Report to Stakeholders

October 2003

The campaign is well underway!   Our campaign team rings a bell when they receive good news, and so far this year we've heard more “bell ringers” than last year in its entirety.   Some serious economic challenges remain, but we feel good knowing that we are building a base for success and that the community is responding to our focus on mobilizing the community to support a core network of health and human services.   Here's just a quick overview of some of our recent accomplishments.

Community Assessment

An initial Community Needs Assessment “snapshot” was completed in August 2003.   The assessment includes findings from: a Key Informant Survey (which achieved a 22% response rate from a mailing to 600 local business, education, government, healthcare, labor, and religious leaders and social workers); recent market research; and data from the U.S. Census and a variety of other reports collected from local, state, and national sources.   The report is organized around the Outcome Areas – how our United Way has distributed funds – and includes sections on Greene and Preble Counties.

This first cut is just the beginning of a much larger task.   It provides a sketch of demographic data, trends related to needs, and initial input from those on the “front lines” of the human service system.   This broad-brush review of our three-county area is meant only to lay a foundation for further analyses of assets and needs and refinement of our priority-based funding process.

Priorities Report

Volunteers and agency representatives studied the findings from the Community Assessment to recommend the following priority areas for United Way funding in the 2004-2005 cycle.

Priority 1 – Children, Youth, and Families

The highest needs identified in the assessment are concentrated around the stability of the family and development of children and youth .   Current United Way funded programs addressing these needs include emergency food and shelter, counseling, job training, child care, after-school services, mentoring, and life skills training to name just a few.

Priority 2 – Positive Living/Vulnerable Populations

Some needs tend to be more prevalent in certain vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, disabled, or those at risk of illness (AIDS, cancer) than in youth and families in general.   While cognizant of the high ranking by key informants of certain health needs such as affordable health insurance, we know that we cannot address these problems through United Way's limited funds.   However, directing these limited funds toward high risk, highly vulnerable, elderly and disabled persons can have a positive impact.   Some of the funded services in this area are home health care, mobile meals and nutrition sites, health education and support services, special needs day care, and adult day care.

Priority 3 – Community Capacity

Our volunteers believe that United Way must continue to build capacity, both at the community level and at the service provider level.   United Way fills a unique niche with our emphasis on building a collaborative network of agencies and strengthening our community and the nonprofit health and human service systems that support families and protect our most vulnerable citizens.   United Way's HelpLink™ information and referral service that connects people in need to services that can help and American Red Cross disaster preparedness are two examples of programs meeting these needs.

Membership Agreement

A joint task force of volunteers and agency executives has drafted a new agreement for existing partner organizations and agencies seeking to be members in 2004 and beyond.   It is written in the spirit of partnership and is based on open communication and trust, continuous improvement, and mutual accountability.   After getting additional input, the Community Partnerships Council and Board will approve the final document in November.

Your United Way in the News

I hope you've seen the positive coverage your United Way and the new direction have been receiving in the media.   Copies of some of the articles and editorials can be downloaded as an adobe PDF file by clicking here in case you missed them.   Please help us achieve the best news of all – reaching our 2003 Campaign goal.   We need your support.   Thank you!

Marc R. Levy, President