A Reset Year That Makes Us Stronger: What’s Coming Next for United Way Wayne & Holmes Counties

December 8, 2025

A Reset Year That Makes Us Stronger: What’s Coming Next for United Way Wayne & Holmes Counties

By Katie Koglman

Every once in a while, you hit a point where you know things have to change not because something is wrong, but because you want to build something stronger. That’s exactly where we are at United Way Wayne & Holmes Counties.

We’ve spent nearly seventy years running our grantmaking on a pledged model. People promise donations during campaign season, and we make grant decisions based on those promises. For a long time, that worked. But the world is different now. Donor behavior is different. And the last few years have taught all nonprofits the same lesson: you can’t invest dollars you don’t actually have yet.

So we’re taking 2026 to shift into a cash-on-hand model. It’s responsible. It’s transparent. And honestly, it’s overdue.

So What Does That Mean Right Now?

It means we’re taking the rest of 2025 and 2026 as a reset time.

No new grants. No application cycles. No rushing agencies through a process that needs to be redesigned anyway.

Our Board of Directors are spending this time rebuilding our criteria, tools, and scoring with intention not just “because that’s how we’ve always done it.”

The new, modernized grant cycle will open Spring 2026. Clear, fair, and grounded in the real dollars we have on hand. Our current core community partners have already been awarded unrestricted grants for the start of 2026.

But Let Me Be Clear: 2025 Was NOT a Quiet Year

Far from it.
If anything, this year proved that United Way Wayne and Holmes is at its best when we can respond quickly and fill the gaps others can’t.

Your Volunteer Investment Team made big, thoughtful grants in 2025

From behavioral health to crisis services, youth development, addiction recovery, arts access, job support, and more—our volunteers showed up with intention and heart. Providing the following organizations with programmatic funds:

· American Red Cross – $30,000

· Anazao Community Partners – $92,724.50

· Catholic Charities – $82,000

· Children’s Advocacy Center – $60,945

· Goodwill Industries – $55,000

· Holmes Center for the Arts – $11,000

· NAMI Wayne and Holmes Counties – $33,500

· Learn N Play – $20,000

· OneEighty, Inc. – $135,000

· Orrville Area Boys & Girls Club (Rittman) – $22,500

· Salvation Army – Wooster – $70,000

· The Counseling Center – $58,500

· Viola Startzman Clinic – $100,000

· Wayne County Schools Career Center – $17,560.50

· YMCA – $50,000

· IncludeAbility – $12,500

· Nick Amster, Inc. – $4,050

· Norwayne Local Schools – $4,650

Our Board stepped up with responsive funding

We supported after-school care, emergency housing, mobile vaccine access, sensory needs, food programs, and community-led ideas that deserved a boost. Providing the following organizations with timely, need based funding:

· Kevin McAllister Fund – $100

· ASPIRE – $100

· Holmes County General Health District (Mobile Vaccine Unit) – $5,000

· West Salem Outreach – Food Assistance – $2,000

· Catholic Charities – $500 (Gifts of Gratitude nomination)

· YMCA – Holmes County Before & After School Care – $25,000

· Habitat for Humanity – Holmes County – $7,500

· Knights Academy – Meal Prep Classes – $2,000

· West Holmes Early Intervention – Sensory Furniture – $2,000

· Viola Startzman Clinic – West Salem Expanded Services – $5,000

· Community Action Wayne/Medina – Emergency Housing Assistance – $5,000

· West Holmes Middle School – Shop with a Teacher – $1,250

And Operation SNAP GAP helped local food programs stay afloat

With the changes to SNAP benefits, the need has grown and we made sure the following local food pantries had support when they needed it most.

· Christ’s Cupboard – $250

· Community Action Wayne/Medina – $1,000

· Crown Hill Mennonite – $250

· Faith Fellowship – $250

· Glenmont Food Pantry – $250

· Homeward Bound – $250

· Lakeville United Methodist – $250

· Millersburg Church of God – $500

· Millersburg First Presbyterian – $250

· People to People Ministries – $250

· Pregnancy Care Center – $250

· Rittman United Methodist – $250

· The Love Center Food Pantry – $250

· The Server – $1,000

· West Salem Outreach – $1,000

· Wooster Hope Center – $250

· YMCA of Wayne County – $250

We didn’t slow down.
We just shifted how we moved.

