Outgoing CEO reflects on his time as nonprofit recovered

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Dana Neer has always loved Kokomo. He was drawn to the community straight out of college, and he called the city home for decades. Whether it was coaching track at local high schools or organizing the Haynes-Apperson Festival’s sporting events, he found something here that called to him.

So, when United Way Serving Howard and Tipton Counties announced a search for a new CEO in the summer of 2023, he heard the call once again and became its CEO. After two years of work with the organization, however, Neer is answering a new call. He tendered his resignation in June and will leave at the end of July, but a piece of his heart will remain.

“I've always enjoyed United Way, and I some people actually called me and said, ‘Hey, you might be interested in this,’” said Neer. “I had never thought about it. I knew there was a need. So, I prayed about it and tried to assess what the challenges would be and whether I was capable of addressing them.”

Neer wasn’t a stranger to building or re-building organizations. In his younger years, he worked to establish an orphanage – a labor of love, as he himself was adopted as a child. And he spent most of his life in community service work as a chaplain and on various boards in this community and in Culver, Ind., where he currently resides.

“I felt I had the resources and the backing of the board,” said Neer. “I got to know the staff a little bit, and then I found out that Kokomo really loved United Way, and they wanted it to be successful. So, yes, let's do this.

“I really didn't have an idea of how long I'd be here. I wanted to rejuvenate it, refresh it, rebuild trust. Because I knew a lot of people here, I felt it would be an easier process than for someone moving in from somewhere without knowing anybody.”

“Easy” may not have been the best word to describe the next two years for Neer and United Way, but they certainly were successful. The organization went from empty coffers and withering support to hitting a pair of ambitious funding goals and renewed service to the community. To get there, the United Way had to matter again.

“We were in a building that was perpetually locked,” said Neer. “Customer service was very low. Morale was low. I wondered, ‘What are we doing? What's our functionality? What's our purpose?’ We wanted to rejuvenate the United Way. The visibility and optics of having a strong, healthy organization where we help all people, where our doors are open, was priority No. 1.”

Before they could get there, the United Way had to figure out some things. Neer explained that the organization’s finances were in severe disarray. There were sizeable debts that had gone unpaid and no effort to raise funds to remedy the situation.

“How healthy could we be in six months? In one year?” asked Neer. “We didn't have a pile of money sitting there to pay debts. The challenge was just to call people, introduce myself to them, and say, ‘How can United Way help you? How can United Way restore its reputation?’

“I explained we're here to do good work. We're going to commit to it, and I want you to trust us. And people really wanted us to win. When I said we're going to commit to do the work and asked. ‘Will you back us?’ Everyone said yes.”

A lot of changes took place in short order. Within weeks of being hired, Neer helped lead the organization through a funding campaign that successfully met and exceeded its $1 million goal. As that was happening, he engineered the sale of the United Way’s long-time home along West Walnut Street and secured a new home just across the street at 125 N. Buckeye St.

The result was a leaner, more accessible organization with $1.2 million in hand. The debts got paid. The proceeds from the building sale went into secured investments. The United Way’s six internal programs were bolstered and improved. And it resumed awarding grants to local non-profits; one of its best-known functions.

“It was a lofty goal,” said Neer. “We were not able to provide grants just a year before. But we looked at some of our mainstay companies – Haynes International, Stellantis – and we began talking to other strong, community-oriented businesses, like Chariot Auto Group, First Farmers Bank, Community First Bank, and a bunch of other wonderful businesses. We asked them to get behind us.”

And the community followed. Empowered by success in 2023, United Way raised its goal to $1.3 million for the 2024 campaign and hit it.

“What a blessing!” said Neer. “I never want to underestimate the most important thing in all of it: we prayed a lot. United Way isn't a Christian or religious organization, per se, but there's a lot of principles of faith. And we love people. We care for people. So, I would pray daily.”

Neer also credits a great deal of the success United Way has enjoyed to the women and men who work daily to keep the organization humming along. He said he leaned upon the experience of Cheryl Graham most. With nearly 30 years at United Way, she knew what worked and what didn’t. Neer valued her wisdom.

“I can't tell you how many times the two of us talked about stuff,” said Neer. “What worked in the past? What didn't work? Why didn't it work? Can it work? Should it work?”

Neer valued every employee and cited their dedication, their reliability, and their energy as part of the core reason for United Way’s renewed success.

“We didn't really ever call ourselves a staff,” said Neer. “We always called ourselves a team. It wasn't some sort of trite word. We heavily relied on each other. We had each other's backs. I'm going to miss this team.”

But it is time for Neer to go. Initially, he thought his term might last as long as five years, but a new opportunity surfaced recently that caught his attention. He was offered the opportunity to serve with Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an organization committed to ending abortion and protecting unborn lives.

As an orphan who found a living home, the Pro-Life movement resonates with Neer strongly. His background is why he helped start an orphanage overseas. The opportunity fits his calling in a way United Way couldn’t.

“I know the blessing of having a mom and dad who brought me into their home,” said Neer. “I didn't deserve it, but I got to grow up with a great extended family. I really have a big heart for unborn babies.

“Susan B. Anthony is a great foundation. I'll be speaking on their behalf. I'll be traveling a lot on the West Coast, but I'll also be in Washington four or five times a year for a week. If there's one thing, one pinpointed thing I could do in this world, I feel a calling to this.”

He leaves United Way as an employee, but his support doesn’t leave with him. Neer explained that he intends to donate to the organization and to volunteer his time in any capacity that is needed. And he is helping the transition to a new leader.

Morgan Quinn recently was named the Interim CEO for United Way Serving Howard and Tipton Counties. Neer is sharing what wisdom and information he can with her over the next few weeks. And he leaves a few hopes and wishes with her and the entire organization.

“I wish that our board will continue to grow and develop,” said Neer. “We have a wonderful board, and we need to continue to bring people onto the board who love our community, who have talents and a passion for United Way.

“And I continue to wish that the staff be unified and cohesive, that they stay true to our mission. And I wish that businesses and individuals will continue to see how important the United Way is.”