— I was fortunate to be able to join more than 70 community and business leaders on the Inter City Leadership Visit to Charlottesville, Va., last month. We chose Charlottesville for many reasons and yes, Charlottesville does have much to be proud of in their community.

What I took away from the trip was just how grateful we should be for the corporate leadership in our community. How many communities can say they have 70 business leaders who are willing to take three full days of time away from their work and family to focus on their community?

Our trip was heavily focused on key community issues such as the importance of early childhood education, nonprofit and business collaboration and quality of life for all community members. These are issues that not every community is brave enough to take on because they can be overwhelming, complex and, in the short term, costly.

One of the questions I asked the hiring committee when I considered coming back to the Greater Mankato Area United Way was, “How involved and committed is the current business community to the work of the nonprofit sector?”

The heart and soul of the nonprofit community are the volunteers who serve on our boards and in other volunteer capacities. Nonprofits cannot do their work without the support of leaders from the business community, and I believe some of the finest business leaders in the country live in our backyards.

A local United Way’s success is one good indicator of business leaders’ commitment to their community. Greater Mankato Area United Way has a long history of success and it is due in no small measure to the fact that generations of corporate leaders have committed their time, talent and treasure as board members, campaign chairs and committee volunteers.

Consider the following facts.

This fall we asked our corporate donors to consider, on average, a 3 percent increase to their annual donation. To date, they have responded with a 7 percent increase. Comparatively, across the country corporate donations to United Ways declined over 1 percent last year.

It is very evident that business leaders recognize that the economic downturn has had a significant effect on their employees and community members, and by supporting local nonprofits like United Way, they are helping people through these tough times.

The generosity shown by local business leaders has also had a ripple effect on their employees. Almost 8,000 individuals donate to Greater Mankato Area United Way each year, and the majority of these donors give through their workplace campaign.

The culture of corporate philanthropy has indeed filtered down to employee giving. Our total campaign has grown by more than 11 percent over the past six years. Meanwhile, the total giving to United Ways across the country was down 1.5 percent during the same time period.  

So while Charlottesville has the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, University of Virginia and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, we too have a lot to be proud to show off — a lot of very good people. Just look around at the volunteer leadership of our local nonprofits and you too, will see what I see: great people and great leaders.   



Laura Bowman is president of the Greater Mankato Area United Way.