United Way of the Southern Tier

Community investment: How it works

During the annual fundraising campaign, hundreds of campaign volunteers work to raise significant money to help this community. Then, investment volunteers work to determine how best to use the money raised to help improve people’s lives.

The Process

A diverse body of volunteers from our community is involved in every decision about investments in local health and human service programs. These volunteers 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.

Volunteers work in five 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)

These teams review funding applications and make recommendations about which programs to fund. When making investment recommendations, team members 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. The Board of Directors then receives the recommendations for final approval.

The members of our impact teams and Community Solutions Committee can be found here.

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. United Way partner agencies submit proposals for, and funds are awarded for, a two-year period. Funding in the second year of the cycle is contingent upon the success of the Community Campaign and each program's demonstrated results in the first year of the cycle. Impact teams review program results after the first year, and make recommendations for funding in the second year of the cycle.

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