Reflecting on Twenty Years in Charlotte County
By Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director – United Way of Charlotte County
Twenty years ago this week, I left a beloved job at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, setting off on the road to meet my husband, Britt, down in Punta Gorda. We had been looking at this sleepy and lovely community for two years and knew that this town was where we would set deep roots and grow our family.
Fast forward twenty years – some hurricanes, three miscarriages, a Christmas baby, death of parents and now a daughter starting her last year in high school. Truly, this momma is emotional as she enters her senior year. Naturally, I am musing on these days lived way too quickly. Not one to “celebrate my birthday month” as some I know; I am an anniversary contemplator. Marking these chapters, learning from them, chronicling them for my daughter all seem to be my makeup.
It just so happens this week is also my ten-year anniversary serving this community through United Way of Charlotte County (UWCC). It turned out to be a wonderful surprise when I ended up in the job at UWCC. In 2014, a very short stint at the local health department turned out different than I expected. I knew it was not a great fit. Discouraged and determined to do the exact right work, I left that position just as I was graduating from Leadership Charlotte.
Utilizing those community connections, I reached out to Carrie Walsh, the director at UWCC at the time. Just so happens, the development position had just opened. As I began working at UWCC, I was in awe over the way the mission allowed me to channel the experiences I had previously to serve families living out their best life. A “fixer” by nature, most social workers are, my sights were set.
Twice I have prepared to leave my position at UWCC, to no avail. The first in the summer of 2017 when our family began looking at property in Atlanta, aspiring back to the big city. Low and behold, Carrie Walsh tendered her resignation for bigger community plans and the opportunity to be UWCC executive director presented itself. That decision was one we as a family could not deny and I am grateful every day to the board who hired me. Two years ago, the summer before Hurricane Ian, I asked the question of myself – “Is this still where I need to be?”
Leading a nonprofit is hard. In a recent article published by Chronicle of Philanthropy, A Really Tough Job: Nonprofit CEOs Work to Make their Roles More Manageable, “Nine in 10 leaders say they feel tremendous pressure to succeed, and nearly as many (88 percent) agree with the statement that “the demands made on nonprofit CEOs, executive directors, and presidents are never-ending.”
In my role at UWCC, we facilitate funding panels where nonprofits are vetted for funding, this is a rigorous process of nonprofits sharing their struggles, barriers, successes. This past May, I was left with the solid impression that most nonprofits are doing all they can to manage the economic challenges post pandemic and hurricane. The needs are exponentially higher and donations are down.
Ask any nonprofit CEO why they do it. My guess is they will tell you something similar to my answer. Am I supposed to be here? I believe so. This work means the world to me. The needs are immense, the people need us and I have a vision that won’t leave my head. Therefore, I get up every morning determined to keep going.
Charlotte Couty is blessed with nonprofit CEO’s with a lot of history and tenure. These leaders are heroes - unsung heroes. My action step for you is simple. Think of your favorite nonprofit. Please call the CEO, write them a note and offer a word of encouragement.
For more information about United Way of Charlotte County’s mission: Mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty, please contact Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org.