When United Way retooled itself years ago into a year round advocate for meaningful community change they were clearly setting the stage for a future rich in true community collaboration and as they celebrate their remarkable 75th anniversary year, never has that been more evident.
For 75 years, United Way of Southwest Michigan has fought for the Health, Education and Financial Stability of every person in every community. They are more than the fundraisers; they are the gamechangers and the problem-solvers. They assess the challenges that our communities face, and they develop solutions to combat them. For those who wonder about how they plan to accomplish their many goals, the answers can be found in their recently released 2018-2021 Community Impact Agenda for Change.
The Agenda for Change sets the vision for how United Way can help facilitate change in Southwest Michigan. That vision includes investing in local partners that change lives and build stronger communities through collective impact.
As United Way SWM President & CEO Anna Murphy tells us, “It’s crucial that we look at all the great organizations serving Berrien and Cass Counties to determine where donor dollars can make the most impact in our community.” She adds, “We encourage new partners and old to contact us with new ideas on how to improve Michigan’s Great Southwest.”
Curious tax-exempt organizations can visit United Way’s website to see if they meet the requirements listed in the Agenda for Change to receive United Way investments for the 2018-2021 funding cycle.
Potential applicants should also attend an informational meeting on October 17th from 1:30 pm-3:00 pm or October 18th from 9:00 am -10:30 am. Those planning to do so are asked to please rsvp with your name, organization name, and contact information to info@uwsm.org.
Rachel Wade is Vice President of Impact & Development at United Way of Southwest Michigan. She reminds everyone, “We must have goals for the work we do in the community, but without a strategy of how to reach those goals, we are hopeless to reach them. This new agenda draws the roadmap of how we will invest in partners that are working directly towards our goals in Education, Income, Health, and Basic Needs.”
United Way is fighting for all children and young adults to have an equal opportunity to succeed in Southwest Michigan. By 2024, they want to ensure that 80-percent of children are ready for Kindergarten. They want to increase the number of 3rd graders who are meeting reading proficiency by 20-percent. And they want to see the high school graduation rate increase by 10-percent. And by 2025, United Way would like 60-percent of adults to have a post-secondary credential.
United Way is also fighting for all families and individuals to be financially stable. By 2024 they want to see the number of households that spend over 35-percent of their income on housing, reduced by 25-percent.
United Way is fighting for youth and adults to have the knowledge and ability to be healthy. United Way would like the number of adults whose general health is fair or poor to be reduced by 25-percent. And by 2020, they would like to see the proportion of obese adults decreased by 10-percent.
Lastly, United Way fights for individuals during times of crisis. Sometimes people need a safety net during life’s toughest moments. In 2016, nearly 13,000 requests were made through 2-1-1, United Way’s free and confidential service that connects people with resources they need, such as housing, shelter, food, and utility assistance.
United Way is also building stronger communities through multiple collective impact initiatives.
Collective impact happens when a group of organizations commits to addressing a community-wide social issue that cannot be solved alone. It means adopting a new way of working by bringing nonprofits, governments, businesses, and the public together around a common agenda. Collective impact can produce large-scale social change in ways that other forms of collaboration and individual efforts have not.
All data, documents, and resources can be found at the link below. For more information, please contact Douglas Ferrall, United Way’s Director of Programs and Evaluation, at 269-982-4038 or douglas.ferrall@uwsm.org. Here’s the agenda link: http://www.uwsm.org/agenda
United Way of Southwest Michigan fights for the Health, Education, and Financial Stability of every person in every community. They do this by Living United. By forging unlikely partnerships. By finding new solutions to old problems. And by mobilizing the best resources. To join the fight, visit www.uwsm.org
