The Issues, Challenges and Opportunities to Which our Plan Responds

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2 Introduction From early 2014 through mid-2015, hundreds of Triangle individuals and companies are engaging with UWGT to envision a new role for the organization and to inform our new strategic plan. This plan will guide us for a decade or more. In the immediate future, this is a response to an urgent call to action. Together, we can and we must do more and do better for our community. The time is now. United Way was created decades ago in each of the Triangle counties in order to promote individual and corporate philanthropy. The Community Chest model evolved and help build, sustain and grow a safety net of social services to assist those in need. However, our social issues are complex, wicked problems and different times require a different role for the organization. We are reinventing UWGT to be the United Way our community needs, wants, and demands for the future.

3 The Issues, Challenges and Opportunities to Which our Plan Responds Community issues/solutions/philanthropy Social issues poverty, hunger, homelessness, vulnerable working families aren t getting better. In fact, they are getting worse. Yet, they are hidden issues in our communities. These issues disproportionately impact minority groups potentially impacting the Triangle s economic future; African American and Hispanic populations are driving growth yet disparity in education and job skills threatens the region s economic vitality. The nonprofit sector for human services is very fragmented, siloed, consisting of many small organizations. Greater coordination, integration and scale should matter. Philanthropist and donors in general are demanding greater impact. They are somewhat weary of all the appeals for money from great programs. Individual philanthropy in the Triangle lags other NC urban areas. Contributing factors include transient population, many newcomers and disparate communities within the region. Collective Impact is a promising new approach. It helps align all the seemingly disjointed services around a coordinated action plan and shared goals. Demographic and Societal shifts The era of the individual social media, workplace portability and Millennial influences shift power from institutions to individuals. The 3 M s- Millennials, minorities groups (people of color who will soon be the majority) and moms (and women in general) are gaining influence. Technology and the pace of change accelerates. Our world is connected real time - locally, nationally and globally.

4 The Issues, Challenges and Opportunities to Which our Plan Responds UW/UWGT challenges & opportunities Relevance - We have solid awareness, favorable brand perceptions but people do not know what we do or what impact we have beyond the money raised and distributed. Revenue - It s concentrated in the workplace, is flat locally/nationally and # donors declining. Some bright spots locally/nationally in attracting investment capital major gifts and grants. Individual relationships - We have little direct relationships with most of our 25k donors. Our model focuses on corporate gate keepers. We experience high donor churn. Many campaign centric corporate partnerships are not strong. Newer companies don't see partnership opportunities. They just see a workplace giving campaign. In the last 2 ½ years, we changed the conversation about United Way of the Greater Triangle (UWGT) and the way we work with our community to achieve deeper impact. Hundreds of people weighed in. They confirmed that the need is great and the time is right for accelerating the transformation. The first piece was a bold new Community Impact Plan that created the foundation for this Strategic Plan.

5 UWGT Strategic Plan consists of: A Redefined Purpose, why we matter to the future of our community A Strategic Vision, a Beacon to guide us for a decade or more 2020 Goals for UWGT and the Community, aspirations which will lead to progress, continuous improvement and higher expectations and demonstrate shared accountability for results Guiding Principles that define the values of our organization and serve as guidelines for how we work internally and externally. Core Strategies, to guide how UWGT will work differently with our community partners, add greater value to our collective work, and build on our foundation as one of the largest philanthropic forces in the region.

6 Redefined Purpose Real solutions sparked by a community united for transformative change. United Way of the Greater Triangle is a catalyst for new approaches to solve social issues. We cannot let accolades for the Triangle mask the pervasiveness of families and children facing poverty, food insecurity, and educational disparity. Therefore, our work will create awareness of the issues, ignite a call-to-action around systems change, and unite the community around sustainable, scalable solutions.

7 Our Strategic Vision To have strong communities, we must assert: change is possible. To improve circumstances for families and children in low income households we must heed their voices and engage with each other to create the tools that drive self-determination and generational success. To revolutionize the response to social issues, we must have a more effective, efficient network focused on solutions fueled by collaboration, scalability, and innovation. To drive community change, we must make impact investments and compel the imperative for action. The promise of tomorrow dawns in the bold actions of today.

8 2020 Goals We Aspire to Create Brighter Futures for Families and Children Positively Impact Lives: Move the needle on important measures of family and child success 5,000 more students from low income families are proficient 3 rd grade readers on the early path to educational success This increases from 37% economically disadvantaged children who can read at 3 rd grade level up to 60% (today s average) Note: NC is standardizing kindergarten readiness measures; additional goal will be added for an earlier benchmark for two-generational strategies 13,000 additional low income families achieve financial stability This is a 10% reduction of households below 200% FPL (about $40K for a family of four) 50,000 more food secure households with children This cuts in half the percentage of children in food insecure households Uniting Our Community, Mobilizing Greater Community Will and Resources, Inspiring Future Generations Activate and Expand Our Community Networks: Double the number of engaged partners and networks (individuals; corporate; regional Community Impact Collaboratives) Drive the Imperative to Act: Influence community perceptions about social issues and solutions. Increase from baseline 43% (2014 Brand Tracker) to 65% perception of UWGT engaging community and working together to reach community goals Fund Work through More Raised and Leveraged Dollars: Increase our community investment funds from $9m annually to $20m; align an additional $20m of co-investment funds with our work

9 Guiding Principles We Believe in Continuous Learning We are a learning organization nimble, adaptive, and open to risk-taking. Equity We commit to just and fair inclusion; working together with the belief that families and children can reach their fullest potential. Accountability for Results We hold ourselves and our partners accountable to data-driven and results-oriented solutions. Stewardship and Trust We take the stewardship of resources seriously and hold ourselves to high standards. Uniting for Good Our philosophy is that transformative change is possible when no single organization takes the credit. We foster collaborative conversations, evidence-informed solutions, coordinated action, shared goals and shared credit.

10 5 Core Strategies/Business Imperatives A new integrated business model that uses our impact (as outlined in our Community Impact Plan) to drive engagement with and funding from individuals and organizations. Facilitator/supporter/funder of Regional Collaborations with coordinated actions and shared goals around Changing Generations (2 Generation model). Direct engagement of individuals in community issues/solutions, mobilizing all types of capital. Transformative, Corporate Partnerships which support meaningful, purpose-driven employment experiences and corporate social responsibility to the community. A portfolio of Community Capital Funds and coinvestment funds along with annual campaign funds.

11 Developing our Roadmap CREATING A FOUNDATION, MANDATE AND VISION FOR CHANGE New impact model pilots Fostering Youth Opportunities 100K Kids Hungry No More PremiumHelp.org Development of new Community Impact Plan Expanded engagement - new volunteer opportunities; Social Innovation Established corporate partnerships not just workplace campaigns Stabilized annual funds and raised annual investment funds for pilot projects ACCELERATING TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE; POSITIVE GROWTH TRAJECTORY Implement Collective Impact Plan Changing Generations partnerships become a regional Collective Impact initiative with positive initial results Establish year-round individual engagement of all types of capital; create the model for new corporate partnerships Modest growth in annual funds Significant new Community Investment Funds Social Innovation funds Initiative/project funds Co-investments SCALING AND SUSTAINING RESULTS TOWARD 2020 GOALS Collective Impact results accelerate toward 2020 goals Scale of individual and corporate engagement and funding drives deeper impact Public opinion shifts around social issues/solutions

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