Why This Reset Matters (And Why I’m So Proud of It)

I’ll say it plainly: This transition makes us better stewards of community dollars.
It puts us on stable ground.
It lets us invest confidently.
And it opens the door for more nonprofits to be part of the process moving forward.

Our Board President, Bonnie Ferguson Hall, has been a tremendous partner in this work. Her leadership reflects exactly what we want this reset to stand for: clarity, accountability, and community first.

This isn’t about giving less.
It’s about giving smarter, stronger, and more sustainably.

Looking Ahead to Spring 2026

We’ll roll out clear information early next year about:

what the applications will look like
eligibility
funding priorities
how scoring works
timelines and deadlines

My goal?
A process that nonprofits don’t dread and one that reflects the real challenges and opportunities in Wayne and Holmes Counties.

Thank You for Trusting Us While We Do This Work

You’ve allowed us to hit the reset button for the right reasons. And because of that, we’re going to be able to support more people, more organizations, and more needs in the years ahead.

This is a rebuilding year and a strengthening year.

The truth?
I’ve never been more optimistic about where we’re headed.

And I can’t wait for 2026.

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Why we stay nonpartisan

By Katie Koglman • October 7, 2026

United We Help: Why United Way Wayne and Holmes Stays Nonpartisan Turn on the television. Scroll social media. Check your mailbox. Election season brings a steady stream of political messages, each competing for our attention and asking us to choose a side. It can be overwhelming, especially when you are trying to separate facts from opinions and decide whom to trust. At United Way Wayne and Holmes Counties, we value the trust our community places in us. That is why we want to be clear about our role during elections.We do not endorse candidates, oppose candidates, or tell people whom to vote for. As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, we are prohibited from participating in political campaigns for or against candidates for public office. This is a legal requirement , not simply an organizational preference. Our responsibility is to serve Wayne and Holmes Counties and bring people together to help our neighbors. Nonpartisan does not mean silent We see the challenges people face every day: families struggling to afford groceries, workers facing transportation barriers, children needing opportunities to learn, and neighbors searching for mental health support. We have a role in helping our community and policymakers understand those needs. We can share information, educate elected officials, build relationships, and speak up about issues connected to our mission. We can also engage in some lobbying on specific legislation, within the limits that apply to charitable organizations. Speaking up about a community need is different from asking you to vote for a particular candidate. Can we do that? Our “Can We Do That? A Quick Guide to Nonprofit Advocacy” graphic uses a traffic-light approach to explain the difference. Green: Speak up for our community. Share stories, explain community needs, educate policymakers, and encourage civic participation. Yellow: Know the rules. Supporting or opposing specific legislation is lobbying, which comes with limits and responsibilities. Red: No candidate endorsements. We cannot support or oppose candidates, contribute organizational funds to their campaigns, or use our organizational voice to tell you whom to elect. We can encourage people to register and vote, and provide voter information, as long as those efforts remain neutral and do not favor or oppose candidates or political parties. Your vote belongs to you You may hear us discuss hunger, literacy, housing, transportation, or other issues affecting local families. You may see us meeting with elected officials to help them understand what is happening in our communities. Those conversations are about the people we serve. They are not candidate endorsements. We encourage you to ask questions, examine reliable information, learn about candidates, and make your own informed choices. The neighbors who turn to us for help have different backgrounds, beliefs, and political views. So do the donors, volunteers, and partners who make our work possible. Helping our community takes all of us. Election season will come and go. Our commitment to Wayne and Holmes counties continues regardless of the outcome. We encourage all of you to vote, and vote for who you think is the best candidate! Early voting begins October 6, 2026 through Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026 and Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. To find where you should go to vote Click Here. Go VOTE!!