Valley United Way and Social Media

Anyone who follows Valley United Way knows that we have been leaders in the use of electronic media to spread the word about everything that we do. In the "pre-Internet age", we were one of the United Ways experimenting with what passed for electronic media at the time - Compuserve. We then became the first United Way in Connecticut and one of the first in the country to actually have a website, and when United Way of America gave awards for such things, our web site was named best in the country for United Ways our size or smaller. Our original website with its 25 word descriptions of the agencies we funded became the forerunner of the Valley's community website - The Electronic Valley.

Long before the term social media became the rage, we were working with the Valley Council for Health & Human Services to foster better communications through electronic media by promoting the use of e-mail, mailing lists and electronic groups. There was no Facebook, MySpace or Twitter back then. In fact there was no Google or Yahoo, but we did have e-Groups, and the Valley Council was one of the first to use such a tool. All of those tools helped to create a very tightly integrated social service network here in the Valley that is remarkable in its ability to cooperate, share information and ideas and collaborate where appropriate. It has been especially helpful in being able to swiftly respond to community needs when called upon such as the tragic Latex Foam fire.

Keeping up with the rapid advances in technology is always a challenge, but for a small United Way, we continue to respond to that challenge - and opportunity to better serve our supporters and the general community. Along with the United Way in Hartford, we helped pioneer the concept of an on-line volunteer matching system (Volunteer Solutions) whereby our Volunteer Center is always open. We now do all of our allocations and special needs grants through an on-line process called e-Cimpact making our process virtually paperless for agencies and volunteers. Some of our campaigns are also paperless where companies choose to use our electronic campaign software instead of the traditional paper pledge card.

In addition to following all the latest information on our website which has now grown to over 35,000 files, you can also subscribe to one of our electronic newsletters, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, become a fan or friend on Facebook, or even subscribe to have this blog sent to you immediately.

Our goal is to build a strong relationship with our supporters by providing information and service whenever, wherever, and  however it is wanted. We hope that you find it helpful.





For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Monday morning ramblings - traffic, early childhood & leadership

 Monday morning - and the start of another week. For me, the day started with gridlock in the center of Derby because of traffic problems caused by backups on Route 8 and an accident on Elizabeth Street that created a monumental traffic jam. Luckily, I was on my way to a meeting of the Valley Early Childhood Task Force which was being held at the Parent Child Resource Center next to the Parking Garage.One person took 45 minutes to get from the area of St. Michael's Church to the meeting!

It was worth the hassle as the Committee reviewed the impressive work that it has done in the last couple of years to advance the cause of early childhood education in the Valley. The task force was one of the first committees of the Valley Council for Health & Human Services, but it really took on a much larger role in supporting early childhood education issues when the Graustein Memorial Fund started doing Discovery grants to individual cities. Originally Ansonia and Shelton received grants and then Derby joined the fold. When the Fund also offered regional Discovery grants, the Valley was well positioned because the Task Force was already a regional group and the individual cities are part of it. On top of that, Seymour was part of the Task Force even though Seymour was not eligible for a city grant. However, they did become part of the Regional Discovery grant.

The partnership between the individual towns and the the regional collaborative has been mutually beneficial to all. Training has been provided for early childhood providers, a bridge has been built between those providers and the school systems to ensure a smooth transition to kindergarten and home care childhood providers and institutional day care providers have a greater appreciation for each others role in working with our pre-school population. Parent training has also been provided, resources guides developed and a website is now in place as well - PreschoolTools.org. Earlier this month they coordinated the Read Across America program in area schools and in April they will host the Fourth Annual Play and Learn Fair at Warsaw Park.

United Way is pleased not only to have served as the fiduciary agent, but also as a funder and partner in this effort.

When I finally got to the office, I picked up the Connecticut Post to find a great article about one of our recent Special Needs Grants and the difference it is making in the lives of people served by the Parent Child Resource Center. You can read the full article here. It's a great story, but also a sad commentary on the difficult situations that many people in the Valley find themselves in at the moment.

Another uplifting story took place on Saturday with our new Leadership Greater Valley Alumni Group. The Leadership Program has been around for more than a decade, but the Leadership Alumni Group met just recently to establish themselves, and they wasted little time in making a difference. On Saturday, a number of the graduates made their way to the Spooner House where they made lunch for the residents and found time to socialize with them. One of the highlights was Greater Valley Chamber President (and a man of many, many taletns!) Bill Purcell playing the piano for everyone.

All in all, for a Monday that started in gridlock, it is turning out to be filled with a lot of good news. Let's hope the rest of the week continues the same way!


For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

“If you're lucky enough to be Irish, then you're lucky enough.”

 I couldn't let this day go by without wishing all of our friends and supporters a very Happy St. Patrick's Day. Being of Irish descent myself (and even having Irish citizenship), I am very proud of my heritage as every person should be of theirs. As everyone knows, I'm addicted to just about everything Irish but today is the one day when everyone puts up with me and even joins in the celebration of the venerable Saint from the Ould Sod.

