Funds Distribution Process
The Community Engagement and Strategies Department of Capital Area United Way is responsible for distributing funds.
Overview
• The Community Engagement and Strategies Department uses a citizen review process for funds distribution. Approximately 100 community volunteers monitor member organizations, examine community needs and trends and proposed funds disbursement plans to the CAUW Board of directors.
• To accomplish its work, the Community Engagement and Strategies Department assigns volunteers to 5 Partnership Committees, a Funding Committee and an executive body called the CPD Planning Council.
• Each of the 49 Member Agencies is assigned to one of the five committees for monitoring and review. Partnership Committees are composed of 15-30 volunteers assigned to review 10-12 agencies each year. The Partnership Committees are: Building Healthy Communities, Investing in our Youth, Meeting Basic Needs, Strengthening Lives and Striding Toward Independence.
• Agency Membership terms are up to three years in length. One-third of the Member Agencies are considered for Membership renewal each year. On years one and two of membership, site visit agencies meet with CPD volunteers for a site visit. The third year, a much more extensive volunteer examination takes place at the Membership Discussion.
• The United Way service area includes 10 parishes: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. James, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana.
• Many agencies provide services to people in parishes and/or counties beyond the CAUW service area.
The Review Process
• Agency Reviews (site visit or membership reviews) take place over a 5-month period usually in the late winter until mid spring (January – May)
• Volunteers meet with the agencies for 1 ½ - 2 ½ hours
• At Site Visits and Membership Discussions all aspects of an agency are reviewed. Focus is on the following 5 key topics: programs and services, human resources, board of directors, funding, and financial management. Particular attention is paid to the agency’s measured outcomes-how their work has transformed their clients’ lives. Before the meeting concludes, CPD volunteers furnish comments and recommendations to the agency.
• All agencies are evaluated and ultimately ranked at each committee’s “Wrap-Up” meeting in May or June (minimum of 2 hours each). Only CPD volunteers attend this meeting where CPD volunteers draw on their service experiences from agency reviews to make informed recommendations.
• “Wrap-Up” meetings address a number of issues. Agency performance is measured against the agency’s prior performance and its own capacity resulting in a score of “G, or greater than average,” “A, or average,” or “LT, or less than average.” Then, agencies are ranked comparatively looking at several factors: the need for their services; service intensity; measured outcomes; agency benchmarks; relation of their services to community needs as assessed by CAUW and other community experts, performance on the five topic areas noted above, trends and issues identified during the course of the year and any other factors determined important by the CPD Planning Council. The final element of agency evaluation is a staff score sheet that reflects the level of cooperation demonstrated by the agencies when asked for information and campaign assistance.
• When each committee has completed its “Wrap-Up” all reports on agencies are compiled and submitted to the Funding Committee. The Funding Committee is responsible for preparing a disbursement plan for consideration by the Planning Council and the Board of Directors.
• The Funding Committee is composed of two representatives from each of the five Partnership Committees and at least two (2) “at-large” representatives from the community (who can furnish an unbiased community perspective). The Funding Committee is chaired by the Vice Chair of the Planning Council.
• The Funding Committee develops a methodology for disbursing the funds that the Board of Directors has set aside for allocations in the upcoming year.
• Each year a new methodology is developed for funds distribution taking into account community needs, service priorities, demographic changes, economic and other factors.
• When the Funding Committee completes the Disbursement Plan, it is submitted to the Planning Council for review and recommendation. If the Planning Council accepts the Disbursement Plan, it is forwarded to the CAUW Board for action.
• Following Board approval, each agency receives a letter announcing its projected core funding for the upcoming year.
• Agencies receive their United Way allocations through a monthly electronic funds transfer unless another payment arrangement is negotiated.