1. Community Impact Presentation to Board of Directors
January 25, 2017

2. Grants Update
Multi-year investments in our organization and vision by the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:
Annual Impact
Total
Building Community Philanthropy – SCUW Capacity *
$ 38,330
$ 115,000
Building Community Philanthropy – Funds to regrant to community partners
$ 56,660
$ 170,000
Excelerate Success –Operations **
$225,000
$ 900,000
Totals
$319,990
$1,185,000
74%
73%
74%
* - Includes participation with other UW’s and CF’s in annual convenings.
** - Includes participation in learning community with 1 UW and 2 CF’s:
(United Way of Multnomah Co., Yakima Valley CF, Whatcom Co. CF)

3. Gates Grant & Excelerate Success
74%
73%
74%

4. Presentation overview
Overview of agency conversation process
High level themes we heard:
Vision 2020 – from agencies, SCUW board, ELS
Other topics – from agencies
Proposed goals and timeline of our investment process
74%
73%
74%

5. Conversations with Partner Agencies
November & December 2016
Four Topics:
Conversation # 1: Vision 2020
Conversation #2: Systems Change
Conversation #3: Equity
Conversation #4: Results/Learning for Improvement
In general, reflection questions at each:
How are things going? What are you doing? What’s your experience?
What barriers do you encounter?
What could we do better together?
74%
73%
74%

6. Conversations with Partner Agencies
November & December 2016
75% of partner agencies participated (22 out of 30).
8 agencies had more than one staff participate.
74%
73%
74%

8. Vision 2020 - Common Themes across all groups:
Conversations with Partner Agencies,
SCUW Board, Emerging Leaders Society
Vision Common Themes across all groups:
Education – See both community progress and challenges
Financial Stability – See individual and family homelessness, financial stress
Health – See mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, impact on children and families
Community engagement – See people coming together to address issues
Questions about outcomes and results -
What is United Way measuring?
How do partner results align and help tell the story?
How does UW define the next level of indicators and results around the Vision?
74%
73%
74%

9. Vision 2020 – “I see…” “I wonder…”
Conversations with Partner Agencies, SCUW Board, Emerging Leaders Society
Vision 2020 – “I see…” “I wonder…”
UW Volunteers Agencies
See increased philanthropy Acutely aware of limited resources
Embrace Vision Vision 2020 is UW’s frame, not theirs
Wonder what causes clients Wonder about bringing client voice into the to need services conversation; listening to the realities of life
experiences
Wonder about telling the story Wonder whether people are aware
effectively of community challenges
Wonder about what it will take Wonder about measuring progress
to move the needle – achieve
the Vision: “Will it ever be enough?”
74%
73%
74%

10. Conversations with Partner Agencies
November & December 2016
System change (how organizations experience it):
Examples were more often reactive than proactive
Challenges - changes in relationships, power structures, resources
Equity:
Agencies learn from clients as well as through formal training
Barriers - making it an organizational priority; having skills and confidence to tackle tough issues
Results:
Client needs (demand for service) and stories tell us we’re making a difference
Barriers – what to measure? How to measure? How to interpret? How to balance funder expectations?
74%
73%
74%

11. Conversations with Partner Agencies
November & December 2016
What can we do better together?
Engage with and learn from each other
Collaborate and innovate -- using unique agency strengths
Results – provide goals and data, analyze data and agency results, “are we moving the needle?”
Communicate – share progress and stories
Celebrate – under United Way umbrella
74%
73%
74%

12. Planning for 2017 Investment Process:
What’s not changing:
Vision 2020
Focus on alignment, impact, reducing inequities, partnerships
Current investments are aligned.
Potential to sunset investments that are not effective or viable.
Use of Results Based Accountability to measure impact
Use of volunteers in the investment review process
Total amount available for community investment identified by Board of Directors budget (April)
Funding decisions finalized by Board of Directors (May).
74%
73%
74%

13. What we’re planning for: getting better at what we do
Planning for 2017 Investment Process:
What we’re planning for: getting better at what we do
Agencies as partners: investment process is a grant renewal decision:
Effective? Viable?
Continued funding is required to achieve objectives?
Program grant is most effective way to support your aligned work?
Focus on results/effectiveness: process intended to add value:
Improve performance measures plans – iterative process
Identify other opportunities for support & collaboration (e.g. equity, evaluation)
Effectively use volunteers’ expertise
Fostering collaboration: “better together”
Opportunity to be funded in collaboration with others
Creation of shared performance measures
Volunteers review programs addressing similar issues – mutual learning
74%
73%
74%

14. One size does not fit all - three “lanes” in review process
Planning for 2017 Investment Process:
One size does not fit all - three “lanes” in review process
“Traveler in need of assistance – pit stop”
Programs about which we have questions about perceived challenges
Preliminary discussions before application process
ID issues, clarify scope, significant concerns can be “red flagged”
“Cruise Control”
Programs generally perceived to be on track with stated goals
Review process focused on getting to mutually agreed upon performance measures plans
“Car Pool Lane”
Collaboration opportunity: to renew existing grants as part of a collaborative project across multiple agencies
Open invitation
74%
73%
74%

15. Not a plan for new investments:
Timeline for 2017 Investment Process:
Not a plan for new investments:
Recent history of reducing investments
Proposing that we hold Gates reinvestment funds in reserve for now:
May be added to current partner agency total
May catalyze partnership(s) with other funders
May leverage outside investments
74%
73%
74%

16. Timeline for 2017 Investment Process:
January:
Community Impact Committee and Board approve process
Agencies submit results for July – December by 1/31/16
February:
Staff identify preliminary questions and concerns – schedule conversations with affected agencies
Outreach to agencies about collaborative opportunity
Application materials provided (simple!)
RBA workshops available
Volunteers recruited and trained
March/April
Application and review process – iterative if necessary
May:
Community Impact Committee prepares funding recommendations
Board decisions
74%
73%
74%