community Impact funding
We invest where the community needs us the most, but we don't do it alone. We rely on a diverse team of dedicated Addison County citizens to review and evaluate applications and make program funding recommendations to our volunteer Board of Directors. Our funding priorities are Health, Education, and Financial Stability.
We make 3-year funding commitments (dependent on the success of our annual fundraising efforts) and focus each year on one of our three priority areas.
Have questions about your existing grant or application? Contact our Executive Director, Helena Van Voorst.
free resources & Support
At the heart of our mission is a commitment to do everything we can to ensure that our local non-profits are strong, healthy, and prepared to accomplish great things. Whether your organization or program currently receives Community Impact Funding from us or not, we're here to help.
We're happy to share the following tools and resources we've found helpful in our own work. You're welcome to use them as is or adapt them for your organization's needs. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a time to meet with one of our staff, please email our Director!
Critical Questions for Anti-Racist Organizations
Recent events have exposed how systemic racism, prejudice, and privilege across every sector get in the way of United Way accomplishing its mission to “mobilize the generosity and compassion of individuals and organizations in Addison County to improve lives and strengthen the community”. UWAC’s board and staff are committed to the on-going work of being an anti-racist organization. In July 2020, we teamed up with Renee Wells, Director of Education for Equity and Inclusion at Middlebury College for a workshop titled “Critical Questions for Anti-Racist Organizations". We invite you to review the recording of the webinar (slides are also available here) and peruse the resource list that Renee has shared. She also has shared this self-assessment tool that was created for Middlebury College staff, but may include relevant information for non-profits.
Grant Writing 101 & Grant Seeker Workshop:
Helena Van Voorst presented Grant Writing 101 as part of the Addison County Chamber of Commerce's nonprofit seminar series. If you are a chamber member and were unable to attend, you can watch the full recording on ACCOC's website. You can download the presentation here! The end of both the recording and PowerPoint include information shared during the brief grant seeker workshop for organizations interested in Community Impact Funding.
Board Development:
- We use this Board Composition Worksheet to both learn more about our current Board members and inform our recruitment efforts. We created ours in Google Forms which allows us to export the results of the survey into a Google Sheet for quick and easy analysis.
- Before we have an in-person interview with a Board candidate, we ask them to complete this short UWAC Board Candidate Survey. We also ask our candidates to send us their professional and/or volunteer resume. This information is shared with the Governance Committee so they can consider the skills, experience, and perspective each candidate offers as well as the current needs/goals of our organization.
- We currently have 4 Board Committees (the Board may form ad-hoc committees as needed). The Board affirms/adjusts the scope of work for each committee at our annual Board Retreat. Download our Board Committee Descriptions.
- It's important to know who is responsible for what! We use The Basic Roles of Boards & Staff from our friends at United Way of Greater Houston to help us define Board vs Director roles.
- A Board Member Self Assessment is a helpful tool for your volunteers to reflect on their engagement as a Board member. We include this self-assessment in our annual retreat advanced reading materials, but do not ask our volunteers to return their results to us.
A Sampling of Non-Profit Blogs and Websites We Love (and Why We Love Them):
- Andy Robinson: Vermont-based non-profit consultant, author, and trainer with a sense of humor. We're especially fond of his easy-to-ready books on fundraising and Board development.
- Joan Garry: Another non-profit consultant that will make you laugh and make you a better non-profit leader. Her Leadership Lab is a great way to connect with other people in our field from around the world and her Guide to Non-Profit Leadership is a must-read!
- Board Source: Rich with templates, sample tools, and useful articles/blog posts, Board Source is a one-stop shop for all things nonprofit governance and Board & staff leadership related
- Network for Good: Free fundraising webinars, templates, guides, and blog posts
- Bloomerang: More free fundraising webinars, templates, guides, and blog posts!
- Blue Avocado: Online magazine fueled by a bi-monthly newsletter designed to provide practical, tactical tips and tools to nonprofit leaders.
- National Council of Nonprofits: Trusted resource and proven advocate for America’s charitable nonprofits. Connecting the policy dots across all levels and branches of governments, the Council of Nonprofits keeps nonprofits informed and empowered to create a positive public policy environment that best supports nonprofits in advancing their missions.
- Nonprofit AF: Because sometimes laughter is the best medicine (and this site proves you can laugh and learn at the same time)
- Penelope Burke: Best known for her focus on donor-centered fundraising, Penelope Burke’s blog is a great resource for anyone looking to grow their fundraising program
We'd love to know what non-profit blogs/sites you enjoy. Email us your favorites!
