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Is my gift too small to matter?
A contribution to United Way, no matter how much, is vital to the community
and the best way to give. Your United Way investment, because it is magnified by
the investment of others, has the power to bring about change that matters in our
community. Even a gift of as little as $1 per week helps.
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How do I know my gift stays local?
Local volunteers make sure your dollars stay here in the county by requiring
reports twice a year from each funded program. These reports include specific information
about the United Way dollars and how they are spent in relation to the program’s
entire budget. If the volunteers have concerns, there are a number of steps that
United Way can take to follow up with the program. A last resort is pulling a program’s
funding entirely if they are not able to adhere to our guidelines for funding. At
United Way we are accountable to our donors.
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How do I know my dollars will be well spent?
The same volunteers that make sure your donation stays here also makes sure
that your dollars are well spent. Volunteers monitor all the programs to ensure
accountability.
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Why should I designate my gift to the Community
Fund instead of to my agency/charity of choice?
When you contribute to United Way, you help more than one person or one charity.
United Way is the collective power of people working toward long-term solutions,
not short-term fixes. With the tremendous amount of need and increasing number of
programs trying to address them, it can be very confusing to decide where your donation
will make the biggest impact. When you give to United Way, we act for you, the donor.
Scores of volunteers track the needs of the community and the various community
programs, set goals, and make the allocation decisions every year ensuring that
your donation is being focused on what matters in our community. If you are interested
in learning more about this process or volunteering yourself, please contact the
United Way office at 407-7000.
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Why should I give to United Way and not directly
to my charity/agency of choice?
The value of giving through United Way is the accountability we provide to
our donors and the evaluations of our partner agencies’ programs. We also help to
ensure the health of our partner agencies by offering support and educational opportunities.
The United Way of Larimer County acts as the “hub” of the Health and Human Services
wheel to keep the agencies connected and collaborating. If you give to a program
separately, you are not guaranteed these things.
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What is the Cornerstone Program?
This year, we are very proud to announce an overhead cost to the donor of
0%! This is made possible by our Cornerstone Program. The Cornerstone Program is
a collaboration with local foundations and businesses to underwrite all administration
and fundraising expenses of United Way of Larimer County so that 100% of individual
donor contributions are directed to programs that address critical human service
needs throughout Larimer County.
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What is an affiliate agency, agency, and
community program?
Affiliate agency is an agency that does not receive funding directly from
the United Way allocation process. These agencies have either received funding from
UW in the previous three years, are an integral partner with a UW community initiative,
or play a vital role in the continuum of services that are funded by United Way
of Larimer County.
Agency
is funded by United Way for a particular program that addresses an identified United
Way of Larimer County community outcome.
Community
Programs are programs that are established mostly through collaboration
with other organizations that United Way of Larimer County directly or indirectly
funds that meet an identified gap in the community. These funds can be either direct
to the program service, act as fiscal agent, or assist to fund a position that manages
the program. Examples of such are the Housing Services Day Center, Compass and Homelessness
Prevention Initiative.
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Does United Way 2-1-1 only give information
and referrals for United Way funded programs?
No. United Way 2-1-1 is your community information and referral agency serving
the residents of Larimer County. The trained specialists can answer your questions
and connect you with ALL of the services and volunteer opportunities in our community.
The 2-1-1 staff and volunteers work diligently year-round to ensure that they are
updating their database with the most current information services and volunteer
opportunities available from all local non-profits and health and human service
agencies.
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What is the HSDC?
The Housing
Services Day
Center is a resource center for families and individuals who are homeless
or near homeless. It is a place for people who are ready to make life changes to
overcome their current situation, and who need some help doing so. Case managers
will work very closely with clients and connect them with the appropriate community
resources for their particular needs. There is no other single place in Larimer
County where people in a housing crisis can access the many resources they might
need to stabilize their life.
The building is being named The Sister Mary Alice Murphy Center for Hope, in honor
of the work in our community of Sister Mary Alice Murphy. The common name for the
facility will be The Murphy Center.
Where will it be located?
The facility will be located in north Fort Collins on the corner of Blue Spruce
and Conifer. This site was chosen, in large part, because of its proximity to other
social service agencies its clients will use, including Larimer County Health &
Human Services, Salud Health Clinic, and the Food Bank for Larimer County.
When will it be completed?
The Center’s Board of Directors is currently working to raise the money needed for
construction. Construction is expected to begin in early 2008 and be completed in
the Fall of 2008.
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