With new space, Sioux Empire United Way strengthens hub for volunteers, partners

Sioux Empire United Way is beginning a new chapter in a new office designed to better support its staff, volunteers, nonprofit partners and donors.

After decades in the former Nonprofit Center in north-central Sioux Falls, Sioux Empire United Way has moved to 3901 N. Louise Ave.

The move follows Dow Rummel Village’s decision to close the building, which it has owned for about 25 years and operated as a home for nonprofit organizations.

For Sioux Empire United Way, the timing created an opportunity to find a space that supports how the organization works today and how it hopes to grow in the future.

“For us, it has just been a gift to be able to be there,” CEO Lisa Romkema said. “We loved working with Dow Rummel and being there, and we’re excited for the next chapter.”

The search for a new office focused on accessibility, room for training and events, and space that could serve the organization well now while allowing for potential growth.

“The people who are in and out of our office most are volunteers and donors, so we wanted it to be a location and a building that is easily accessible,” Romkema said.

“And one of the biggest priorities was that we didn’t have a training space on-site big enough to host our own trainings.”

Having that gathering space matters, she said.

“We’re such a heavily volunteer-driven organization, so having a space of our own to support those meetings is important,” Romkema said.

The new location allows Sioux Empire United Way to host larger meetings, trainings and educational events inside its own office rather than sending staff and volunteers to multiple locations.

Board chair Joel Sylvester sees the move as an investment in the organization’s long-term effectiveness.

“Sioux Empire United Way plays a critical role in bringing people, resources and organizations together to address our community’s most-pressing needs,” he said. “From a board perspective, this move is an investment in the organization’s ability to serve the community more effectively for years to come.”

While the Nonprofit Center served the organization well for decades, the needs of nonprofit partners, volunteers and donors continue to evolve, he said.

“The new space provides greater flexibility, improved technology and dedicated areas for collaboration, training and community engagement,” Sylvester said.

Sioux Empire United Way will have a centralized location where volunteers, nonprofit partners, donors and community leaders can gather for meetings, campaign activities, strategic planning and training.

“The space will help strengthen partnerships, improve efficiency and ultimately support United Way’s mission of creating lasting impact throughout the Sioux Empire,” Sylvester said.

The new office also was designed with cost efficiency in mind.

Romkema said the organization was able to use much of the existing office layout while working with the building owner to adapt parts of the space, including combining rooms to create a larger training area.

“It was fun to work on the pieces of the layout,” she said. “Fortunately, when we first walked into the building, it had some existing offices built into it, so we kept some of that. It was nice to design it in a really cost-efficient way rather than having to start from the ground up.”

The move has been energizing for the nine-person team, she said.

“They’re thrilled,” Romkema said. “It’s exciting to have a space that reflects who we are as an organization today, and we can’t wait to share it with the community.”

Sylvester, who has experience thinking strategically about workplace design and collaboration, said the physical environment can influence how people connect and work together.

“The most-successful workplaces today are designed around people, collaboration and flexibility,” he said. “That philosophy played an important role in my guidance throughout this project.”

The new Sioux Empire United Way office was designed to be welcoming, adaptable and functional, he said.

“Whether it’s a small committee meeting, a volunteer training, a large community gathering or a virtual meeting, the space can support a wide range of needs,” Sylvester said. “The design encourages collaboration, idea-sharing and stronger connections among staff, volunteers, nonprofit partners and community leaders.”

His hope is that the office becomes more than a workplace.

“My hope is that this space becomes more than an office — it becomes a hub where people come together to solve problems, build partnerships and create positive change across our community,” he said.

The move also closes a meaningful chapter at the former Nonprofit Center on West Avenue.

Dow Rummel Village CEO Josh Hofmeyer said the building is aging and had reached a point where the infrastructure investment required no longer made sense.

“We weren’t looking to be a landlord to make a profit,” Hofmeyer said. “It was more about covering our operating costs and allowing nonprofits to have a landing space.”

Over the years, the building allowed Dow Rummel to partner with a number of nonprofit organizations in Sioux Falls, including many it might not otherwise have connected with, he said.

Sioux Empire United Way was the last remaining tenant.

“They have been a great partner,” Hofmeyer said. “They have supported Dow Rummel with grants, and we hold our annual campaign drive for our employees to give back. It’s beyond a tenant-landlord relationship. We partner in a lot of respects and will continue to do that.”

Romkema said Sioux Empire United Way is grateful for the decades it spent in the space.

“Dow Rummel did such a nice job keeping the space up,” she said. “We’re looking forward to the new space but so grateful for the space we had.”

For Sioux Empire United Way, the move comes during a time of momentum as the organization approaches 100 years of service.

“We’ve had good momentum the last few years, and this is another step forward,” Romkema said. “As we celebrate 97 years of serving this community, we are proud of the legacy that brought us here and excited about where we’re headed.”

Sylvester said the project reflects the same community spirit that drives the organization’s broader work.

“This project is another example of what makes the Sioux Empire such a special place,” he said. “Throughout the process, we’ve seen staff, board members, volunteers, community partners and supporters come together with a shared commitment to strengthening our community.”

The new office reflects that collaboration, he added.

“We’re proud of what has been accomplished and excited about the opportunities this space will create for United Way and the nonprofit community in the years ahead,” Sylvester said.

This blog was written by Jodi Schwan with SiouxFalls.Business.