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United Way works to make the best of your donations
Fort Collins Coloradoan
December 13, 2002
Columns
The United Way mission: to cultivate and gather community resources to change and save lives. In other words, United Way essentially has two roles. Firstly, it raises money and donations. And secondly, it uses these donations to meet the most pressing needs of our community.
The first role is easy to understand. But the second role is more complicated: how do we determine where to distribute the funds and resources once they’re collected? Not an easy decision to make.
One thing is clear: United Way must act responsibly and fairly in distributing donations. It must also be on top of the current trends and areas of need in Larimer County.
This year has seen some major changes in United Way’s efforts to ensure the best possible decisions are made in directing funds back to the community. One of these changes has been the establishment of a ‘Vision Council’, set up to drive efficiencies and high standards in the process.
The Vision Council comprises 30 members including United Way Board Directors, Non-profit agency directors and community volunteers. Using their expertise and reliable county-wide data (including the most up-to-date indices from the Compass database), the council determines what the United Way priorities should be and defines a vision of the future for Larimer County. It then makes recommendations for where to allocate the funding.
A key to the process is in making the decision as scientific as possible, and the council has established a system of measurement for all Non-profit agencies that receive funding. Agencies now have to show the outcomes of their services, so United Way can identify where and when funds are having the most impact on the community. This means programs have to be competitive and able to show results in Larimer County. This process takes it a step further than counting people served.
Another big change in fund distribution is that all Non-profit agencies dealing with health and human services can apply for funding. This means any program that can meet the Vision Council’s defined criteria and demonstrate that their programs have positive, measurable outcomes will be considered for funding. Those programs that are selected will submit proposals and be further scrutinized. All organizations receiving funds will have to be more accountable than ever before, and the public will be able to see where their donations are going and why.
With a troubled economy leading to significant cuts in funding throughout 2002 (and many more to come), United Way is receiving increasing requests for help. It’s vital that we constantly strive to improve our effectiveness in solving these problems. The Vision Council is important addition to our volunteer-driven task force.
When you give to United Way, you can be assured that your dollars are going as far as they can in helping those people in your community who need it most. When you give to United Way, you’ll be making a difference to someone not only this Holiday Season, but in the new year to come. Thank you.
-By Meg Brown a.k.a.: Sophie Waghorn
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