Community Corner

Local Non-Profits Hope to 'Get Connected'

Area agencies supported by United Way will soon be connected with willing volunteers

The agencies supported by the United Way of Pickens County are about to become even more united as the organization expands its use of technology and social media.

One of the difficulties facing organizations that rely on volunteerism has always been connecting with the many willing and able volunteers in the community. United Way of Pickens County President Julie Capaldi hopes a new online service called Get Connected will help. Capaldi said there are many opportunities to volunteer in the community and that most people aren't aware of them.

"Increasing volunteerism is a statewide initiative," Capaldi said Tuesday morning during a meeting with representatives from 23 local non-profit organizations at West End Hall in Easley. "We're losing so many people at the workplace, so we need to engage them in different ways."

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With the help of Galaxy Digital, a web-based communications firm in Asheville, N.C., United Way of Pickens County is seeking to change the way organizations and volunteers connect.

John Kelley, a representative of Galaxy Digital visited the group to introduce them to Get Connected, a social media tool custom designed for United Way to connect volunteers with volunteer opportunities. 

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"If we can tell the story and get people passionate about what we do and tell them about the success that we're having, then we get people engaged," Kelley said.

Get Connected is already being used by the United Way of Piedmont County and has already become a powerful tool in communicating with the county's volunteer base, Capaldi said.

The program will allow volunteers to create a profile, choose interests and follow various organizations. Get Connected will then match them with local volunteer opportunities, notify users of upcoming events and inform the community about the current needs of area non-profits.

"It's all about increasing what we can do for the community," Kelley said.

The room at West End Hall was teeming with positivity as representatives from local agencies asked questions and gave feedback.

"It's all about collaboration," said The Parenting Place Executive Director Gloria Morris. "If we want the community to support us, we need to support each other."

Both John Kelley and Nick Dionne spent over an hour presenting the new technology and answering questions from an eager audience. Val Leeper, the marketing and communications representative from Galaxy Digital will spend several days next week training local agencies to use Get Connected.

"It's exciting stuff, it addresses pretty much all the struggles we're dealing with right now," Mary's House Interim Director Lisa Smith said. "We need to use our social networking sites more effectively."

Get Connected will embrace existing social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and give volunteers more avenues to stay current on the needs of local agencies.

Capaldi is excited about Get Connected because it will allow United Way to communicate with the community in a more targeted way.

"We will be able to communicate about community-wide issues to those people who are interested in those issues," Capaldi said. "We can communicate with people who have an interest in hunger issues, or with people who are interested in the community garden."

United Way is a test site for Galaxy Digital's Get Connected program and because of that the organization was given a discount for the program. The overall cost, which is being covered by two local companies, amounts to approximately $400/month, Capaldi said. Duke Energy and Cornell Dubilier are donating the money to pay for Get Connected.

For more information on United Way of Pickens County and the local agencies they support, visit their website. Be sure to keep an eye out for the redesigned UWPC website and the new Get Connected platform.


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