United Way of McLean County

UNITED WAYOF MCLEAN COUNTYSTRATEGIC PLAN 2011 - 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Letter from the President/CEO ..................................... 1

Five-Year Strategic Framework ................................... 2-5

Our Vision ...................................................... 2

Our Mission ................................................... 2

Our Values ..................................................... 2

Goals ............................................................. 3

Strategic Plan At-A-Glance ............................ 4-5

Strategic Plan Description............................................ 6-11

Enhance the UWMC brand ............................. 6

Mobilize the entire community to achieve measurable and lasting change .................... 7

Maximize resources and excel in building long-lasting relationships ............................. 8

Be a leader in volunteeer engagement .......... 9

Achieve operational excellence ...................... 10

Deliver the most effective governance to lead UWMC ............................................................ 11

Closing Thoughts ........................................................... 12-13

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT/CEO

United Way of McLean County (UWMC) is a volunteer led organization that advances the common good by concentrating on three key issues that are the building blocks for a good life: Education, Income and Health. Our role is to connect people, resources and ideas to create a thriving community characterized by educational success, financial stability, and healthy people. We work with local volunteers and community partners to identify and develop innovative solutions to local issues. Collaboration, cooperation and partnership are the keys to our success. UWMC invites and connects people and organizations that bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. It takes everyone working together to create community-wide change.

For the past 75 years, UWMC has been working to improve lives in our community. To build on this tradition and to forge an even stronger institution in the years ahead, we took the critical step of engaging in a structured strategic plan process. Our goal was to establish a vision that would set the organization’s trajectory for the future. A volunteer-led task force, comprised of board members and community partners, was created to develop a new strategic plan that would help transform UWMC from a fundraising organization to a Community Impact organization focused on achieving measurable results.

The result of their work is a strategic plan for the organization that clearly states our vision, mission and the strategic priorities required to fulfill them. This plan is a guide for our future, one that clearly reflects the vitality of the organization and the significant commitment of our board, volunteers and staff.

The opportunities identified in this strategic plan are exciting and promise an even stronger and more effective UWMC in the future. We look forward to working with you to achieve our goals and advance the common good in our community!

Greg Cott, President/CEOUnited Way of McLean County

Strategic Plan Task Force

Barry Reilly, Chair Melanie Ellsworth John RayfordBloomington Public Schools District 87 Afni Mt. Moriah Christian Church

Ann Baughan Ann Frederick Susan Redman State Farm Illinois Operations Center Advocate BroMenn Medical Center East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging

Larry Daghe Sarah Powell B.J. WilkenRetired - Unit 5 School District COUNTRY Financial Y.M.C.A.

Julie Dobski Aaron QuickLittle Jewels Learning Center Farnsworth Group

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VISION, MISSION & VALUES

We envision a community in which all individuals and families achieve their human potential through academic success, financial stability, and healthy lives.

We improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community to advance the common good. TOGETHER, we will...

• connectandengageallsectorsofourcommunity

• leveragecommunityresources

• holdourselvesandothersaccountable

We are committed to:

• accountabilityandtransparency

• measureableresults

• inclusivenessandcommunityengagement

• innovationandcontinuousimprovement

• operationalexcellence

VALU

ESM

ISSI

ONVI

SION

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GOALS

Enhance the UWMC brand

Mobilize the entire community to achievemeasurable and lasting change

Maximize resources and excel in buildinglong-lasting relationships

Be a leader in volunteer engagement

Achieve operational excellence

Deliver the most effectivegovernance to lead UWMC

GOAL

S:1

65

43

2

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STRATEGIC PLAN AT-A-GLANCE

• IncreasetherankingofUWMCasbeingveryeffectiveinadvancingthe common good from 34% (2010) to 42.5%.

• Onaverage,atleast25%ofthepublicwillrespondthatUnitedWayis leading positive change in our focus areas of education, income, and health.

• Improvepositionascharityofchoicefrom33%(2010)to50%asratedby the number of investors who would recommend United Way to others.

• Develop,implement,andcommunicatetheCommunityImpactAgenda with ongoing measures that drive transformational change in Education, Income, and Health.

• Implementongoingfunddistributionandprogramevaluationthat ensures accountability, alignment and effectiveness.

• Engageandconveneformal,issue-drivencommunitypartnershipswith businesses, organizations, foundations, and/or community collaboratives.

• Achieveannualcampaignincreasesthatoutpacethegrowthofthelocal economy.

• Increasetotalnumberofcontributingaccounts(corporateand/or employee campaigns) from 414 to 484.

• GrowthenumberofLeadershipGiversfrom2,173to2,400.

• AllmembersofSeniorStaffareparticipatingintheInvestorRelationsPlan engaging a total of 120 individuals.

