United Way of the Southern Tier

Campaign allocations - uwst administers two primary types of funding streams to nonprofit organizations: allocations and strategic investment fund grants.allocations provide nonprofit organizations with program funding for operations, specifically those that align with uwst's main focus areas: Southern Tier kids on track, Southern Tier senior supports, and Southern Tier basic needs. - Southern Tier kids on track typically defines funding for services associated with ages birth to 8 years old, including early child care and education, targeted school-age programming, and parent supports for child success. - Southern Tier senior supports is defined as funding for services that help our senior population age safely in place. This includes those who need assistance to care for themselves, or in accomplishing their activities of daily living in and around the home. This also includes those who need home-delivered meals to meet their nutritional needs or transportation to medical appointments. - Southern Tier basic needs is defind as funding for services that help our most vulnerable neighbors. This includes those needing food for themselves and their families and those needing longer-term shelter, both to prevent and address homelessness.strategic investment fund grants are used to assist uwst in achieving its strategic goals in the community, making it possible for uwst to seize unanticipated opportunities for impact outside of the regular investment cycle. Additionally, the fund enables uwst to consider providing additional support to existing programs or strategic initiatives that experience an unanticipated, substantial change in client need which, if left unaided, compromises the impact of the program. Extra consideration can be given to those proposals which present opportunities to leverage additional resources that advance uwst's strategic interests.

Community building - community building reflects the costs associated with collective community efforts to respond to social issues.community building is about authentic relationships to collectively solve social issues. It brings together people from the community, government, business, academia, non-profits, the faith community and others to identify and take steps towards solutions to issues affecting their communities. Uwst is engaged specifically in a "collective impact" framework, serving in a backbone capacity, coordinating these community change efforts.this work includes: - convening the councils of the board of directors that are responsible for monitoring program investments to ensure intended outcomes are achieved, and evaluation of results is used to drive the desired community change; - gathering constituent voice and feedback used to identify issues and drive uwst-led community change efforts; - meeting regularly with representatives from other various sectors to develop a shared vision for change - a common understanding of the problem and a joint approach to solutions through agreed upon actions (common agenda): - working with others to ensure authentic implementation of the common agenda and mutually reinforcing activities; - collecting and measuring results consistently across all participants; and - providing consistent and open communication with the many players to build trust, assure mutual objectives, and appreciate common motivation.

Community investment - community investment reflects the costs associated with conducting the allocation (community investment) function. All program investments are made in a matter consistent with uwst's five investment values. These values consider client need, program results, focused alignment with our strategic intent, effective use of resources, and continuous learning and improvement. Ultimate authority for all program investments rests with the uwst board of directors, these investments are made to qualified organizations based on demonstration of strong performance in each of the five value areas.