A YEAR LATER OUR WORK AND IMPACT DURING COVID-19
April 2021
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“UCB is a Lighthouse, a guiding light of sorts on ocean seas during this deadly Covid Storm.” This past year has been hard. 38% of UCB Members reported that in the past year they were “always or usually stressed about having enough money to pay their rent or mortgage.”
26% of UCB Members reported that in the past year they were “always or usually stressed about having enough money to buy nutritious food.”
At Union Capital Boston, this past year has demonstrated why our ongoing work is so necessary to keep communities connected and families supported during these turbulent times. We are both proud and weary as we share our impact and lessons from this past year: the pandemic has proven that not only is helping neighbors and volunteering at community programs a ‘feel-good’ activity, in many cases it is a matter of life and death
“I don’t think people really understand that it looks like a twenty-five dollar card, but for some of us that’s a week’s worth of food.” Every year we ask our members for feedback and to tell us how they are doing. We collect data on the resources that are shared, the money that is awarded, and the stories that are told. This report shares what we have heard and learned. It is our members’ voices that drive our work and hold us accountable to our mission and community.
“I cannot tell you how much gratitude I have that UCB did not stop, it didn’t fade. UCB’s social connections were vital to me maintaining my sanity."
This past year has been hard. We hope this report will shed light on the strength that comes out of sorrow, and the community that gets built throughout the challenges.
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We have seen throughout the dual pandemics of Covid and systemic racism the incredible ways that neighbors have come together to support one another with food and childcare, as well as march in the streets for meaningful policy changes to address racial inequity. These dual actions are not distinct and are in fact deeply intertwined. Our ability and willingness to support one another neighbor-by-neighbor drives our desire to take action collectively and improve our communities. We affirm that Black Lives Matter when we protest, and also when we work together to make sure our Black and Brown neighbors have food on the table and access to job opportunities.
The UCB Covid Relief Fund distributed over $390,000 to over 2,500 Boston area families beginning on March 15, 2020.
“My whole family was affected when I was hospitalized (with Covid). UCB gave me support for food and emotional support.”
Building social capital and facilitating community engagement fills the gaps when systems fail, when disaster strikes, and when the virulent structures of racism continue unabated. UCB closes these gaps by investing in the relationships, (virtual) community spaces, and resources that spark and sustain intergenerational connections which serve as pathways to opportunity and community improvement. This past year we prioritized both immediate relief and resource sharing, as well as investing in long-term strategies to build community resilience and power.
UCB Members reported over 150,000 hours of community engagement in the UCB App despite the pandemic. Over $127,000 was awarded to UCB Members this past year for these community engagement hours.
Thanks to UCB Member virtual phone banking, UCB confirmed that 2,119 households completed the 2020 Census, resulting in $20,342,400 of federal funding for Boston. $2,400 per person x average household of four x 2,119
2020 Election Turnout
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“UCB provides a solution for young parents still trying to figure it all out."
In the past year, UCB grew from 2,115 members to 2,677, adding over 500 new members to our network. UCB added 10 new partner organizations and Network Leaders, now totaling 26. In surveys and virtual group conversations, UCB Members enthusiastically shared their satisfaction with the resources and information UCB continues to provide during the pandemic as well, including Virtual Network Nights. Despite the virtual setting, many members lean on UCB even more than they did before. Members say they are receiving emotional support by coming together in the UCB's virtual spaces, which gives a sense of normalcy during this difficult time.
UCB hosted our first Virtual Network Night on Zoom on March 31, 2020. Since then UCB has hosted over 100 virtual Nights, Resource Fairs, information sessions and more.
“It is hard to stay at home alone since I don’t have family nearby, so UCB Virtual Nights makes it feel like I have a family. I look so forward to attending. It gives me something to do and people to see.”
Net Promoter Score
90.5
Net Promoter Score is the percentage of customers rating their likelihood to recommend a company, a product, or a service to a friend or colleague. NPS = 92.78% of promoters - 2.28% of detractors = 90.5%
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“UCB has helped me find a job to help my family and help myself.”
The value of social capital can be measured in the job created, the food that is shared, as well as in the laughter generated, the trust that is cultivated, and the community power that is built. Upwards of 80% of all jobs in the United States are obtained through personal networks. Accessing opportunities is about having a broad and diverse network that can connect with new programs, resources, and a reference that opens new doors. For members of UCB that are struggling to make ends meet and facing the daily challenges of racist structures, building networks of relationships and resources is a challenging gap to fill and not easy to see or address. These gaps have only grown because of the pandemic. Despite these invisible barriers, UCB Members have leveraged our digital tools and virtual community to continue to push for personal progress.
UCB Members experienced a rise in unemployment in 2020, but still an improvement from when they first joined UCB: 23% unemployed when joining UCB, 18% unemployed in December 2020 8% of UCB Members reported obtaining their HiSET/GED and Bachelor’s Degree since joining UCB 11% of UCB Members reported improving their credit score to the 600-800 range since joining UCB 62% of UCB Members reported being “very or fairly engaged in their community” this past year, as compared to just 47% when joining UCB
Members' Favorite Parts of UCB
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“UCB kept doing what it’s been doing.”
UCB Members come from a variety of backgrounds and get different things out of their member experience. In our member feedback this year, multiple members shared the significance UCB had in assisting them in overcoming shyness in public and connecting to others. According to these members, UCB naturally pushes them out of their comfort zone, because in order to take advantage of the resources and information provided they must put themselves out there to attend events that double as social gatherings. Not surprisingly, UCB Members continue to share resources and information across their families and even outside of immediate networks. Not only do members help each other and their kin, but anyone else they can get connected to who needs help.
“I am very shy and I do not have a lot of words but UCB has opened up my horizons and has allowed me to use my voice and boost my self esteem.”
“I don’t know what I would do without UCB. It gets me outside of myself and therefore I’m not always obsessing about what I’m doing. It’s more like, what can I help someone to do.”
“I identify as a Union Capital Member”
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This pandemic is not over, and our work continues. We carry hope that we will be in our shared community space together again, but we also continue our virtual work of sharing resources, building relationships, delivering rewards, and strengthening our community networks. This summer we will launch our new three-year strategic impact plan. Our plan will encompass goals for growth and impact as we deepen our network and sustainability in Boston. We aim to strengthen our leadership development, including our Network Leader Fellowship Program, so that we fully encompass and leverage the rich diverse talents of our growing network. Along with this work, we will grow to over 3,000 members, distribute another $150,000 of rewards, host another 100 Network Nights, and continue building the vibrant community we envision together.
“The genuineness in UCB’s drive is beyond beautiful to see.”
The UCB Network is comprised of thousands of people, and therefore our thanks go out to our thousands of members, supporters, partners, allies, and stakeholders. You. Thank you for making this work possible. In particular we want to thank the UCB Board of Directors, Advisory Council, Core Team, Network Leaders, the 743 donors to our Covid Relief Fund, the Barr Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Boston Foundation, Lynch Foundation, MassMutual Foundation, NeighborWorks America, One8 Foundation, Trefler Foundation, plus Emma Davis, our intern from the College for Social Innovation, Brian Hale, our technology advisor, and Somi Thomas from Catchafire, whose efforts helped produce this report.
The mission of Union Capital Boston is to transform social capital into opportunity by rewarding community engagement. Our vision is that community collaboration cultivates equity for all Bostonians.