‘Optimizing impact’

With less Giving Campaign money than previous years, board reassess, fund fewer agency programs

For over 10 years, United Way of Lake County has been funding the same 60plus core programs, with the exception of those that have been eliminated by their agencies organically to be replaced by new programs.

Now, in its 2018/2019 Evaluations and Investments Recommendations cycle, UWLC, with $1.1 million approved to distribute by its board last month, Evaluations and Investments volunteers decided to adjust the amount of funding substantially, choosing a slate of programs as a whole to ensure donor dollars are reaching the most impactful agencies.

While no changes have been made to UWLC’s operations budget, the board, in addition to scaling back on allocations, eliminated two positions within the organization.

According to UWLC, volunteers/investors decide which programs will receive what amount of funds from the annual

Giving Campaign. Panel chairs examine all programs, ranking each based on first-hand knowledge as funders, applications submitted and feedback from site visits.

Panel chairs then took their recommendations to their respective panels, all of whom agreed with the conclusions.

For the 2018/2019 cycle, 40 programs were funded in 27 agencies, including:

• Five Lifeline programs — 211; medication assistance; supportive housing; rental assistance; VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) — received a total of $126,673.

• Lake County Free Clinic’s dental ($11,017) and medical care ($115,000) programs received $126,017.

• Lake-Geauga Recovery was allocated $104,588 for three programs; outpatient

counseling ($37,759); residential treatment/women ($40,434); and residential treatment/men ($26,395).

Other agencies allotted funding were Beacon Health ($15,000 for counseling); Big Brothers Big Sisters ($32,000 for community programs and $24,000 for afterschool programs); Catholic Charities ($14,482 for Latino outreach and $21,424 for emergency services programs); Starting Point ($6,500 for child care training and $16,000 for Deveruex programs); and Salvation Army ($41,196 for Citadel’s emergency services program and $25,622 for the Red Shield program).

Leaving multiple agency programs unfunded this cycle was a decision UWLC President and CEO Jennifer McCarty described as “tough.”

“We allocated $1.1 million this year. It’s a low-water mark, and the least amount of money we’ve had in a while,” she said. “Last year, it was $1.2 (million). When

you have less money, can you really fund 60 agencies and say you’re making the most impact?

“When weighed against other programs, whose value all of our volunteers believe in, food and shelter remain the high needs and further optimize impact, so, agencies got cut due to hierarchy of needs. We reminded our volunteers that our primary responsibility is to be good stewards of the donor money.”

As a result, Lake County senior centers, having other revenues of funding, including the levy passed last November, were not funded.

“We feel that the centers should be able to rely on their streams,” McCarty said.

UWLC is, however, still funding Lake County Council on Aging’s Congregate Meals program. Unfunded were various centers’ memory classes and exercise programs, to name a few.

Cuts were also made to the Basic Needs Panel, “a lot of the youth development programs”

encompassing several agencies, such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and Salvation Army Citadel (Social Adult).

Duplication of services was another factor in determining which agencies’ programs did or didn’t receive donor dollars. American Red Cross – Disaster Relief, McCarty noted, was one such agency that went unfunded for this reason.

“This isn’t to say we’re never going to go back to financial stability, youth development or education programs,” she said. “These folks, and all the other agencies, are still our partners, and this (funding) cycle doesn’t mean they can’t come back. They’re not cut out of the picture.

“United Ways have to change to keep up with the changing needs of the community,” she added. “We’re on the precipice of some change and bigger things. Our committees and boards have to approve everything — the staff makes no funding

decisions.”

While E and I dollars were limited, United Way’s has put in more than the $1.1 million back in the community, McCarty pointed out.

“Women’s Leadership alone put in $28,000 this year and Young Leaders put in almost $10,000 last year,” she said. “They’re on a little bit of a different cycle, which will be similarly matched this year. And our Youth United Way also puts in dollars. Day of Caring last year mobilized the Avery Dennison folks and they saved the YMCA $12,000. They’re all resource development arms of United Way and impact the community on different levels apart from the Giving Campaign.

“United Way is still the 130-year-old brand and we’re doing what we’ve always been doing. Even though change in nonprofit can be slow, we are trying to make sure we are being as innovative as possible to make sure we give people what they want.”