The Campaign

Thanks to the generosity and faith of one community member, you can double your investment to secure the future of Pillars Resource Center. When you give between March 1st and April 30th, your gift will be matched up to $150,000. 

The matching gift was made because of a strong belief in Pillars’ mission and great trust in Pillars staff to carry out this challenging work. 

Pillars Resource Center (RC) is underfunded by $150,000 per year, putting a strain on the annual organizational budget. Client visits to the RC increased from 10,000 in 2022 to 14,000 in 2023, underscoring the importance of this space.  

The RC is an integral piece of Pillars’ services, and its impact extends into the community. Pillars is uniquely equipped to manage and operate the RC as a daytime drop-in location and resource connecting point. Maintaining this service alleviates the burden of service for many local agencies and area businesses. 

Annual utilization of the RC has increased by 40% in the past year. Peak visitors in a single day have risen from 40 to as many as 82 people. The community can see the need is growing, and now your investment is needed to continue the work.

The Need

Fiscal year 2023 saw COVID-19 response funding diminish and a challenging labor market drive higher-than-normal staff turnover. To keep pace with the market and inflation, Pillars increased compensation for frontline employees. While impacting the budget, this was a necessary decision. It is vital that staff receive fair compensation for the challenging work frontline roles demand. The 2023 deficit was covered by multi-year restricted gifts, Pillars’ endowment, and financial reserves that were set aside from the surplus in fiscal year 2021.  

While planning for a second year of a deficit budget, it became clear that operational changes are necessary to stabilize the agency budget. Addressing the structural deficit has become a top priority. 

On November 17th, 2023, Pillars and the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region hosted a convening of municipal leaders, community partners, donors, and funders to discuss securing Pillars’ future. Pillars Executive Director, Lisa Strandberg, shared about Pillars’ community impact, our financial journey, and what is needed to sustain services and programming. A four-step plan, endorsed by Pillars’ Board of Directors on December 6th, 2023, was swiftly put into action. 

One step of the plan was to evaluate Pillars’ current programs to determine mission impact and community need. Pillars Resource Center is one of Pillars’ most underfunded programs and a work group was tasked with discussing the program’s impact and need. The group of community partners, municipal leaders, donors, and funders unanimously expressed their dedication to the sustainment of the Resource Center. Other local agencies, businesses, and city departments reaffirmed the critical need that the Resource Center serves in providing a safe, welcoming environment where people can find healthy connections and socialization. 

Community Support

Pillars is a community resource, and it is invaluable to have the community’s voice advocate for sustaining the Pillars Resource Center. Pillars Resource Center is a pivotal program in our community that supports the unmet needs of many people. The work groups determined that Pillars is uniquely qualified to manage this hub of health, housing, and educational resources. As a result, many local agencies and businesses are relieved of the burden of servicing this growing demand. 

In 2023, the RC averaged 52 visitors per day, with peak attendance in a single day reaching 82. Of the 644 total unduplicated clients who utilized services, 255 were individuals who only accessed services through the RC and not anywhere else within Pillars. This increasing number demonstrates the growing need in our community and the importance of the Resource Center. 

Each client is met with compassion, respect, and dignity at every visit. Staff recognize that each person’s circumstances and journey are unique and require individualized goal planning to optimize success. Staff work with clients one-on-one to discuss goals, navigate resources, and plan actionable steps.  

The services offered at the RC are vital to our vulnerable neighbors and are unduplicated in our community. The Resource Center is the only space addressing this specific need. As homelessness continues to rise across the nation and within our community, Pillars actively embraces our vision of collaborating with our community to find innovative, effective solutions so that episodes of homelessness are rare and brief, and everyone has a place to call home.  

Call to Action

Homelessness is a community challenge that requires collaboration and intervention from many partners. Pillars cannot do this work alone; we need your help. Will you be a Pillar of our community and invest in the RC? Invest in Pillars’ staff? Invest in Hope? 

DONATE HERE: pillarsinc.org/donate-resource-center/

Other Ways to Support:

• Stay up to date on social media and share our posts. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
• Call/reach out with questions. Contact Matt Malm, Community Engagement Director at mmalm@pillarsinc.org or 920.734.9192 ext. 123.
• Invite Pillars to speak to your club/church/group. Contact our Events Coordinator at events@pillarsinc.org. 

Interested in learning more about the Resource Center? Check out the recording of Conversations Over Coffee, where we did a highlight on the Resource Center.