The Road to Community Impact:
New Answers to Old Questions
Mission of the United Way System
To improve lives by mobilizing
the caring power of communities
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United Way’s Traditional Approach
to Improving Lives
Mobilizing
communities
support services
that
to
for individuals
 and families 
improve lives
of program clients
financial resources of
businesses and
employees
DIRECT IMPACT
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New Model for Improving Lives Emphasizes
a Community-level Approach
COMMUNITY IMPACT
people, time, talent,
relationships, expertise,
technology, money, etc.
Mobilizing
communities
to
financial resources of
businesses and
employees
of community
populations
create lasting
community
changes
that
support services
for individuals
and families
improve lives
of program clients
DIRECT IMPACT
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For more information on the
community impact approach, see
What Is “Community Impact”?
on United Way Online (keyword: WhatIsCI)
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The Road to Community Impact
If you continue to think
as you have always thought,
you will continue to get
what you have always gotten.
- Marilyn Ferguson
The Aquarian Conspiracy
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The Road to Community Impact
Achieving community impact calls
for new answers to questions about
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Strategies
Partners
Ownership
United Way’s role
Mobilizing resources
Communicating the brand
United Way operations
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Question #1
How Do We Improve Lives?
 Not by funding an assortment of direct services
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Improving Lives
Program
clients
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Question #1
How Do We Improve Lives?
 Not by funding an assortment of direct services
 By creating lasting changes in community
conditions and
 By investing in direct services that contribute
to larger community-change strategies
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Improving Lives
Systems
Community
population
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Improving Lives
Systems
Community
population
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Improving Lives
Systems
Community
population
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This Means Changing Our Filter
FROM . . .
United
community
impact
Way
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United
Way
community impact
This Means Changing Our Filter
TO . . .
foundations
neighborhood associations
companies
faith-based groups
agencies
individuals
community systems
labor groups
volunteer organizations
government
academia
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Question #2
Who Are Partners in Improving Lives?
 Not only agencies
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A Range of Community Assets
Systems
Community
populations
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Question #2
Who Are Partners in Improving Lives?
 Not only agencies
 Whoever can play a role








Agencies
Companies
Individuals
Labor groups
Government
Foundations
Media
Academia








Institutions
Systems
Formal organizations
Informal networks
Faith-based groups
Neighborhood associations
...
...
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Working Together to Change the Community
Improved
lives
Targeted changes in community conditions
Community plan for action
Community assets/partners/investors
Institutions
Associations
Corporations
Individuals Agencies
Neighborhoods
United Way
Faith community
Government
Labor groups
Foundations
Academia
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etc.
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Question #3
Who Owns a Community Impact Effort?
 Not only United Way
 A community partnership
 The partners own it
 The partners are accountable for it
 The partners share responsibility and credit
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Question #4
What Is United Way’s Role?
 Not only funder/fundraiser
 A variety of roles – potentially. . .









Community engager
Catalyst for voluntarism
Convener
Partner/collaborator
Leader
Data provider & analyst
Issue educator
Planning specialist
Implementation manager






Policy advocate
Resource mobilizer
Fundraiser
Investor/funder
Philanthropic advisor
Behind-the-scenes
facilitator
 ...
 ...
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United Way Might Contribute to a
Community Impact Effort by . . .
 Assembling and packaging data that a coalition needs to
present its case to state and local decision makers
 Raising corporate CEOs’ understanding of the effects of
homelessness on the community
 Helping the health department and school system work out
more effective back-up for school nurses
 Mustering 2,000 letters in support of increased funding for
housing rehabilitation
 Engaging a civic group to administer an endowed
scholarship fund for children of recent immigrants
 Securing donations of 200 new computers with technical
support for homebound seniors
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Question #5
How Do We Mobilize Resources?
 Not only an annual workplace campaign
 A diversified, multi-year plan to develop
resources needed for community impact plans
 Employee giving
 Corporate donations
 Government & foundation
grants
 Major gifts
 Planned gifts/endowments
 Targeted sponsorships






Leveraged funds
Fees for service
Gifts by web
In-kind contributions
...
...
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What Resources Do We Need?
 Not only money











Skills
Expertise
Advice
Leadership
Influence
Volunteers
Time
Technology
Financial assets
...
...
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How Do We Target Our Efforts?
 Not only a general request
 Also targeted requests for resources tied
to specific strategies from relevant donor
and volunteer segments
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Question #6
How Do We Communicate Our Brand?
 Not with communications only about funding/
fundraising and only during the campaign
 With year-round communications that depict
United Way as a leader in community change
and
 With some strategic communications tailored
to the interests of selected market segments
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Question #7
How Does United Way Operate?
 Not as two separate businesses:
Resource
Development
Resource
Distribution
 As a community impact business:
all organizational resources & activities
aligned for community impact
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Alignment
 Not staff knowing only about their own
function
 Staff understanding how their function
integrates into the organization’s overall plan
 Not all staff having the same skills
 Staff having specialized skills, yet
working together
 Not only staff
 Also volunteers
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Alignment
 Not just about organizational charts or job
descriptions
 More about mindset and culture
 In achieving community impact, all
functions share responsibility
 In mobilizing resources, all
functions share responsibility
 In creating the brand experience,
all functions share responsibility
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Aligning to Help Change the Community
Improved
lives
Targeted changes in community conditions
Community plan for action
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The Road to Community Impact:
Changing Directions
From
To
Improving lives by funding
an assortment of services
Improving lives by creating
community change
Partners are primarily
agencies
Partners are whoever can
play a role
United Way owns the effort
The partners own the effort
United Way’s role is only
funder/fundraiser
United Way plays various
roles
Ask donors for money once
a year for “the campaign”
Seek resources for specific
purposes from diverse sources
Standardized funding/
fundraising message
Messages – some tailored –
about UW leadership in change
United Way operates as
two separate businesses
All organizational resources
align
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• This is a journey
• It will take time
• It will take many steps
• It will not be easy
• We have much to build on
• We have more to learn
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Related Resources on United Way Online
• Aligning for Impact (keyword: Alignment)
• Brand Management (keyword: Brand)
• Communication for the Community Impact United Way: A
Planning Guide (keyword: Communications_Guide)
• Community Impact (keyword: CommunityImpact)
• Hometown Literacy Partnership Experience (keyword:
Hometown)
• Resource Development (keyword: ResourceDevelopment)
• United Way Knowledge Café (keyword: Cafe)
• What Is Community Impact? (keyword: WhatIsCI)
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