Deliver a consistent brand experience to position UWMC as the ideal partner for people who want to make a real difference in the community.

GOALS

Mobilize diverse assets to resource our community work and deepen investor relationships.

Drive transformational change in education, income, and health through focused community engagement and alignment, while maintaining essential services.

OBJECTIVES

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STRATEGIC PLAN AT-A-GLANCE

• IncreaseusageofUWMConlinevolunteercentertoinclude100active agencies, 750 registered volunteers, and 200 volunteer opportunities.

• Activelyrecruitvolunteersfromspecializedlaborpooltocomplete CommunityServiceprojects.Increasein-kindcontributionsfrom $145,584 to $152,863 and cash donations & equivalent from $316,203 to $332,013.

• EngagevolunteersinUWMCactivitiesandcommunityevents.

• Be100%compliantwithorganizationalandlegalrequirements.

• Maintain12%overhead.

• BoardofDirectorswillincreasethestrategicdirectionscoreonthe annual self-assessment from 2.91 (2008) to 3.30.

• BoardofDirectorswillincreasethepublicpolicyengagementscoreon the annual self-assessment from 1.62 (2008) to 3.50.

Establish UWMC as the leading source of volunteer connectivity.

GOALS

UWMC’s Board of Directors and President /CEO provide visible, active, and effective leadership and hold themselves accountable for achieving organizational goals that provide for our long-term success.

Maintain sound business operations that are efficient and cost-effective to achieve our mission while upholding the highest levels of transparency and accountability.

OBJECTIVES

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STRATEGIC PLAN DESCRIPTION

Enhance the UWMC brandDeliver a consistent brand experience to position UWMC as the ideal partner for people who want to make a real difference in the community.

While our brand awareness is very high, we are not connecting with everyone in the community. Local public opinion poll results show that our donors are significantly more favorable to United Way than local and national respondents. We are making progress though, as local respondents were significantly more likely to have a favorable opinion of United Way in 2010 than in 2007. Trust in UWMC has also risen.

A significant part of our transformation involves helping all constituents more fully understand our work so they can be more active supporters of our mission. This goal focuses on creating that clarity first internally, and then sharing it externally.

We will enhance the perception of UWMC among constituents by consistently and compellingly communicating our role as a leader in positive community change in our primary focus areas of Education, Income and Health.

We will expand the ways people interact with us to mobilize and engage individuals to be a part of the positive change and to give, advocate and volunteer. In part, this will be done through the creation and implementation of year-round relevant and compelling messaging rather than once a year requests for support. It will further be accomplished through increased visibility in the community and by creating new and greater opportunities for people to experience what United Way brings to them and the community.

These efforts will improve how the public perceives United Way by raising the percentage of respondents who feel that UWMC is making a difference on each of our priority outcomes – academic success, financial stability and healthy lives – to an average of 25%.

Our efforts will also result in a 25% increase in local respondents’ perception of UWMC as an effective leader in advancing the common good in McLean County.

Becausepeoplewillmorecompletelyunderstandourrole and be more involved in the work themselves, UWMC will be seen as the charity of choice as measured by a 17 point increase in the number of donors stating that they would recommend UWMC to others.

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STRATEGIC PLAN DESCRIPTION

Mobilize the entire community to achieve measurable and lasting changeDrive transformational change in education, income, and health through focused community engagement and alignment, while maintaining essential services.

Historically, we have funded a range of direct service programs delivered by agencies within our community. These agencies were responsible for defining their own program outcomes and identifying community needs. With our move to Community Impact, we must shift our focus to advance transformational change around our priority outcomes: academic success, financial stability, and healthy lives.

A central tenet moving forward will be to ensure that we clearly and consistently communicate our focus on the Community Impact Agenda. We will work with our key stakeholders to create and implement targeted community outcomes and

strategies for direct service programs. These aligned outcomes will allow us to develop, implement and communicate the Community Impact Agenda across our funded programs and initiatives.

We will implement ongoing fund distribution and program evaluation that ensures accountability, alignment and effectiveness. Our efforts will focus on measuring results across our direct service programs by implementing shared outcomes and strategies throughout all funded programs. In addition, we will improve reporting requirements to ensure 100% compliance with UWMC expectations across all funded programs.

At every turn, we expect the Community Impact Agenda to guide our work. From assessing alignment of current UWMC program funding investments to being responsive to changing community conditions, we will engage on-going local participation in advancing positive community change across the entire Community Impact Agenda.

We expect to work with our stakeholders in new ways to achieve community change. We will do this by engaging and convening formal, issue-driven community partnerships with businesses, organizations, foundations and community collaborations. UWMC will hold many different roles, from funder to convener to leader, as we partner with our stakeholders to improve community conditions and change lives.

