The Power of a Network

Posted on June 18, 2013 by Stan Holt

It has been awhile since my last blog post on February 13, 2013. A lot has happened in that time. One of the best things was a recent trip to Indianapolis, IN. The United Way Worldwide Staff Leaders Conference was held there on April 17-19, 2013. After eight years of being here at United Way, this was my first big conference. I had gone to a couple of other smaller events sponsored by United Way of America, but this was the first big one. I walked away with a whole bunch of new resources and am incredibly motivated to continue doing the work that I do, which focuses on our Financial Stability Partnership here at United Way of the Greater Triangle.

Having worked professionally in nonprofit organizations for the last 23 years, I appreciate being a part of a larger network of organizations that are trying to do good work throughout the country. I use the word network very deliberately, as that is a focus of how the United Way of America is wanting to move their agenda for the common good forward. There is an overwhelming commitment within the United Way system to acknowledge and use this network for the purposes of improving people’s lives. With a national organization, statewide associations, and local affiliates all over the country, the power of this network was apparent to me as I attended the many breakout sessions and keynote addresses.

First and foremost, a network like this can share knowledge and experience. I don’t believe that there are too many “new ideas.” Someone, somewhere, in some other part of the country has probably tried something similar to what I want to try and accomplish here in the Triangle. That is a great advantage, because I don’t have to waste my time and energy on the start-up strategies. I can replicate a strategy and then spend time modifying and improving it so that it fits here locally.

Another thing that the network does, is that it helps create a common language across the country, particularly when it comes to measuring our performance and effectiveness. As more agencies within the network identify indicators and performance metrics, it helps each of our communities define what is important and measureable. This then sets the stage for ensuring that all of us are doing the right things and doing them well.

Finally, I appreciate the fact that a network helps others within the network. In some ways it goes back to the old cliché that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The emphasis to encourage organizational development and improvement is a key to the success of the entire system. By ensuring that all parts of the network are strong, we ensure that we really can improve lives.

Image courtesy of relenet.com

What Sesame Street, my son and others have taught me about “food insecurity”

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Jennifer Bosk

In my day it was known as plain old ‘hunger’. What’s up with “dressing up” the issue by calling it ‘food insecurity’? It seems like now I’m hearing that term all the time. So I started thinking that maybe I didn’t fully understand ‘food insecurity’ and it turns out it is much more than just hunger.

I started learning about food insecurity from my son who is an elementary school principal at a Title I school where the majority of children live in families with little to no income. While he knew that most of the children would qualify for free lunches, he was apalled at how hungry they were. When it dawned on him the children would only eat that one meal each day at lunchtime at school, he implemented free breakfasts for the students as well as provided backpacks filled with food for the weekends from his local Backpack Buddies program.

Another time I learned about the ‘food insecurity’ issue was in a Sesame Street special featuring the new muppet, Lily, who comes from a food insecure home. She’s a pink muppet in a blue dress and she is hungry. She goes to a community garden for food where she meets Elmo and Grover and shares a bit of her story on how her rumbling tummy is about much more than hunger. Continue reading →

How can you compete with a billionaire?

Posted on April 23, 2013 by mrodgers

Do you know who Warren Buffet is? Bill Gates? Of course you do. How about Patrice and Precious Motsepe? Not ringing a bell? Well, Mr. and Mrs. Motsepe are a couple from South Africa – and they also happen to be among the wealthiest individuals and families in the world.

Another thing they have in common with Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and most recently Richard Branson, along with another 101 billionaires (so far!) around the world is they have pledged to donate half – or more – of all their wealth to charitable causes during their life or immediately upon their death. They have all embraced a philosophy of philanthropy created by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet called “The Giving Pledge”.

At the core of the pledge is this affirmation: “We are inspired by the example set by millions of people who give generously (and often at great personal sacrifice) to make the world a better place.” Each donor decides how much they will ultimately pledge, and to what organization and causes.

According to the National Philanthropic Trust, 81% of the high net worth individuals in the U.S. that donate to charity cite “giving back to the community” as their chief motivation for giving.

But all of this is only for “high net worth” individuals, right? Well, according to the same report 65% of all households in the U.S. give to charities. And while the average amount of all donations was $2,213, the middle amount given was only $870. You don’t have to be a “high net worth” individual to donate $870.

And in 2011, 73% of all charitable giving came from people – like you and me. And while billionaires can easily afford to pay someone to research the 1,080,130 charitable organizations to decide where to donate, you don’t have to.

United Way of the Greater Triangle supports many successful and vital programs in the Orange, Durham, Johnston and Wake county area. Eighty-seven agencies and 162 programs that focus on hunger and literacy, safety and well-being of children, single parents, homeless and more provide services for the 1.4 million people of the four counties.

That’s a powerful reach that helps “make the world a better place.” And while you may not have the money of a billionaire, your money, along with your neighbor’s and mine, can have a powerful and lasting impact on our world right here in the middle of North Carolina.

Go to http://www.unitedwaytriangle.org, look around our website and see the ways you can help. If you can’t donate money, there are plenty of other ways you can give – donate your time, advocate our mission to help others, tell someone about 2-1-1. Just know that we’re here to support your community, and a better community is better for you.

Kick in the gut…

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Jennifer Bosk

If you’ve been there – then you know it is a kick in the gut. If you haven’t been there – then it’s a lesson in deep frustration and extremely educational. No matter how you come to be at one of our Poverty Simulations, you will NOT leave untouched!

A participant in one of our Poverty Simulations.

The Poverty Simulation is a unique tool that educates everyone about the day to day realities of life with a shortage of money and an abundance of stress. The participants role-play the lives of low-income families, from single parents trying to care for their children to senior citizens trying to maintain their self-sufficiency on Social Security.

The task of each family is to provide food, shelter and other basic necessities during the simulation while interacting with various community resources staffed by volunteers. These resources include social workers, loan officers, employers, grocers, utility collectors, police officers, teachers and more.

It is a powerful way to help citizens understand what it is like for people who live in poverty. It opens people’s eyes and provides insight into the state of chronic crisis that consumes so many working poor families.

During the simulation, participants are seated in family clusters with community resources located at tables around the perimeter of the room. To start the exercise, each family is given a card explaining its unique circumstances and a small amount of money. Although it uses play money and other props, fictional scenarios, and time limits, the Poverty Simulation is not a game. It is a simulation tool that enables participants to view poverty from different angles in an experiential setting.

Interested in having a Poverty Simulation at your workplace, warehouse, place of worship? Fantastic! Contact Stan at (919) 463-5023 to arrange for one today!

Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Jennifer Bosk

Those interactive maps are addicting – at least to me. So when this one popped up, I had to take a look. I suggest you do, too, by clicking here.

It’s a map of income and rent in every neighborhood in every city in America. I’m guessing that, just like me, you went right to your neighborhood.

But I hope you’ll take the time to zoom back out and look at not just your neighborhood but also at surrounding neighborhoods, your city, your county and your state.

What do you see? Are you surprised by what you see?

The reason I ask is I’m wondering if we’ve come to just accept there are huge pockets of extreme poverty right near our own backyards?

What do you think?

Image from blog.reillypainting.com