United Way of Delaware Agency Report

Education

Presented byPaulette Robinson-Wilkerson

Mission Statement

• “Our mission is to maximize the community’s resources to improve the quality of life for all Delawareans.”

• United Way of Delaware is a non-profit organization.• Founded in 1965, United Way of Delaware (UWD)

works to advance the common good by focusing on the three building blocks to a good life: Education, Income and Health.

• UWD is engaged in a long-term strategy to eliminate the root causes of Delaware's most pressing social problems in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties.

Program Demographics• At-risk (At-promise) populations that reside in all 3 counties in DE which include:• Children – Early Childhood, Adolescents, & Youth• Adults – low income; substance abuse, mental and physical disabilities

• United Way of Delaware supports Five Strategic Focus Areas- under the scope of Education, Income & Health:

• Success by Six™ – Ensures young children enter school prepared to succeedStrong Families, Strong Children – Helps school-age children and families succeedFinancial Stability – Promotes economic stability and advancement for all DelawareansStrong Neighborhoods – Develops safe and stable communities that foster residents' potentialHealthy and Independent Communities – Ensures all Delawareans have access to quality healthcare and the support to live independently

UWD – Policies and Procedures

• The major policies and procedures are: Orientation for new employees which includes information about United Way of Delaware's mission statement, dress code, normal hours of operation, and scheduled lunch hours.

• The organizations practices and procedures for staff development include a commitment to assisting staff in continuing their education through United Way of America's training sessions, workshops, on-the job training, professional training programs, and tuition reimbursement. They also provide an employee handbook.

UWD Organizational Chart

Board of Directors

Directors Associate

Directors & Specialists

Assistants

Executive Team

Governance –Executive Team

• Michelle A. Taylor, President and CEO• Jim Coyne, Director, Strategy and Community Engagement• Jerry Hunter, Vice President, Operations and Chief Financial

Officer• Patrick McDevitt, Director, Marketing and Communications• Elaine Mercier, Vice President, Organizational Leadership• John Moore, Vice President, Resource Development• Shawn Stevens, Director, Community Impact• 36 Board Members & 3 Ex-Officio members

Funding

• Today, United Way of Delaware employs forty committed individuals, occupying four offices statewide. Campaign 2011, the 65th campaign, was on track and raised $21 million for those Delawareans in need.

• UWD offer donors the opportunity to maximize their gifts and support the most pressing needs in the community. By giving to the Community Impact Fund, donors are assured their gifts support initiatives and programs focused on Education, Income and Health. Contributing through United Way of Delaware offers smaller, local agencies the opportunity to benefit from the fundraising connections made by united way, freeing up their staffs to focus on providing services.

•  

Relationships with other agencies• OUR  PARTNERS• United Way of Delaware support hundreds of local programs through the work of 119

partner agencies. United Way funding supports programs, not agencies - which means donors' gifts go directly to helping people in need, not to fund capital expenditures. Agencies often fundraise separately to support those projects.

• UWD works collectively with business, government, social service agencies, academic groups, community organizations and concerned individuals to establish positive, long-lasting solutions for today and into the future.

• Requirements to be a partner agency:• 501©(3) status• Governance by local volunteers• Employs a professional staff• Has an established record of service in the areas of education, financial stability or health• Is financially stable• Submits to annual management review• Evaluates and reports outcomes and effectiveness of United Way-funded programs

Strengths, Trends, and Challenges

• Strengths: Alliances with partner agencies continue to grow.

• Trends: Need to advocate • Challenges: sustaining a consistent

volunteer base

My Role

• I am working in the Community Impact Division of UWD. I am working under the direction of Dan Murphy, Associate Director, Community Impact.

• My responsibilities include researching, identifying and developing an evidence-based climate assessment survey tool to monitor and evaluate the environment of youth serving organizations. The project I am working in is the IM-40 initiative.

• I attend meeting with the implementation teams (4) and momentum partners (12). I may participate in the Field Test Plan; this is contingent on the when the survey is established .

Questions??

!

References

• United Way of Delaware website www.uwde.org

• United Way of Delaware Orientation Guide