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STRATEGIC PLAN DESCRIPTION

Maximize resources and excel in building long-lasting relationshipsMobilize diverse assets to resource our community work and deepen investor relationships.

UWMC has been able to maintain a strong financial position relative to many of our peers. However, the economic downturn has provided challenges to our United Way. To overcome these challenges, we will achieve annual campaign increases that outpace the growth of the local economy.

Even during the time when revenue was growing for our United Way, it did so in spite of a shrinking donor base. We have been able to maintain our campaign level by increasing the average gift among our donors, with attrition coming primarily among lower dollar donors. Nevertheless, the loss in donors is not being offset through acquisition

of new donors. With a decrease in campaign participation, the loyal, longer term donors, along with strong pledge collections, are sustaining us.

In addition to the aggregate picture, it is important to understand the breakdown among our donors to understand the current state of our revenue streams. OurLeadershipGivingsegmenthasincreasedoverthe last five years in total and as a percentage of the total campaign. In order to continue this positive trend,wewillgrowthenumberofLeadershipGiversfrom 2,173 to 2,400.

Conversely, non-leadership giving has decreased both in total giving and number of donors. Our strategic approach must focus on maintaining and growing our donor base by identifying ways to improve attrition rates from existing donors and identifying new revenue from untapped sources and channels. We will increase the total number of contributing accounts, including corporate and/or employee campaigns, from 414 to 484.

Donoracquisitionwillimprovebyengagingnewdonors we haven’t connected with historically. We will work to drive a shift in our culture that creates substantial focus on building relationships with our constituent groups. All staff will understand their individual role in building relationships and will support the organization in this effort because they have a firm understanding of the benefits to everyone. More specifically, senior staff members will participateintheInvestorRelationsPlantoengageatotal of 120 individuals.

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STRATEGIC PLAN DESCRIPTION

Be a leader in volunteer engagementEstablish UWMC as the leading source of volunteer connectivity.

Our goal is to position UWMC as a leader in meaningful volunteer engagement – both internally and externally. There are three central elements to deliveringonthisgoal:utilizingVolunteerSolutionsto connect volunteers and organizations, leveraging our relationship with local labor through the AFL-CIOCommunityServicesProgram,andpromotingvolunteer involvement in UWMC activities and community events.

In 2008, UWMC recommitted itself to volunteerism by launching the community’s only online volunteer center utilizing a program called Volunteer Solutions.Thisinteractivewebsiteconnectsindividuals, families and groups interested in volunteering in our community with organizations looking for volunteers to donate their time and talent to local projects. While the use of Volunteer Solutionshasincreasedsteadilyoverthepastthree years, there is still opportunity for growth among both individuals and organizations. We will develop and implement a comprehensive marketing plan to increase the usage of UWMC’s online volunteer center to include 100 active agencies, 750 registered volunteers, and 200 volunteer opportunities by 2015.

The second element is engaging local labor in our community to help make it a better place to live, work and retire. UWMC is proud to partner with local organized labor to improve the conditions of our community. Each year labor council members

donate their time and expertise to a variety of community service projects. In addition, labor unions donate materials and financial resources to local non-profit organizations. Over the past two years, we have seen a decline in both volunteer hours and financial donations from labor due to the instability in our local economy. In the next five years, we will work to engage organized labor in additional community service projects and anticipate a 4% increase in both volunteer hours and donations.

Finally, to achieve this goal we must engage volunteers in UWMC activities and community events. Through volunteer programs like Teens United for McLean County, we will continue to engage targeted segments of our community in strategically aligned projects like the Born Learning Trail. We will also continue to invite our board members and committee members to join UWMC staff in participating in local parades and attending community events. These activities provide opportunities for our volunteers to advocate on behalf of UWMC by publicly showing their support of our organization.

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STRATEGIC PLAN DESCRIPTION

Achieve operational excellenceMaintain sound business operations that are efficient and cost-effective to achieve our mission while upholding the highest levels of transparency and accountability.

SoundbusinessoperationsarerequiredforUWMCtocarry out mission-critical work. First and foremost, effective and efficient business support functions are critical to earning public trust in our stewardship of investorresources.Buildingonthisfoundationoftrust, sound and cost-effective policies, processes and systems ensure UWMC’s capability to accomplish community impact goals, direct greater resources toward mission-critical work, and deliver on United Way’sBrandValueProposition.

UWMC continues to strive for excellence in back office operations. With respect to standards of financial accountability, we comply with all relevant standards, organizational and legal, in both spirit and letter. Each year UWMC engages an external auditor to review our financial statements and prepare our audit and Form 990. We also strive to remain current on thebestpracticesinourindustry,aswellasGenerallyAcceptedAccountingPrinciplesandrequirementsoftheFinancialAccountingStandardsBoard.

