Picture this: You have gathered all of the directors from your funded partner agencies in a room and asked them “What do you expect from United Way?” What do you think they would say? What would you want them to say?

Recently, I had the opportunity to ask that question to a room full of funded partner agency directors and one of the responses surprised me. The director of a funded partner agency said, “United Way is my fundraising department.” The director elaborated by saying that it is the job of United Way to provide their funding. Would your United Way accept that responsibility?

Fundraising Department

It is scary to think that some of your funded partner agencies probably think of your United Way as their fundraising department. Do you think of your United Way as the fundraising department for local nonprofit organizations or does your United Way have a different purpose? The disconnect, if there is one, between partner agencies and United Ways comes down to the expectations of the partner agencies vs. the purpose of United Way. If your mission statement does not say United Way is the fundraising department for local nonprofit organizations, why would partner agency directors think you are?

In my observation of United Ways over the years, many United Ways have not been walking the walk that comes with talking the talk – especially the talk about community impact. United Ways will say they are a community impact organization but continue acting like a fundraising organization. Many United Ways may say they focus on education, income, and health, but when most of their communication and actions are focused on the campaign goal, how much money they raise, and holding workplace campaigns, why should a partner agency think United Way is anything but a fundraiser.

Community Impact

How would your partner agencies (or even more broadly your donors and community) know that your United Way was a community impact organization? Have you visibly demonstrated how you are a community impact organization? It is imperative that your United Way is walking the walk of community impact by:

• Clearly focusing on a critical social issue facing your community

• Setting a bold goal for measurably changing lives affected by that issue

• Investing in strategies that address the issue and achieve the bold goal

• Measuring progress toward achieving the bold goal

If these four points sound familiar, they should. These are the four elements of issue focused United Ways.

Issue Focused

These outward signs of community impact are missing from many United Ways that say they are a community impact organization. When your United Way is issued focused, it will be clear to partner agencies that you are a community impact organization and not their fundraising department.

If your United Way is a community impact organization, then the relationship between your United Way and your partner agencies should be at the community impact level – not the fundraising level.