It’s the end of an era for the United Way Yukon.

The organization announced over the weekend it is shutting down for a variety of reasons.

Longtime president Dave Whiteside spoke to the Star this morning about the shocking shutdown.

“This is not a surprise,” Whiteside said.

“We’ve been using our reserves for several years now. We’re just at the bottom of the piggy bank.

“It’s just a sign of the times,” he added. “In 2014, we were told (by national UW officials) to prepare for a large dip in donations. We were just never able to prepare, though.”

Donations had been dropping for several years, Whiteside said.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, crushing the organization further.

United Way Yukon is an independent organization without direct ties to the national organization except in name, he explained.

“We’re sad about the decision,” Whiteside said. “I’ve been involved in the United Way my whole working life. It’s the longest I’ve ever served with any organization.”

He’s been president since 2009. Many of the other key people in the United Way Yukon are also veterans.

“We’re all just tired,” he said. “It’s a hard thing to run a small organization in the Yukon.”

Whiteside said he was reduced to tears while doing a radio interview earlier this morning.

“I don’t know how some of the programs we’ve supported will continue to survive,” he said.

In a lengthy prepared statement, Whiteside and the other board members laid out the rationale for the drastic move.

“On Jan. 27, our board unanimously voted to dissolve United Way Yukon. We will continue to fund community projects in our next Community Investment Fund allocation as usual in March. (The deadline for applications is Feb. 4).

“We will make a second distribution of funds later in the year with what remains in our accounts after further expenses, such as final audit costs, are paid.

“This is certainly not the future we’d hoped for; especially not in the 30th anniversary year of our foundation operating in the Yukon. However, we believe various pressures have made this action necessary and this dissolution is the ethical thing to do.”

Payroll donors can continue their donations until Apr. 30.

The statement lays out several key reasons for the decision.

Bookkeeping and financial reporting, correspondence with agencies, governments, banks and corporations, and tax-related tasks are complex and time-consuming.

“To put it plainly, we cannot keep up with paperwork. However, demands related to administration have grown beyond the scope of volunteers.

“In the present environment, we can no longer afford to pay someone to accomplish these tasks, as this would divert funds from donations toward administrative expenses at a level we do not find acceptable.”

For instance, the statement says, “if United Way Yukon paid a part-time bookkeeper or administrative professional at the current market rate for a year, it would require all the funds raised through the annual breakfast —our largest single source of donations. This is not what we believe donors want.”

Another factor is a decline in donations.

“We have seen a dramatic decline in payroll donations over the last decade. With lower donations overall, it is harder to justify administrative or salary costs.

“The percentage of these versus the funds raised would become something with which we are not comfortable and something we do not think our donors would accept.”

A third reason relates to human resources.

“Recently, a dedicated and valued volunteer left the board after serving as United Way Yukon’s treasurer for many years. This individual had been providing hours of often thankless work reviewing finances, writing reports, as well as liaising with banks and bookkeepers.

“This person’s volunteer role saved us significant expense when it comes to financial tasks.”

As well, last fall, United Way Yukon lost its executive director to new employment.

“This person had also performed above-and-beyond job requirements,” the statement said. “The executive director position had been our only salaried role.”

“We’ve been unable to find replacements, particularly in the case of the paid employee, in a salary range we can afford. Furthermore, our organization has been seeking a dedicated volunteer campaign chair for over a decade now, without success.

“This limits our ability to plan and hold events, and to maximize our fundraising efforts.”

The statement concludes with, “Thank you to all Yukoners who’ve helped fly the ‘helping hand’ flag over the past 30 years.

“Together, we helped to raise more than $2 million for Yukon charities since 1994. We are immensely proud of the work that’s been done, and the results we’ve accomplished.”