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Discussion on the possibility of a merger between four area United Ways is set to continue April 8, according to President of Warren County United Way Mike Schepers.
A task force made up of representatives and executive directors of the Butler County, Warren County, Cincinnati and Dayton United Ways have been considering the possibility of a merger for the past year, Schepers said.
"The idea was sparked by a request from some of our larger corporate donors who asked us to look at the possible advantages of a merger," Schepers said. "Right now we're still trying to figure out how such an organization would operate. Would each United Way maintain itself in its community or should there be a central office? Those are the kinds of things we're considering."
The United Way is a non-profit organization that focuses on identifying and resolving community issues, and works to make measurable changes in its communities.
The United Way has sponsored community events such as "Make a Difference Day" last April and a local tax refund initiative called "It's Money in Your Pocket."
Schepers said that a merger between the four United Ways could be beneficial to the community and the United Way organization.
"The merger has great potential for reduction of costs by giving us a better economy of scale," Schepers said. "It may also give us more of a voice in the region so we can have more of an impact on policies in the area. These are the types of things that could take place if the organization is designed correctly."
According to Schepers, economy of scale refers to a reduction of cost from having large-scale operations.
Absent from the meetings has been the Oxford and Clinton County branches of the United Way, who decided to opt out of the potential merger.
According to Clinton County Executive Director Barb Becker, Clinton County declined further participation in the merger discussions because the small size of the organization is paramount to their work.
"We just felt like it was best for our community to stay where we are," Becker said. "We based our decision to pull out of the discussions on our economic growth and recent success in our community. Our small size lets us interact with our community quickly and effectively."
The Oxford branch of United Way was unable to be reached for comment.
"I can't say why the Oxford branch decided to pull out," Schepers said. "Each United Way acts as its own organization and decides for itself how to best serve its community."
According to Schepers, it is still too early to tell when the merger will take place, or if there will be one at all. He added that the purpose of the meeting is to take a step back and assess what has been accomplished by the United Ways and continue to discuss the possibility of the merger.
"No definite decisions have been made yet," Schepers said. "There have been some challenges along the way, but that's to be expected when doing something like this. We'll be looking at these issues and problems in the near future."
