United Way of Northern California
Strategic Outlook
Ron Largent, President and CEO
The United Way of Northern California has a long and distinguished history in Shasta County and Northern California. Established in the 1960's, the United Way, or as it was originally known, the Community Chest, was instrumental in the initial funding and development of many of our well established non-profits in the area, such as the YMCA, Boy and Girl Scouts, and other agencies addressing the basic needs of our communities. Over the years, the agencies receiving United Way assistance has grown to the current list totaling over 50 agencies covering the 9 northern counties of the North State. This year, our goal is to help fund over 90 programs, from senior services like the Golden Umbrella to domestic and child abuse prevention programs located in Redding, Red Bluff, Chico, and Susanville. The future is indeed challenging, as meeting the basic needs in our communities continue to increase. The United Way of Northern California is not only positioned to address this challenge, but is actually expanding its fund raising philosophy to address the changing industrial makeup and workplace environments of the new technology age.
Even though the traditional United Way approach of an Annual Campaign in large private companies and state and federal government offices was most effective along side the prevalent union dues payment by workplace contributions, times have changed. Thus, United Way agencies are now adjusting to all year round company campaigns along with individualized short term fund raising activities and events encouraging employee participation not only in giving money but giving time as a volunteer. In addition, agencies are finding that income sources, such as from various Foundations, are now considering giving funds to community based programs on an individual basis. Some United Way agencies are now funded by grants that are actually enabling more programs addressing basic needs. United Way nationally has been a key player and leader in this changing environment, and we hope to continue this pattern in the North State.
Thus, the United Way of Northern California is looking at many and varied sources of revenue as we grow over the next five years. Traditional campaigns that have been successful and are projected to continue to be successful, such as in the government offices, will continue. Our National Corporate Leadership donors, such as AT&T, the Bank of America, and UPS, will continue as in the past, although there will be a local United Way presence in their local offices. Whereas local businesses have not been a major revenue source, we see this as a new and viable source of funds, and our marketing to small, medium, and large sized local companies is now being implemented. Our approach of meeting with these businesses and determining what they want to do in terms of corporate giving is very effective, for we are making it local, personal, and relevant for employees. In addition, we will continue to develop a program to enable individual donors to support United Way. This program has been very successful nationally, and now we are bringing this opportunity to local individuals that are inclined to give to a non-profit. Estate planning has not been part of United Way fund raising, and it will be. Lastly, a source of revenue for many non-profits are special events, and these functions have benefited United Way over the years. Events now will be connected to our national focus of Education, Income, and Health, and our events will not duplicate events that the agencies we support currently conduct.
Lastly, nationally the United Way, with the motto "Live United", has become the community "organizer" for many of the non-profits in their community. By bringing together many in the non-profit community to collectively address the basic needs, we are seeing great results in problem solving. This is one of our goals, for we will be seen as the organization that can bring together the various non-profits to accomplish more than that organization can accomplish by itself. Our goal is to address the many and growing basic needs, not build an empire; to provide training and educational opportunities that would otherwise not be available; to encourage creative and innovative thinking and planning by non-profits; and to bring together agencies that have similar goals but have not worked together previously to accomplish a common goal of providing services to those in need. The time is right for this approach to non-profit agency management, for we must do more with less in these economic times, especially in the coming five years.
www.norcalunitedway.org
ronlargent@norcalunitedway.org
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