Caroline Horne poses with a sign showing the United Way’s progress toward its fundraising goal last year. It was Horne’s first year as executive director of the United Way of Colquitt County, and the local charity reached its goal of $555,000 in gifts and pledges in December.

MOULTRIE, Ga. — It’s official. Caroline Horne marked July 9 as the end of her first year as executive director of United Way of Colquitt County. With that under her belt, she finally feels she’s come into her own.

Horne began the leadership position by enacting a previously conceived three-year strategic plan. Following it, her first order of business was making United Way more transparent among its community.

“That was one thing I’ve worked on with making everything digital,” she said.

According to her, all applications, whether it be allocation, monetary, Day of Action project or fundraiser requests, everything is online. But the transparency didn’t stop there.

Horne made it her mission to integrate herself within the surrounding community, starting with Leadership Colquitt County in August. Since then she’s joined the Moultrie Service League, Serenity House board, Emergency Relief Board, Chamber of Commerce ambassadors and tourist committee, and chaired the Emergency Food and Shelter Board to name a few.

Brad Gregory, former United Way president, said he would be surprised at her performance, but he knew from the beginning she’d achieve great things for the organization. After all, that’s why he (and a committee of six or seven others) hired her.

“She just came across as a go-getter,” Gregory said. “So much of what we do is build(ing) relationships with people in our community and she just had the knack in her personality where people felt comfortable around her.”

Gregory said enthusiasm was one of the biggest qualities any contender for executive director needed. Without it, it’d be hard for anyone to deal with the day-to-day life of heading a non-profit organization. Fortunately for Horne, she radiated enthusiasm.

“She’s a great listener, she gives good feedback to people; she’s just an overall positive person and I’ve never heard her complain at all,” he said. “I find a lot of comfort knowing how hard-working she is and I feel like she’s made a long-term commitment to United Way.”

Her enthusiasm goes farther than just building new and maintaining old relationships though. She also uses it to forge new ideas to help rally the community.

One of those ideas is the upcoming “Taste of the Town,” a collaboration event between local food establishments to give the community a literal taste of the town.

She wants more than Colquitt County to join in the fun so she’s obtained a tourism grant to market the event outside of the county. The event is scheduled for Sept. 19.

Angela Castellow, former United Way executive director and Horne’s predecessor, said Horne is breathing new life into the community with the event.

“[It’s] a totally new event for Moultrie,” Castellow said. “She’s brought some creativity to the job.”

But more than creativity, Castellow said Horne is bringing new eyes to an old position and, in doing so, she’s “very much so” living up to her expectations.

“You know, you have that one person in a job and they just do it for so long, but it’s good to have someone new because everybody does things a little bit differently,” Castellow said.

Though Horne has ample numbers of her peers praising her, her learning curve for the position wasn’t any less inordinate. In fact, it was life changing.

She recalled a situation during her first month as executive director where a man came to her asking for help in paying his utility bills. She told him if he can find half of the money then she’ll help fund the rest.

“He comes back a couple of hours later and says ‘I have the money’ and ‘I just need the other half that you have.’ I said ‘No, this isn’t working because you need to tell me how you got that money’ and he wouldn’t tell me,” she said.

Horne, trying to make sure the money wasn’t ill-gotten, persisted in asking how he gained the money, eventually making him leave in embarrassment. She was determined to find out the origins of the money until she received a phone call that shed light on it: He pawned his car to get the money.

“I about lost it. I cried so hard,” she said. “It made me look at the way I talk to people or the way that I work with people differently. I make sure to put 110 percent into every person that walks into my office.”

The one thing she learned most from this moment is that “you don’t see the hard parts or the need in the community unless you’re looking for it.” That’s why she plans to look for, face and solve whatever problems she may find during the tenure of her time as United Way’s executive director.

Besides working with other nonprofits, bookkeeping and corresponding to community business leaders, Horne is developing Women’s United, a “women in the workforce” initiative where women’s voices can be heard in regard to community needs.

It’s based on a fundraiser called Power of the Purse and will be quarterly meeting group. The members will assess community needs, bring in an adviser from the nonprofit world, enact the Power of the Purse fundraiser, and donate that money to an organization based on the previously assessed need.

Since Women’s United is still in the works Horne has no set date on its arrival.