The United Way of Selma and Dallas County won’t kickoff its annual fall fundraising campaign for another month, but executive director Jeff Cothran is hard at work to make it another successful year.

“Right now, we are working to figure out dates for all the employee meetings we will have this year, and we are getting our materials together, labeled and distributed,” Cothran said Wednesday while packing envelopes he planned to deliver to numerous local schools and businesses.

The local chapter of the United Way funds a number of area agencies and programs through money raised from local schools, businesses and organizations.

“We raise money wherever we can, but more importantly, we are reinvesting money back into our partnering agencies and back into the services this community needs,” Cothran said.

According to a list provided by Cothran, the United Way of Selma and Dallas County helps finance the work of 15 agencies that provide services for residents of Dallas, Perry and Wilcox counties.

“While we are based in Dallas County and really cover that area, a lot of our agencies provide services in Perry and Wilcox counties,” Cothran said. “We have a pretty big reach.”

One of the local organizations that benefits from the United Way is the SABRA Sanctuary, which provides shelter and assistance to abused women and their children.

“We use the money to help with shelter needs including paying salaries, provide clothing, food and bus tickets,” said SABRA executive director Nancy Travis. “We really use the money to directly benefit the people who need our services.”

Travis, who said she was grateful for the United Way’s financial assistance, hopes community members take part in this year’s campaign.

“We encourage everyone to participate and give to the United Way so these non-profits and other agencies can keep going and providing services to the community,” Travis said.

Cothran said that while he does not have a goal for how much money the campaign will raise before it concludes on Dec. 31, he is hopeful the total will top the $340,000 raised last year.

“Since the economic crash a few years back, Dallas, Perry and Wilcox counties haven’t really recovered, so we just try to build on how we do the year before,” Cothran said. “We have been lucky to raise more money each of the last five years, and we are hoping to continue that trend.”