We’re into our peak fundraising season. Big time. And so that’s naturally the thing that’s most on my mind at the moment.

Wherever I go these days, the first question I get asked is: How’s it going? The expectation is that I will respond with a tale of woe about how difficult it is to raise money for charity at the moment.

The truth is, it’s never easy and this year there are some interesting challenges. But I’m pleased to tell you that your local United Way is faring better than most.

The latest figures from giving USA show that in 2008, giving to human services dropped by a whopping 12.7% nationwide. The average United Way dropped by 4.5% last year.

Here at UWCCR, our overall campaign results essentially came in at the same level as the prior year. That was good news for the regional nonprofit community, which is struggling to keep up.

In fact, if you stop to think about it, that result was pretty remarkable considering the state of the economy and the turmoil caused by the State budget crises.

What’s going to happen in 2009? If enthusiasm is any barometer, we’ll be OK. We’ve gotten far more requests from employers for more campaign presentations than in recent memory.

These are presentations by us and/or our partner agencies directly to employees in the workplace. The more people hear from nonprofits directly, the more they are likely to give.

So, that’s a very positive sign. So, too, is the fact we continue to have employers agreeing to work with us to offer payroll deduction giving to their employees for the first time.

If you’re an employer who doesn’t currently offer this opportunity to your employees, I’d love to have a brief conversation with you about how it produces a win-win-win scenario.

My direct line is (916) 856-3939 and my email is sheath@uwccr.org. Thanks.