.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} The staffs are small, usually only a single person; their budgets are tiny; and their profiles in the community aren’t prominent. But the 19 organizations that make up Iowa Shares believe they are doing important things everyone else has forgotten about. And by banding together, the hope is that they can better fulfill their missions.

“These organizations are grassroots groups,” said Robert Crandall, executive director of Bidwell-Riverside Center and vice president of Iowa Shares’ board of directors. “They aren’t top-down bureaucracies; they’re out in the trenches.”

Iowa Shares was formed in 1992 by groups who were ineligible for United Way.

“They were too small or because they were working on an issue that didn’t fit into the United Way’s criteria,” said Chris Gongola, Iowa Shares’ communication manager.

Iowa Shares’ member organizations are addressing issues concerning women, youths and families, homelessness, disabilities, immigration, and the environment, while promoting social and economic justice, nonviolence, human rights and animal welfare. About 35 companies and groups around the state participate in workplace giving campaigns similar to United Way.

“At many places, they do both Iowa Shares and United Way campaigns,” Crandall said. “And we’ve seen that we don’t take away donations from United Way; we simply add to the choices available.”

The biggest struggle, Crandall said, is getting their foot in the door.

“We’re still trying to build awareness of our member organizations,” he said.

Iowa Shares raised $132,600 last year. One of the methods the group uses is to not only allow donors to choose which charity they wish their funds to support, but also they can decide which organizations they choose not to support.

“We had one individual who was opposed to gun control,” Crandall said. “We assured him that he could guarantee that none of his money went to gun control groups.”

The organization is working on developing a fund-raiser to help raise its profile, and has recently hired a second part-time employee to help organize workplace campaigns. Last year the organization updated its Web site. Iowa Shares also worked to increase visibility of its member organizations through newsletters, press releases and appearances on radio and television.

“We’re just starting to get our name out there,” Gongola said. “This is a very exciting time for us.”