The Road to Improving Our Community
by Angie Matthiessen, Executive Director – United Way of Charlotte County
The last couple of weeks have been exciting for us as we have had the privilege of working with many community volunteers for our annual community impact panel process, a cornerstone function of every United Way, where funded agencies are reviewed for their progress in reaching their outcomes.
At the core of the work we do is mobilizing. What does that really mean? Our mission is mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty. This is the filter that we use for everything we do. Mobilizing for your UWCC includes investing funds for maximum impact so that those in poverty have a chance to move out of that cycle; supporting our nonprofit partners at being the best they can possibly be; and providing donors with the assurance that their donations are being used efficiently and effectively.
Last month, we welcomed Debbie Krider, Ed. D. on board as a Collective Impact Consultant, just in time for our impact panels. I still recall meeting her several years ago when she reached out to learn about the United Way of Charlotte County and share her passion for making an impact in Charlotte County. We are fortunate to have her join our team.
Debbie shared with me how impressed she was with the volunteers’ attention and focus during the panel process, the care that they provided with each agency review. This process was familiar to her as she had served on the United Way panels in New Hampshire. Additionally, she previously worked at a United Way funded agency. Debbie had just graduated from college and was teaching in a United Way funded daycare that provided services to many low-income families. She said, “If it were not for the United Way funding that we received, we would not have been able to survive and the children would not have had the experiences they needed to be successful in kindergarten”.
A key aspect of Debbie’s role with UWCC is to take the feedback from the panel members and communicate back with our funded agencies on how we can keep moving the impact to the next level. This past year, in the middle of an already ‘crazy’ year, the agencies worked diligently with UWCC to begin collecting demographics on the clients and households served across the 26 programs funded across the county. They understand that our request for this information is paramount in knowing if we are serving the individuals and families that need the services the most. For us to use our resources as wisely as possible, this information will ensure that we are doing just that.
In reflecting on the reports from our locally funded partner agencies, it was clear all that the agencies have accomplished in the year of COVID-19. In responding to this crisis, our community has been lifted up by our local nonprofit partners and we are blessed to have each of them serving our community. While experiencing shortages of volunteers and paid staff, a decrease in fundraising events and subsequent funding, these agencies never closed their doors. They stepped up to the plate in more ways than we can count. Our gratitude and thanks go out to our funded partner agencies for pivoting so quickly to serve our community so well.
Thank you to our UWCC panelists who continue to serve our community impact panels year after year. We appreciate your laser focus on our mission, to mobilize the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty. If you would like to be on this road with us, we welcome you. There are many ways you can help us mobilize for impact.
For more information, please call the Way of Charlotte County at 941-627-3539. Mission: Mobilizing the power of our community to break the cycle of poverty. Angie Matthiessen is the Executive Director of United Way of Charlotte County. She can be reached at director@unitedwayccfl.org