MOULTRIE, Ga. — Volunteers at United Way get competitive when it comes to raising money.

Last December, the local branch of the charity broke the half-million-dollar mark with a “telethon” of sorts during a luncheon to announce the results of the fund-raising campaign. This year’s goal was set at approximately what last year’s campaign raised: $500,000.

“It was an awesome goal,” UW campaign chair Mo Yearta said. “I didn’t apologize for it. That’s what our agencies need next year, going into next year.”

Yearta announced this year’s results at a luncheon Friday at the Colquitt County Arts Center.

And the fund-raisers topped the goal. Smashed it, you might say.

Counting direct donations, employee pledges and corporate matching, the United Way has raised $584,591, Yearta announced. That’s 17 percent more than the goal.

Yearta praised the volunteers who approached co-workers and fellow professionals to ask them to give to the charity, which provides funds to 19 member agencies from the Boy Scouts to the Arts Center to Serenity House. She said the campaign benefited from new giving and from increased giving by those who have traditionally supported the effort.

The top giver this year was the Colquitt County School System, led by Brad Gregory, who will be the campaign chair next year. The schools, GEAR, the Program for Exceptional Children and the central office staff together raised $147,638 in pledges and contributions. That’s more than double what the school system gave last year, when it was the second-largest giver.

Gregory said he told Jim Matney — last year’s campaign chairman and this year’s United Way chair — that he was having some trouble getting the campaign started at the schools, but he thought things would pick up if Matney would promise to kiss a pig if they beat last year’s goal.

Matney didn’t respond to Gregory at the luncheon, but apparently he had agreed because at that moment a teacher yelled out, “And we just happen to have a pig!”

Boss Hawg, the Packers football team mascot, strode in, and Matney made good on the promise, posing for several photos while kissing the mascot’s fuzzy cheek.

Other groups recognized during the luncheon included:

• New givers the Moultrie Senior Center, Colquitt County Food Bank and ESG Operations.

• Over the Top Awards for those who raise 10 percent more than last year went to the insurance division, ag division, medical division and the Northwest Moultrie division.

• Leadership donors Vereen Family Foundation, who provided $40,000 in continued support; Dan Jeter, $17,000; Jimmy Jeter, $10,000; and Steve Hufstetler, $10,000.

• Bronze Star Awards for per capita giving of $25-$49.99 went to Colquitt EMC, Destiny Home Builders and Turning Point Hospital.

• Silver Star Awards for per capita giving of $50 to $74.99 went to Serenity House, Moultrie Housing Authority, Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, Bud K Worldwide, Ameris Bank and National Beef.

• Gold Star Awards for per capita giving of more than $75 went to Boys and Girls Club, Colquitt County Arts Center, McLean Engineering, South Georgia Banking Company, Sunbelt Expo, Commercial Banking Company, Green Oaks Center, Windstream and Belk.

• The Fair Share Award recognized Southwest Georgia Bank, whose employees gave an average of $242 per employee, which the bank matched.

• Chairman’s Awards went to Colquitt Regional Medical Center, which gave $50,000, up 20 percent from last year; and Sanderson Farms, which gave $89,595, which is $30 per capita with a corporate match.

Matney, Yearta and Gregory joked about making next year’s goal $600,000, although that goal won’t be set until next fall when member agencies discuss their needs with the United Way allocations committee.

Then Matney said from one perspective, the UW had already hit that even that lofty goal. The United Way of Colquitt County hired a grant writer this year to try to get additional funding for its member agencies from the array of private and government grants that are available. So far, Amanda Beaty has helped secure $68,000, Matney said, and if one were to add that to the campaign’s results, the sum would exceed $652,000 that the charity has provided or will provide to its member agencies.