In January and February, 800 people turned out for a pair of United Way of Rhode Island summits at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet. The idea was to bring together community groups, business leaders and individuals to help set an agenda for the United Way. The summits were an overwhelming success.
By coordinating existing efforts and prioritizing new ones, organizers hoped to establish a game plan for making real change.
They did.
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Those summits represent a new and exciting strategy that has been put in place by the United Way of Rhode Island. It is aggressive. It is proactive. And we commend the agency for embarking on it.
During those summits, participants cited a growing concern for issues such as affordable housing, education and job development.
There was also a realization that so many issues relate to one another; and that all of them relate to the economic health of Rhode Island.
The new United Way strategy places an emphasis on “reducing the number of people in need in Rhode Island.”
It will involve more public policy work and more benchmarks to measure the effectiveness of programs and services. In short, you’re going to be hearing more from the United Way and the agencies and community groups that receive either grants or other forms of support from the agency.
“We’re going to take a crack at reducing the number of people in need,” said Anthony Maione, the agency’s chief operating officer. “It’s very different, but it is galvanizing to a community. … Public policy will become a greater priority.”
The United Way has established a Community Impact Fund and money donated to it will be used for programs to “create changes that reduce the number of people in need in Rhode Island.”
Traditional United Way fund raising will continue. Maione is quick to point out that supporters can still target donations to targeted agencies.
You can help the United Way in a variety of ways – obviously by investing in the Community Impact Fund or donating as you may have in the past. But also, if you are a member of an organization or business that has an idea for a program that may help the United Way reduce that number of Rhode Islanders in need – or you know of someone who might – consider applying for a grant, or spread the word about the program.
The RFP process has begun and bidders’ conferences are taking place over the next couple weeks. In the initial cycle, $5 million in grants will be awarded. The money is available to anyone, or any group, with a solid plan to do “community good.”
The grant process all takes place online. For more information, visit www.uwri.org.
The United Way is also looking for help – particularly from the business community – in reading through the grant proposals this fall and making recommendations for distributing the money.
If you think you might want to help with that, contact the United Way at 444-0600.
The United Way should be applauded for setting a high bar – and for its determination to make a difference in the community.
