Charlotte Area Insurance Industry Unites For Charity

March 26--Charlotte has a new brand of nonprofit that could soon become among the city's most beloved.

That's because its mission is to give away money.

Called Community Matters, the all-volunteer initiative brings together the area's competing insurance firms in a coalition to raise tens of thousands of dollars annually for one local charity.

There is no overhead involved, and the beneficiary will change from year to year, organizers say.

It's a concept all involved believe is new to the state, perhaps even the country.

This year, Community Matters intends to raise $100,000 for United Family Services, the community's chief resource for victims of domestic abuse.

The effort comes at a time when individual charity campaigns are struggling to meet campaign goals, and communitywide efforts like the United Way'sCritical Need Response Fund are seeing steep drops in donations. The economy and donor burn-out are blamed.

"It really can make a big difference in years like this, when we are struggling, and some charities are going under," said Karen Parker Thompson of United Family Services. "There are many small nonprofits with a budget close to $100,000 and you can imagine what it could do for their future. It would be huge."

Community Matters expects to exceed its goal, having already raised $40,000 even before the campaign's formal kickoff on April 27.

Growing support

Such enthusiasm is reassuring to Tom Lott of Charlotte, who first suggested Charlotte's competing insurance professionals join forces for charity.

So far, 38 firms in the insurance industry have signed on, and the number continues to grow. Lott imagines endless possibilities, given the region is home to 10,000 insurance professionals.

Each of the firms has agreed to host their own fundraising events for United Family Services, as well as supply the agency with volunteer support, Lott said.

"In a lot of ways, I had my fingers crossed and hoped that it would come together," said Lott, who is with the wholesale insurance firm AmWINS Group. "I thought this will either be big, or it would really fail. And now we know that it has far exceeded expectations."

It was a 2011 fundraiser for United Family Services that first inspired Lott, who said he was moved by the charity's mission of helping victims and families escaping domestic violence.

Among the points that really struck home, he said, was that Union and Cabarrus counties had bigger shelters for battered women than Mecklenburg County.

Charlotte's shelter has 29 beds. However, an 80-bed shelter is under construction and will be completed late this year.

United Family Services, which has an annual budget of about $6 million, has raised the $8.5 million needed for construction, but it still needs an additional $1.5 million for the shelter's first two years of operating expenses.

Bigger need

Meanwhile, the need continues growing, with a 30 percent increase last year in domestic violence victims asking the agency for safe shelter, officials said.

United Family Services is not unique in that respect. Nearly all the charities in the county are reporting big jumps in people seeking help, particularly those that help with critical needs like food, shelter and rent assistance.

John Tighe, board chair of United Family Services, believes the example set by Community Matters could help with that, too. Imagine the possibilities, he said, if other industries created their own version, all uniting to help one charity at a time.

Community Matters has already heard from insurance professionals in Raleigh interested in replicating the idea, he added.

It has also been approached by charities, which have come knocking to be a beneficiary.

"I absolutely see this as a role model," said Tighe, who is also a director of Community Matters. "There's real power in bringing everybody together around a cause and responding to a financial need. I hope others will follow the map."

Mark Price: 704-358-5245

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