United Way evolves funding approach

BOSTON - United Way of Massachusetts Bay is adopting a cutting-edge approach to philanthropic giving and is taking steps to implement new strategies centered on achieving measurable and meaningful community impact. The sharpened direction calls for UWMB to focus its resources in four areas - Healthy Child Development, Increasing Youth Opportunities, Sustainable Employment and Affordable Housing.

Today, UWMB announced the launch of new "Impact Councils" in each of the four focused areas. The council members, who hail from business, government, academic and nonprofit sectors, will serve as advisors to UWMB, helping hone the best strategies to achieve the greatest impact in these areas.

"We selected four areas that are dependent on one another and, when working seamlessly together, offer individuals the best chance of reaching their full potential," said Marian L. Heard, president and chief executive officer at UWMB. "Children need to enter school healthy and ready to learn if they are to have a fighting chance at succeeding in high school. They need to have parents who have graduated high school equipped with the skills for a successful future so they can secure jobs that will sustain family expenses, including affording a home."

The new Impact Councils are part of UWMB's roll-out of its new strategy that calls for the organization to channel its activities (funding, advocacy, public awareness, volunteerism and capacity building) in four areas in order to effect measurable results. It is part of UWMB's pledge to hold itself accountable for the results achieved by its investments in the community, not just in the programs funded.

"Our organization is about so much more than just funding programs," Heard said. "We are committed to pursuing comprehensive strategies and making investments that get to the root of those community conditions creating barriers to the success of individuals."

The public played a strong role in shaping this direction. Beginning in the Fall of 2002, UWMB informed its affiliate agencies of its intent to create greater community impact by sharpening the areas of focus, and, queried them about what they deemed to be community needs requiring the most attention. Additionally, over 1,000 individuals from a broad spectrum of the public, private and academic sectors identified community issues where they thought UWMB could have the greatest impact.

The Impact Councils will be responsible for developing and monitoring a strategic plan for each impact area, establishing benchmarks of success and determining and evaluating results. UWMB will continue to grow its Councils to include a cross-section of perspectives, ethnicities and disciplines. Council members to date include:

Council for Healthy Child Development - Ensuring young children enter kindergarten healthy and ready to learn. Council members include:

* Suzin Bartley, Executive Director, Children's Trust Fund of Massachusetts
* Andrew Dreyfus, President, Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation
* Terry Ann Lunt, Director, Brazelton Touchpoints Center
* Elizabeth Schaefer, Administrator, Massachusetts Department of Education
* Dr. Jack Shonkoff, Dean, Heller School of Brandeis University
* Dr. Valora Washington, Director, Center for Children, Family & Public Policy, Lesley University
* Ardith Wieworka, Commissioner, Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services
* Ron Benham, Director, Division of Perinatal & Early Childhood Health, Mass. Department of Public Health.

Council for Increasing Youth Opportunities - Maximizing all hours of young people's days so they graduate high school with skills for productive futures. Council members include:

* Kevin Fitzgerald, Sergeant at Arms, Massachusetts State House
* Fran Barrett, Consultant, Massachusetts Office for Child Care Services
* Larry Greenberg, Alydar Capital
* Honorable Leslie E. Harris, Edward W. Brooke Court House
* Dr. Gil Noam, Director, Program in Afterschool Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
* Karyl Resnick, Coordinator of Afterschool and Out-of-School Programs, Mass. Department of Education
* Sally Fogerty, Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of Family & Community Health, Mass. Dept. of Public Health.

Council for Sustainable Employment - Establishing seamless pathways to economic self-sufficiency for low-income job seekers and low-wage workers. Council members include:

* John R. Schneider, Director of Programs & Operations, MassINC
* Harneen Chernow, Director of Education & Training, Massachusetts AFL-CIO
* David S. Ford, Executive Director, Richard and Susan Smith Family Foundation
* Cheryl Locke, Vice President, Human Resources, Brigham and Women's Hospital
* David Rosen, Consultant, Adult Education & Literacy
* Gina M. Spaziani, Director of Operations, Executive Office, Massachusetts Community Colleges
* Neil Sullivan, Executive Director, Boston Private Industry Council
* Benjamin Thompson, Executive Director, STRIVE, Inc.

Council for Affordable Housing - Developing strategies and approaches that help individuals secure and maintain safe, affordable housing. Council members include:

* Dr. Dana Ansel, Research Director, MassINC Dr. J. Larry Brown, Executive Director, Center on Hunger & Poverty, Brandeis University
* Dr. Xavier de Sousa Briggs, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
* Robyn Frost, Executive Director, Massachusetts Coalition for The Homeless
* Aaron Gornstein, Executive Director, Citizens Housing and Planning Association
* Lisa Guscott, President and CEO, Long Bay Commercial Properties
* Bernard Morrissey, Senior Vice President, New England Division, Skanska USA Building, Inc.
* Richard Taylor, Chairman, Taylor Smith Properties, Inc.

UWMB currently allocates investments totaling over $36.7 million in the community. Over the next year, staff and citizen volunteers will be assessing how each agency can contribute to the goals and strategies recommended by the Impact Councils, and will be making new funding determinations in 2005 based on those criteria.