Pilot Components

Beginning in 2020, NECC met with Union Capital Boston (unioncapitalboston.org) to learn about their mission and how their model might be used to support our goals in the North End. The mission of Union Capital Boston is to transform social capital into opportunity by rewarding community engagement.

The UCB model consists of:

Mobile Rewards App

The UCB App aggregates hundreds of resources in a calendar. Members access opportunities, such as workshops and community events. Members log their activity to earn Points, earning Visa gift cards. Average engaged members earn about $200/year (maximum $500).

Network Nights

Which leverage the power of the UCB App as a forum to engage, access opportunities, and improve prospects. Residents connect to social services like job placement assistance, nutrition access, and financial training.

Community Leadership Development

UCB stipends Network Coordinators, members of our partner organizations, who are trained to enroll new members and host Network Nights. UCB has also launched a new leadership training program for the entire UCB community.

Thanks to diligent planning, coordination, and fundraising NECC decided to launch a scaled down version of the UCB model over the course of several months in 2022 to evaluate its e ectiveness in our community.