The United Way of Freeborn County has raised more than $300,000 as of Monday in its year-long campaign.

The local United Way chapter hopes to raise $530,000 from the campaign that is usually its busiest in the last months of the year.

United Way of Freeborn County Director Ann Austin said she hopes the organization can come closer to its goal.

“We should be getting close to $500,000,” Austin said. “I don’t know if we will make $530,000.”

Donations will be distributed next year.

Donors who know their donations will be turned in after the Dec. 31 deadline can postmark their donation with a Dec. 31 date to ensure it will be sufficient.

The United Way of Freeborn County has an allocations committee of local volunteers. Training takes place in March, and site visits occur in April.

“We have been seeing a lot of changes,” Austin said. “We have been seeing a lot of need for programs to work together, so we’ve obviously been focusing more on collaborations and how we can work together, like us as an organization with the city and the county.

“It makes us stronger as a community, because we all deal with so many variables that it makes sense that we talk together regularly.”

The United Way of Freeborn County has seen large donations from businesses, but also no longer has a relationship with three major businesses, resulting in approximately $100,000 less in donations.

“We just try to do the best we can with what we have,” Austin said.

“We’ve had to adapt.”

Interested donors can donate at the United Way office at 314 S. Broadway Ave., submit a check, donate online or deduct payments from their payroll.

A nonprofit organization, United Way of Freeborn County engages community members to identify local resources to address the greatest needs in the county and focuses on education, income and health.

An estimated 2 percent of funds collected go outside of Freeborn County.