Hard Decisions

Being a United Way board member can be a challenging job. One of the most challenging parts of the job is changing the partner agencies or programs that receive funding. A common refrain from board members is: “We can’t stop funding [INSERT PARTNER AGENCY NAME HERE] or [INSERT PROGRAM TITLE HERE] because our community needs this partner agency or program and they will go away without our funding.”

Two thoughts come to mind immediately when I hear this refrain.

LIMITED SUPPORT

First, how much support is your United Way providing to these partner agencies and programs? I frequently ask United Ways for a listing of all of their partner agencies and funded programs, including how much each partner agency and program is receiving from United Way, and also the total budget of the partner agency and program. In most cases, United Way funds a minor percentage of the total budget of any partner agency or program. On average, United Ways are funding between 3 and 5 percent of the total budget of the partner agency, and about 10 percent of the budget of the funded programs.

This list of partner agencies and programs, with their United Way funding and total funding, is something every board member should be provided when it is time to discuss or approve what partner agencies or programs receive funding, or if there will be changes to the funding levels. The reality is that there are very few partner agencies or programs, if any, that would cease to exist if United Way made changes to their funding.

CHANGING NEEDS

Second, by funding the same partner agencies and the same programs at the same levels, one could conclude that the needs in the community have not changed. One United Way told me that they had funded the same partner agencies and nearly the same programs for 20 years. I would find it impossible to believe the needs in their community are the same as they were 20 years ago. Likewise, it is hard to believe there would not be different partner agencies or programs available now to address these issues in the community. Even the idea that the funded programs are as effective now as they were 20 years ago makes me wonder.

In order to evaluate what partner agencies and programs receive funding, start by identifying the needs and issues in the community, and then examine how effectively partner agencies and programs are addressing those needs. If your impact council or allocation committee is recommending the same partner agencies and the same programs for funding this time around as last time, there should be some type of review or evaluation that shows that the issues and needs addressed by these partner agencies and programs are still the issues and needs that should be addressed by United Way, that these partner agencies and programs are the best possible way to address these issues and needs, and that no better alternatives exist within the community.

MAKE CHANGE

The decision to make changes in funding for partner agencies and programs is not easy, but it can clearly demonstrate to your donors and the community that United Way is making decisions that reflect changing issues and needs in your community, and you are selecting the most effective partner agencies and programs to address those issues and needs.