UWMC leadership regularly reviews and fine-tunes business processes to ensure operational expenses remain at the lowest levels possible. Our overhead percentage is lower than other United Ways of similar size and is consistently below other United Ways in Central Illinois. Over the next five years, we will continue to monitor the economic climate to ensure that we maintain our current overhead of 12%.

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STRATEGIC PLAN DESCRIPTION

Deliver the most effective governance to lead UWMCUWMC’s Board of Directors and CEO provide visible, active, and effective leadership and hold themselves accountable for achieving organizational goals that provide for our long-term success.

OurBoardofDirectorsandPresidentareultimatelyaccountable for UWMC’s performance, reputation, andstatureinourcommunity.ThePresidentandlead volunteers play a critical role in the success of UWMC and our community. In the past, good management was sufficient for UWMC to excel as a fundraising/fund allocation organization. However, the complexity of community issues today and the ambition of UWMC’s aspirations require more than good management.

As the role of UWMC changes, governance takes onanewlevelofimportance.ThePresidentisresponsible for articulating UWMC’s vision and for putting strategies in place that will ultimately help usachieveourgoals.TheBoardofDirectorsisresponsible for ensuring that UWMC’s mission and strategic direction are clearly stated and advanced byallstakeholders.TheBoardwillgivegreaterattention to setting direction for the organization, ensuring necessary resources, and engaging in issues in ways that will differentiate UWMC as the leading voice for improving lives in our community. Upon embracing its more strategic role in leading theorganization,theBoardwillincreaseitsscore for strategic direction on the annual self-assessment from 2.91 to 3.30.

TheBoardofDirectorsrecognizesthatreal,sustainedchange in community conditions requires more thanjustmoney.Becausegovernmentisacriticaldecision maker and the major provider and funder of health and human services, UWMC may need to actively engage in public policy to impact the thinking of public sector leaders. With its increased understanding of the important role public policy can play in helping UWMC achieve its long-term goals; theBoardwillincreaseitsscoreonpublicpolicyengagement on the annual self-assessment from 1.62 to 3.50.

Through excellence in organizational leadership and governance, UWMC will become a mission-driven organization, where volunteers and staff are passionate, focused and aligned to achieve our goals. UWMC will have credibility, add value, and be recognized as indispensable to our community’s health and well-being. As volunteers and staff continuously improve and innovate, UWMC will become more resilient and able to negotiate, navigate and capitalize on opportunities. Finally, UWMC will develop a reputation for integrity, transparency and accountability and be recognized as the premier vehicle for individuals who wish to direct their philanthropy and/or volunteerism toward improving people’s lives.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

We are blessed to live in a community that understands the responsibility to care for the people that reside in its boundaries. To compete with the demands of pressing community issues and limited resources, UWMC must provide cutting edge leadership in focusing the resources of the community to bring about systemic change.

To attempt to provide this leadership without the benefit of a strong road map to guide us and measure the results of our efforts would simply be impossible. This strategic plan provides that map and redefines who we are and the role we must play in bringing the community together. It establishes new levels of performance, professionalism and achievement. Living up to the standards defined in these pages will demand commitment and attention from everyone involved with United Way – from donors to volunteers and staff. We believe that together we can make that happen.

We believe we have the talent and involvement of every facet of the community. We believe that donors who support our mission will continue to contribute and that we have the plan in place to grow their numbers. We believe that the individuals and families in our community can reach their full potential. And we believe that through providing the resources and leadership to help them reach that potential, we will reach our own.

We believe we are on the road to transforming our organization: that we have the right goals, objectives and measures that will ultimately help us transform conditions in the community and advance the common good for everyone in McLean County.

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CLOSING THOUGHTS

Five years from now, with the strategic plan fully implemented, we envision a United Way that has fundamentally changed the way it does business and is delivering greater value to the community.

Deliveringuponthisstrategicplanwillrequirefocus,commitmentandenergyfromtheentirecommunity.Whenall constituents work together to advance the common good, we will achieve sustainable community change and make McLean County a better place to live, work and prosper.

We would like to acknowledge United Way of Greater Kansas City for sharing their strategic plan document with us. Our creative design and layout is based on their outstanding piece.

FROM TO

UWMC’S Strategic Transformation

Funder of Agencies

Transaction-Oriented

Annual Workplace Campaign

Success Measured by Funds Raised

Limited Brand Understanding

Mass Marketing Focused on Workplace

Limited Volunteer Opportunities

Community Convener,Advocate and Investor

Relationship Focused

Year-Round Engagement

Success Measured by New Metrics-Community Impact,

New Donors, etc.

Committed Brand Advocates

Year-Round Targeted andPersonalized Communications

Year-Round MeaningfulVolunteer Engagement

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AdoptedbytheBoardofDirectorsOctober 8, 2010