she said.
"We couldn't have reached this momentous year without you. I want to acknowledge the leaders, the staff, the volunteers, the past and present, who have been the heartbeat of this organization. Your dedication has built the foundation that we stand on today."
State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier said that when it comes to early education, she always goes to BUW as a community partner. She pointed out that recent studies show that 90 percent of the brain develops before a child turns 3.
As a Berkshire County resident, she touted the rate of return for tourism, which is about $5 back for every dollar spent in the local and state economy. Economists now say that communities get $13 to $15 back for every dollar spent on early education, she said.
"I have a theory that the entire caring community, anybody who cares for people is not valued as a professional. Why is that? I think it's because traditionally it has been done by women and we don't value the work of women. Now we're changing that but those long-standing tropes still apply and it takes a lot of work to get to that," Farley-Bouvier said.
"What if every teacher of a 3-year-old was paid the way a third-grade teacher was paid? We would transform that profession, right? And so to me, that's the goal. When we know that we have invested and we value education so much that the teacher of a 3-year-old is paid at the same rate as a teacher of a third-grader, we know that we have won this battle but we've got a long way to go before we get to that. We need to value this profession and invest in the education of early educators."
She added that BUW partners with legislators for advocacy and convening educators.
"This kind of investment is well worth what's coming out of your wallets, what's coming out of your bank accounts, and we know that what this community looks like is having stronger children, for stronger families, for a stronger community," she said.
