Susquehanna Valley United Way staff laid off due to declining contributions
Jun. 20—SUNBURY — Four Susquehanna Valley United Way staff members have been laid off due to declining contributions, President and CEO Adrienne Mael said.
Stephanie Thomas, director of administration; Cheryl Mertz, finance operations administrator; Amanda Thomas, community impact coordinator, and Seth Joseph, director of philanthropy, were notified Monday their positions were being terminated nine months after the Greater Susquehanna Valley and Columbia-Montour United Way agencies merged to become Susquehanna Valley United Way.
"Contributions have been down for the past year. There have been cash flow issues and the board felt (the layoffs) needed to be done," said United Way board member Art Thomas.
Mael said contributions to the United Way have been declining since 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began and worsened as inflation rates rose.
"We are down $135,000 in undesignated contributions in just the past year. That's devastating for the organization," she said, adding that many nonprofit groups are experiencing similar loss in financial contributions.
A virtual event is scheduled on June 28 to announce the results of Susquehanna Valley United Way's 2022 fundraising campaign.
"We are still finalizing" the results but are aware that donations are down significantly, Mael said, adding that the board will be hiring a financial consultant.
In the meantime, she said, the loss of "about half of the core staff" will require her and the remaining employees to take on more responsibilities.
"We have an amazing board that supports us and a tremendous senior director of community impact, Stacey Piecuch," said Mael, who will take a more active role in fundraising efforts as the next campaign gets underway.
