Our Community Matters
Community Investment
When they think of United Way of the Southern Tier, most people first think of fundraising. It is true that United Way is the number one fundraiser as well as the number one funder of human service programs, aside from government, in Chemung and Steuben Counties. What many people don't know is how active United Way is all year round.
First and foremost, United Way is hard at work researching community needs, investing the money it raises, and tracking results, and investment decisions are aligned with community priorities. Teams of trained, local volunteers review program funding applications based on what matters®, make investment recommendations and track results in each of our five impact areas:
All Kids Are Our Kids
Strategic focus: children and youth
Healthy Habits, Healthy Lives
Strategic focus: healthy communities
Our Families, Our Selves
Strategic focus: strong families
Seeds for Self Reliance
Strategic focus: economic self-sufficiency
The Vintage Years
Strategic focus: senior independence
Investments are also made in targeted community initiatives that strengthen the stability of families and their ability to access the services they need to be successful. United Way develops, supports, and maintains positive community partnerships that leverage funding, services and other resources that yield positive results.
Current Community Initiatives
- 2-1-1
- CA$H (Creating Assets, Savings, and Hope)
- Community Care Centers
Community Investment:
How it Works
United Way’s investment decisions are the result of our volunteer community investment process.
During the annual fundraising campaign, hundreds of volunteers work to raise significant money to help this community. Then, volunteers work to determine how best to use the money raised to help improve people’s lives.
Community Investment Process
Before your contribution to United Way is invested in local health and human service programs, a diverse body of volunteers from our community is involved in the decision. They represent local businesses large and small, corporations of every kind, non-profit agencies, education, healthcare, government programs, community groups, and individuals of the Southern Tier. They put in an
enormous amount of work.
This thorough citizen review process ensures that your charitable donations are invested in the most effective programs in the region.
One community-building benefit is that the dozens of volunteers involved become informed and passionate advocates for the region’s challenges and for the clients served.
Each team reviews and recommends programs for investment, within its respective area of impact, to improve the lives of people in our community. Members are committed to understanding the needs in our community, how the health and human services delivery system responds to these needs, resource distribution issues, and the strategies that contribute to an improved service delivery system.
Much of the work we do the rest of the year – creating stronger communities, building partnerships, working on shared goals, and offering technical assistance – is inspired by the comments and discoveries of these volunteers. Their insight helps set the course for the rest of our community-building work.
When making investment recommendations, they focus on five values:
- Client need: How compelling is the case for investment in this program’s clients and their needs?
- Program results/outcomes: How well does the program define and deliver on outcomes for its clients?
- Focused alignment: How well does the program align with United Way of the Southern Tier, its strategic intent and identified priorities?
- Effective use of resources: How effective is the agency at securing resources to meet its clients’ needs?
- Continuous learning and improvement: Is the organization a place where questioning, learning and improving are the norm?
The recommendations of these volunteers are forwarded to the Community Solutions Committee, an oversight committee that ensures the recommendations are true to United Way’s mission and vision and submit the recommendations to the Board of Directors, who give final approval to the investment decisions.
We are proud to say that, through the community investment process, donors to United Way are investing over $3 million in 110 programs offered by 69 local human service agencies in Chemung and Steuben Counties (2006).
These 116 programs help our community create a place where families are stronger and safer, children feel the impact of caring adults in their lives, seniors are engaged and eating well, the uninsured and under-insured have access to healthcare, and individuals and families can attain economic self-sufficiency.
Funding Cycle
United Way of the Southern Tier investments are based on a two-year funding cycle that starts July 1, in conjunction with our fiscal year. This means that United Way partner agencies submit proposals for, and funds are awarded for, a two-year period contingent upon the success of the campaign and agency/program performance.
Impact Areas
Volunteers work in five (5) groups, each focused on one of United Way’s areas of impact:
- Children and youth (encouraging our children)
- Healthy communities (access to healthcare)
- Strong families (family relationships)
- Economic self-sufficiency (literacy and education)
- Senior independence (senior independence, nutritious meals)
Community Solutions Committee
The Community Solutions Committee helps to assure that the rationale and accompanying investment of dollars to partner agencies and programs align with the priorities and objectives of United Way of the Southern Tier. It provides general oversight and coordination of the Impact Teams by reviewing and merging the recommendations of the teams to support overall community impact. Members are committed to understanding the needs in our community, how the health and human services delivery system responds to these needs, policy and resource distribution issues, and the participatory and collaborative strategies that contribute to an improved service delivery system.
