Donated Funds Get to Where they are Needed

Ken Benning, Jennifer Mrozek, Jennifer Dahlstrom-Lage, Shawn Kohout, Katie Manar, Brad Aanstad are local women and  men who serve as leaders of United Way Community Investment  Teams. 

There are six teams of volunteers, composed of 7 to 9 local people.  Each team reviews a set of funding proposals submitted by area non profits that have been invited to apply in this 3^rd year of United Way’s three-year funding cycle.  They conduct site visits with each program and make funding recommendations to the United Way Board of Directors, who are also community volunteers.  A checklist of criteria is used to review each application … looking at factors such as ultimate impact of the service in improving people’s lives and sound fiscal management.

This process, engaging community members in key decision making, happens every year.  It is dynamic and challenging.  Volunteers learn about the impact of human services and gain an increased understanding of local need.   They get to know some very fine people who are their team members from a wide range of walks of life.

These decisions are difficult ones.  There is tremendous need and many issues facing local families are complex.  Many families, in order to turn things around in their families, utilize the services of several agencies.  Most non profits operate with very tight budgets, limited and talented staff and many volunteers.

I applaud these volunteers who commit many hours pouring through proposals with the goal of identifying the services with the greatest impact and ability to use United Way donated funds in ways that truly make a difference in the highest priority areas.

If you think you would be interested in this type of volunteer role in the future, contact me:  (320) 229-3507 or email: bschnettler@unitedwayhelps.org

Welcome Home

On Saturday, March 19, I attended the Welcome Home Event held at the St. Cloud Civic Center.   There were veterans from current wars and past wars present to thank each other for their service.  There were family members, children and adults, who hugged often and were just so glad to be together once again.  There were volunteers from a range of organizations who just wanted to be there to help and community members who came because they wanted to share their gratitude with women and men who have served on behalf of their country.

As part of the children’s area, United Way had a couple tables for children and adults to make handmade Cards of EnCOURAGEment… stickers, glue, color crayons, paper donated by Creative Memories.  38 cards were made in that short time, mostly by children.  They will be sent to Afghanistan and shared with service members who will feel remembered.  That is what it is all about.

The first few children who made cards shared with me that their father died in Iraq last year serving his country.  They were there making cards for others.  Pretty incredible, isn’t it?

St. Cloud Times Media, members of the Warrior to Citizen group in Central MN and all who were involved are to be commended for organizing this event.  There will be more Welcome Home events in the future.  When you hear about them .. check it out and attend.  You might be surprised at how glad you are that you were there.

Cards of EnCOURAGEment

More than 80 volunteers (over ½ were children) stopped in at the St. Cloud Public Library on a cold Saturday in January 2011 to make heartfelt homemade cards.  This was a United Way Day of Action volunteer event called Cards of EnCOURAGEment.  More than 600 cards were created. They are being sent through the Red Cross to service members in Afghanistan who do not get much mail.

I had a chance to read many of the colorful, sticker-filled cards.  Here are a few:

 “Thank you. Please come home soon”

“Ready for a joke to make you laugh?  Why did the bird go into the kitchen? Tweet (to eat)”

“You are in our prayers”

“Sending you big hugs and cheers from home”

“Words are not enough to express our appreciation to courageous people like you”

One young girl, probably about 9 years old, came up to me and asked if she could show me one of the 10 cards she made.  She said she wanted to keep this one.  She had a relative who had been hit by three shots, he survived and she wanted to give it to him herself.  I was glad she found this as a time she could make a card to thank someone she knew and loved.

One group of children came all the way from Eden Valley to volunteer.  They made 93 cards. 

One woman who sat alone said her nephew had been in Iraq and she used to write and sent him packages.  He is home now and she wanted to send messages to others.

A mom and her two children said they were having a “United Way Day” – volunteering at Cards of EnCOURAGEment in the morning and Kids Against Hunger in the afternoon.  What a great way to help children learn the value of helping other people!

One man and his two children said they were at the library, saw the event was happening and stopped in.  They needed to get out of their small apartment and do something different.

Several Tech High School students helped with set up, take down and made cards. 

Sartell Middle School students made a large number of cards at school and got them to United Way to include in our batch of cards – poems, drawings, letters.

There is no doubt.  We will hold this event again in the future. 

We Believe in Our Children

Three impromptu Imagination Library stories from one week:

·      Geri Bechtold, one of the key staff at Boys & Girls Clubs, works in partnership with United Way on many projects.  She oversees all the KIDSTOP sites so the value of investing in our children is part of her daily work… however, on this day, she told me about her 2-year old nephew.  You could hear the love in her voice when she spoke of him.  When the mail comes into the house, he wants to know if he got his book in the mail. When his monthly Imagination Library book is in the mail, he eagerly repeats “Read to me.  Read to me.” over and over which also means read it several times that same night. 

·      Linda Guggenberger, Bremer Bank employee, sat next to me at a recent community meeting focused on hunger issues.  Before the meeting began, she told me about her newborn 1^st grandchild and how this child’s parents were thrilled when their baby got their first personalized mail – an Imagination Library book. Linda talked about how proud she is of her son in his role as a new father and how committed they are to helping their child learn starting at birth.

·      Alexis Lutgen, one of our United Way staff members, recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.  At two weeks old, this baby visited our office and was being held by almost every staff member.  Then we had to get down to business… completing the Imagination Library enrollment form so Vivian could get her first book in the mail.

In 2010, 11,633 local children were impacted by the Imagination Library program. Think of the deepened learning, the positive parent/child quiet fun time together, the number of words spoken and discovering the world through books.  110,916 was the total number of quality children’s books received in the mail by these infants, toddlers and preschoolers … Wow!

If you know of a family with young children, ages birth to their 5^th birthday, who reside in United Way of Central Minnesota’s service area, have them check out our website www.unitedwayhelps.org to enroll or call (320) 252-0227 to find out more.  Many community members and area businesses also donate to this program to help ensure that all children have access to good quality books in their homes.  It is a win-win for all of us!

Who decides where the donated money goes?

Not me.

But one of my key responsibilities to ensure that the 49 community investment team volunteers who do make these important decisions, have the tools and information they need.

Donors work hard for the money they contribute.  We want to honor their wishes to have every gift make a significant difference in people’s lives. 

Trained volunteers use these key steps in the allocations process:

1.    Review the written funding applications from United Way partner programs and their agency audits.

2.    Submit initial questions to each program and obtain written responses.

3.    Meet with key program staff, volunteers and a representative of their agency’s board of directors.  Every three years this visit is done at the site of the program.

4.    Review each program based on a checklist of key criteria established for United Way of Central Minnesota funding.  (See checklist below.)

5.    Make funding recommendations to the United Way Board of Directors who make the final funding decisions.

Checklist of Key Criteria for United Way of Central Minnesota funding:

·      Aligns with community outcomes sought by United Way of Central Minnesota (UWCM)

·      Level of impact of UWCM funding in program’s capacity to carry out its services/demonstrated need.

·      Urgency for these services in the community.  Need for service is increasing and basic human needs are addressed.

·      People served face significant life challenges.

·      Demonstrates sound fiscal accountability.

·      Works in collaboration with community partners.

·      Responsive to changing community needs, conditions and growing diversity.

·      Measures and demonstrates results achieved to as great a degree as possible – changes in people’s lives (skills, knowledge, conditions).

Every three years, we seek out new volunteers for this process. If this is something you would like to do starting in 2012, contact me at United Way: (320) 229-3507.  I would love to tell you more about it.