Programs and organizations aligned with these two focus areas received funds and will submit reports more than once a year showing how goal targets are being met, Noe said. Exactly how often a year reports are filed depend on the goals.
Because of the change, some organizations lost funds for proposals deemed by United Way to be either too expensive or unrelated to the new goals. Some new organizations, such as Butler County’s Ohio State University Extension Office, entered the picture.
“We’re trying to get all of our money aligned to these two impact areas,” Noe said.
The change began three years ago as a way to show how United Way makes a difference in the community. She said the two new focus areas were based on community surveys.
Youth will become more successful adults through developmental assets such as reading for leisure, having a trusted adult to spend time with, and having opportunities to explore faith. Adults will become more self-reliant by moving off government and social services.
But Noe also said it doesn’t stop with awarding funds to groups and programs aligned in the two focus areas; groups and programs that are unable to meet goals will lose funding as well.
“At the end of the day, it’s donors’ dollars and we need to invest in a program that has results,” Noe added.
This new accountability method helps the nonprofit meet its goal to connect resources to community needs. More people may be willing to give because of the accountability measures, United Way hopes. Its 2009 campaign was 13.8 percent down and the amount of money raised has declined the past several years.
However, it’s an ever-changing process.
Providers of basic needs such as Shared Harvest, the local county food bank affiliate of Feeding America, still received funds. For example, its weekend backpack program got money that sends food home with at-risk school children for the weekend.
In the long run, Tina Osso, executive director of Shared Harvest, expects the organization to suffer under the United Way changes though because the food bank focuses immediate, rather than long-term, client needs.
Shared Harvest received more than $56,000 in funds for this current budget year, which is down $2,000, Osso said. But the four area United Ways that fund Harvest, which serves five counties, only make up 10 percent of its $2.5 million budget.
“Consequently, United Way is taking this very seriously and wants to make sure the programs it does fund are held more accountable,” Osso said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 513-2551 or clevingston@coxohio.com.
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