Once upon a time, Cooper Meeks had a limited knowledge of United Way.
"I knew the name, and I knew the logo, but I didn't have a good idea of the United Way mission at the time," says Meeks, vice president of investments for Wells Fargo Advisors.
He became involved with the agency more than 15 years ago, when he was asked to serve on its community investment committee. Members of the committee go out and assess agencies that have received or are requesting United Way funding. The goal is to keep track of where and how United Way money is spent and to determine how United Way can partner with agencies to address problems within the community.
Meeks, a Little Rock native and married father of two teenage girls, "just kind of organically grew to enjoy" that assignment. He went on to serve as chairman of the committee, then joined the United Way board. He's now board president and chairman of the Heart of Arkansas United Way's annual campaign, which kicks off Thursday at a rather unusual place for such an event: the Museum of Discovery.
It's indicative of a shift within the agency. United Way is gearing up to spend more time promoting itself in order to gain more in donations that benefit the community. That being said, no particular financial goal is being announced for the campaign.
"Our goal is just kind of a rebirth and a relaunch" Meeks says. "We have, in the past, spent more time concentrating [on] where the money goes and the agencies we help. And I think what we're trying to do now is ... give the United Way a bigger presence, [which] encourages more donors, more trust, more confidence in what we do."
According to Meeks, United Way continues to be the largest nonprofit of its kind in America, getting its money mainly through workplace giving. Those funds go out to designated agencies or are put into the community investment committee's allocation.
Some 40 to 50 agencies throughout central Arkansas put in requests for money for projects such as after-school programs and tutoring for children. ["We] try to leverage those funds with other grants from outside of the area that those agencies may or may not know even exist," Meeks says.
"Our hope is to try to take those dollars, partner with agencies and ... multiply them to stretch as far as we can throughout the community." The effort has resulted in some "great success stories," such as the Future Smiles Dental Clinic at Wakefield Elementary School and Our House, which provides services for the homeless.
Our House is a standout as a partner agency, Meeks says. It's sustained in part by a large annual grant from outside Arkansas, one that was secured with the help of United Way. The grant goes toward a specific Our House program.
Lynn Pharr, the new Heart of Arkansas United Way president and chief executive, praises Meeks' role in helping make that happen.
"Cooper is not only a dedicated volunteer who has been an active part of the work of United Way for many years, he is also a dynamic and strategic leader," she says. "He's been crucial as a sounding board to me, to ensure that our leadership transition was as smooth as possible."
As Meeks' involvement grew, so did his understanding of how the organization works.
"I grew up in this city and, other than the Marine Corps, lived here my whole life. But I didn't have a good sense of how much work, how much need and how much giving there was going on in this city," he says. Then he sat in on board meetings of member organizations, met their staffs and spent time around their clients.
Thursday's kickoff will be centered on three areas: income, education and health within the community. Prospective donors will be directed to help out in those specific areas. Partnering agencies will be represented.
In days of yore, in-office campaign tools involved corporate pledge cards placed in a shoe box, Meeks says. "So we still do some of that, and the shoe boxes are are still around, but most everything's done online now." Employees will be able to allocate money online along with their benefits. They will be able to give to United Way or any nonprofit of their choice.
"United Way, just like most of the other agencies around, [is] struggling to make sure that we stay pertinent and top of mind for people within the community," he adds.
All the while, United Way continues to fight a misconception that money raised locally ends up going elsewhere. "Almost every dollar that gets donated here actually not just stays in the community, but it gets used to leverage and multiply other dollars from inside and outside of the community." And because the agency is more than a century old, some people don't know or understand its role. "That's part of what we're trying to change," Meeks says.
Heart of Arkansas United Way Campaign kickoff is 5-7 p.m. Thursday at the Museum of Discovery. Admission is free. For more information, call (501) 376-4567.
High Profile on 09/10/2017