NATCHEZ — United Way public forum organizers said Thursday more volunteers are needed if the Miss-Lou chapter is to remain open.

Approximately 35 people showed up at the Natchez Convention Center to support the United Way — and several people signed up to be board members — but volunteer Mike Gemmell said people interested in the organization need to promote volunteerism at churches, the office and family gatherings.

“Tell people that United Way is in serious trouble,” Gemmell said. “Don’t beat around the bush — we could close.”

Miss-Lou United Way chapter Treasurer Deanne Tanksley said last year the challenge was deciding whether to honor pledges or maintain a professional staff. The organization ultimately chose to pay its agencies, but that meant closing the doors and becoming an all-volunteer chapter.

Tanksley said even though they met all of the pledges, the decision to close up shop still created some problems.

“Volunteers thought we were not running so they didn’t show up and organizations thought we were going away,” Tanksley said. “We still have an office. We still have a phone number and an email account, we just have to count on volunteers to go check them.”

When it got to the point where only two to three people were showing up for board meetings, Tanksley said they had to call the United Way international office.

Tanksley said the chapter was told if the doors close, it’s permanent. New chapters are not being added and chapters are not being reinstituted.

Instead, the needs of the Miss-Lou would be assigned to chapters in Vicksburg and Alexandria, where Tanksley said many would get lost in the shuffle.

A lack of volunteers is the first problem, but fundraising becoming more difficult started the issues, Tanksley said. She said big local companies have closed their doors or laid off staff, and United Way depends on employer-run campaigns for much of its funding.

Tanksley said she believes there are enough people working in the community that if every worker in Natchez contributed $2 a paycheck, hundreds of thousands of dollars could be raised.

The first issue with accessing the funding is a lack of volunteers to run a fundraising campaign.

The second issue is negative press for the parent organization. Tanksley said she is told all the time people wont contribute because they have heard the CEO of United Way makes $1 million and drives an expensive car.

Tanksley said that’s not how it works on the local level. In the 14 years she has been on the board, the organization has raised $3 million. $2.7 million has been allocated to agencies.

Tanksley said the other $300,000 was allocated to pay staff and for fundraising efforts. This percentage of 80 percent of the funds raised going to charity beats the national average for non-profits of 70 percent.

“We aren’t driving $250,000 cars,” Tanksley said. “We don’t even have a paid staff right now.”

During Hurricane Katrina, Tanksley said the United Way raised $500,000. In the years that followed, contributions ranged from $150,000 to $250,000 until 2011, when the organization raised $100,000.

After that it has decreased until only $35,000 was raised this past year.

In 2016, Tanksley said the United Way did not raise enough to officially allocate to its 13 agencies. Some checks were issued this year, and Tanksley said the chapter may be able to do more, but agencies were only receiving funding as ‘unexpected bonuses.’

For the community, Tanksley said it was time to decide if United Way is to continue locally. If it is, she asks how the community wants to get it done?

Habitat for Humanity board member Duncan McFarlane said his organization gets approximately 10 percent of its funding from United Way.

“If United Way goes down, it will not close Habitat this year, but it will make the situation difficult,” he said. “If they go down, it is going to hurt us, and it may hurt other agencies.”

Sabrina Bartley with the Natchez Senior Center, said the Miss-Lou could not provide the services to seniors at the current level without the United Way.

“As we continue to age, we certainly want to make certain that our parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents are taken care of,” Bartley said. “More importantly, we want to be able to do some things to keep a great quality of life for all as we move forward.

“What specifically do you need us to do to make sure United Way remains in this community in the Miss-Lou?”

Jo Ann Brumfield and Maria Bowser both volunteered to serve as board members after the meeting.

Brumfield said the need in the town is great and she doesn’t want to see Miss-Lou charities having to compete for funding from Vicksburg or Alexandria.

“If they have to compete for dollars it will never come back here,” Brumfield said. “There just are not enough dollars. Vicksburg organizations will have the edge.”

Bowser said years ago she served United Way but left for personal reasons.

“I’m ready to serve again because I believe United Way is important,” she said.

Adams County Supervisor Calvin Butler said he would continue to serve on the United Way board.

“I think we need to keep the chapter here,” Butler said. “I am willing to do anything in my power to keep it here.”

Lamar Braxton Sr. said Natchez can’t afford for United Way to leave.

“If we let it leave here, the message it is going to send to the world about what is happening in Natchez is not very positive,” he said. “When I came to Natchez 50 years ago, the United Way was very vibrant. I know we don’t have the resources we had when I came here, but we do have enough to make it work.”

Tanksley said the United Way board would meet at the Natchez Convention Center at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 22.

“If your heart tells you have to be here, please just show up,” she said. “We want to get this ship headed back down the right path.”

United Way of Greater Miss-Lou helps support 13 agencies in the area, including Guardian Shelter, Catholic Charities, T.M. Jennings Youth Baseball, Adams County 4-H, Natchez Falcons, Casa (court appointed special advocates for children) and the Red Cross.

For more information, contact the board at 601-442-1081.