The celebration is actually quite different here than it is in Ireland where the day has traditionally centered on the Church's celebration of the Patron Saint of Ireland and the public holiday. Here in the U.S. it has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish and their remarkable achievements in all aspects of life in America.Though not a public holiday, everyone joins in the fun of a one day a year celebration of Ireland.

So whether you are wearing green today and dining on corned beef and cabbage or not, I want to wish you a very Happy St. Patrick's Day.


May the road rise to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
The sun shine warm upon your face
The rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.


For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

What's in a name?

So, what's the value of a brand name? In the case of United Way, it's over 4 billion dollars! A recent Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100 Report listed United Way of America (now United Way Worldwide) as the #3 Power Brand with an overall brand value of $4,516,900,000. United Way was also ranked #2 in revenue ranking and number 3 in Brand Image Rank.

Who ranked ahead of United Way? YMCA of the USA is ranked number 1 with a brand value of $6.393,600,000 while the Salvation Army was second at $4,702,900,000. Other groups in the top 10 included American Red cross, Gooodwill Industries, Catholic Charities, Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society, The Arc of the United States and Boys & Girls Club of America.  Besides being #1 in Brand Value Rank, YMCA was also tops in Revenue Rank. The American Cancer Society was number 1 in Brand Image Rank. United Way and the Salvation Army were the only groups ranked in the top 3 in all three categories.

Those numbers pale next to the value of the world's number one brand name - Coca-Cola - which Business Week valued at $67 billion, but they make for some interesting discussions as to the value of nonprofits as perceived by the public. However, United Way's brand would land it in the top 100 world wide brands if you could use the Cone valuation on the business Week lists.

According to the Cone report, "Brands were valued based on five years of consolidated financial data and a nationally representative consumer perception survey, among several other metrics." 

Here at Valley United Way, we are proud to be a member of the United Way family. However what's really important to us is how people in the Valley area perceive us and the value that we bring to the community here. We benefit from the association with United Way's all across the country and the recognition that United Way brings in the area of philanthropy and service to the community. Though we don't have an NFL franchise, we can't help but gain from the exposure that the ads during every NFL game bring. Ultimately however, we are judged by the good that we do in the Valley, and that's just fine with us.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Special Needs Grants have a big impact

If you read our website today, you will see a story about the Special Needs Grants just announced by Valley United Way's Board of Directors. Fourteen agencies will share in over $33,000 in new grants in addition to an earlier grant of more than $12,000 to Valley Regional Adult Education through a special fund set up by Sikrosky Aircraft to foster improving high school graduation rates.

The Special Needs Grants program was set up as a result of the growth of donor designated funds going to specific areas of need rather than to individual agencies or into the general allocations pool. Originally, there were eight different areas defined, but that number has now grown to fifteen because of choices made through different campaigns. The amount of funds available varies widely from year to year and program area to program area. The total has grown from approximately $13,000 in 2003 to over $47,000 this year.

The Special Needs grant program is run separately from Unite Way's regular allocation process, but volunteers are still the key to the process. The applications are made on-line, and then our Allocations Committee under the able leadership of Chairman Peter Galla reviews all of the applications before making recommendations to the Board. This year the applications were more than double the dollars available for distribution, making the review process a difficult one for the committee members.

In the end, their recommendations and the Board decisions will have a wide impact across the Valley. The Red Cross will use their $600 grant to meet basic needs for those in need while the Boys & Girls Club will be using a grant of over $2,000 for their drama club. The Valley Parish Nurse Program will use $2,200 to provide child seat restraints. The Valley YMCA will use their money on a playground for their new day care program. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, the VNA of South Central CT will be using their $4,000 grant to help seniors with chronic medical conditions manage their health issues.

Since 2003, we have allocated over $200,000 to 36 different agencies that provide direct services here in the Valley area. Though the individual grants may have been smaller in nature, the cumulative effect has been enormous.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.

Corporate Cup is under way

 

The 2010 Community Corporate Cup got off to a running start with the pre-testing at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital and this morning's Healthy Breakfast. Each Healthy Team reported to the Cardiac Rehab Center to have their test which was changed a bit this year with the inclusion of the Rockport Walking Test replacing the previous step-test for cardiac health. Each of the teams has now been assigned a base line score from the testing and will be out to earn points over the course of the next three months. There is a short video from the testing here.

 

Today's Healthy Breakfast was sold out - or filled to capacity as all 40 available seats were taken for a refreshing breakfast that featured "smoothies". Chef Greg prepared the meal in front of the crowd and provided recipes for everyone in attendance. 

The next Health Meal will be Dinner on April 1. You can learn more and register here.

The first team event with a scoring opportunity is coming up on March 13 with the Bowling Tournament to be held at Valley Bowl in Derby. Click here for information and registration.

For more information about Valley United Way, visit our website at www.valleyunitedway.org.