BUILDING BRIDGES
TO STRENGTHEN SOCIAL CAPITAL
2025 Impact Report and 5-year Strategic Plan
2024Highlights
After ten years of piloting, improving, and solidifying our model, we are proud of the social capital impact our three-tiered program creates:
Reward community and civic engagement using our mobile rewards app
Curate community connections at our weekly Network Nights and resource sharing gatherings
Train and support emerging grassroots leaders who create programs that give back to our collective community
In 2024 in Boston and Springfield, over 5,000 individual members tracked over 220,000 hours of community engagement, resulting in over $240,000 in earned rewards.
In total we hosted over 135 in-person and virtual Network Nights, Resource Fairs, partner programs, and other community gatherings with a cumulative total of over 15,000 attendees.
That is an average of more than 2 events per week with over 100 attendees every time, every week of the year.
“
Sometimes I feel like I’m stuck being not happy where I’m at. Union Capital helps get me out of that rut.
Boston Highlights
Organized the first Union Capital Talks with community champions speaking about the impact of social capital in their lives and work.
Celebrated our 10th Birthday on June 17, 2024 with a party at Dudley Cafe (and a Celtics championship!).
Hosted our first Marketplace Day in May, exchanging household goods and resources with each other.
2024 Highlights
I’ve done so much, so many things, within UCB, learning about different things that were happening in my community, and getting connected with different resources.
Boston Highlights
Organized Network Nights, Resource Fairs, and Partner events across the city.
Closed the year in December with an inspiring 10th Anniversary Celebration with MA Attorney General Andrea Campbell!
Springfield Highlights
Welcomed new partners and participated in many citywide events, such as the Springfield Public Schools Expo in May.
Trained new Network Coordinators and hosted our first virtual Network Nights.
Celebrated our 1st Anniversary with a big Resource Fair and Community Leader Awards Ceremony in October.
2024 Impact
In 2024, what UC programs and resources have you participated in?
Virtual Network Nights
UC App Reward Points
Resource Fairs
In-person Network Nights
UC Leadership activities (Learns, Facilitates, Table Talks)
Partner Nights
“
When I started going to the meetings, I found out there were so many programs available, so many enthusiastic, great people that live in this town and want to do better by the community, for themselves. It was just eye-opening and exciting, it was a wonderful surprise.
2024 Measurable Outcomes
Union Capital has helped me not only with my job as an employee in the community, but as a community member.
2024 Union Capital Annual Member Survey Results
What is your primary employment status?
BOSTON (537 matched surveys)
SPRINGFIELD (234 matched surveys)
I received a $500 gift card from Union Capital that allowed me to pay my bills. I started a class they offered with Project Hope. I graduated and I’m currently working in the admin field. If it wasn’t for the one UC night virtual meeting I would have never been where I’m at today!
What is your Credit Score? BOSTON
2024 Measurable Outcomes
Union Capital has built me up to come out of my confront zone and have more confidence. They have helped me with so many good resources and building community relationships with others.
College degrees
attainment
Grassroots Leadership: A Year of Growth and Impact
2024 marked a significant year of growth for the Union Capital Leadership Program, reflecting the increasing demand and engagement from our community. We received the highest number of applications in the program’s history. Over 80 Union Capital members from both Boston and Springfield applied, demonstrating an inspiring commitment to grassroots leadership development.
In response to the overwhelming interest and the strength of the applications, we expanded our program
Investing in Emerging Leaders
The Thomas J. Ruffen Community Leadership Fund
The Ruffen Fund provides one-time seed funding to emerging leaders in the Boston area launching new efforts in civic, service, or entrepreneurial spaces.
In 2024 our our awardees were Alexa Saint-Forte, Chutney Owusu, Cathy Loesch, Rosie Docanto, Sonia Kinra-Chen, and Saranya Sathananthan.
These leaders are creating meaningful change in their communities, guided by values of growth, equity, and transformation.
to offer two consecutive UC Learns classes. This allowed us to accommodate more participants and provide a robust, hands-on learning experience. The expansion is a testament to the growing leadership potential within our community and Union Capital’s dedication to nurturing that talent.
Summer of S.O.L. (Spotlight on Leadership) launched in the summer of 2024. What starte d as a simple idea turned into a program that found 14 facilitators offering workshops to Boston members of Union Capital.
David R. Leslie Small Project Fund
In 2024 the David R. Leslie Small Project Fund was established in honor of the father of our Founder and Lead Organizer, Eric Leslie. With awards of up to $1,000 per project, the fund supports community-driven initiatives that spark connection and impact across Boston.
This year 11 recipients were funded to lead projects such as herbal workshops, programs for young women, educational game nights, and a powerful photography exhibit featuring images taken by individuals experiencing homelessness.
I am so grateful to be a Thomas J. Ruffen Community Leadership Fund awardee and truly excited for this opportunity. Words can’t express what it means to be able to pour into our children and caregivers this year. This grant will help children and families attend several events for our members, to engage in the community with community support. To create access and inclusive experiences is a hope I’ve had since Yaya Circle’s inception. This grant is helping to make that a reality. It is an honor to be a part of Thomas J. Ruffen’s legacy and the community advocacy that comes with it.
Program Highlights
Leadership Growth – Many respondents discussed how they developed leadership skills, became stronger leaders, and improved their ability to guide others.
Community Engagement – Several participants emphasized how they felt more connected to their communities and inspired to make an impact.
Empowerment & Confidence – Some responses highlighted feeling more capable, stronger, and confident in their leadership roles.
Inspiration & Motivation – Participants expressed being inspired by new perspectives, ideas, and leadership opportunities.
Public Speaking & Facilitation – A few respondents specifically noted improvements in their public speaking and facilitation abilities.
Data and Metrics
Since launching our leadership programs, 84 members have participated in one or more classes
Of the participants who have completed the Leadership Annual Survey: UC Learns : 60 • UC Facilitates : 43 • Summer of S.O.L. : 14
Agree or Strongly Agree Feel more empowered to make a difference in my community
Agree or Strongly Agree Gained confidence in my leadership skills
Agree or Strongly Agree Gained new facilitation or organizing skills
Agree or Strongly Agree Inspired to think about new ways I could lead in my community
Our 5-year Strategic Plan Activation and Engagement
In the winter of 2024 Union Capital began the process of evaluating our program and developing a new 5-year Strategic Plan. We were grateful to work again with the probono organization CCT-Boston (https://www.cctboston. org) to conduct a thorough SWOT Analysis of our mission and model.
Thanks to feedback from over 50 stakeholders, UC Member Town Halls, surveys and focus groups with hundreds of members, and extensive analysis by our Strategic Plan subcommittee and Board of Directors, we gradually coalesced around the focus of our work for the next five years:
Evaluating and Improving our Member Activation and Engagement
For more than a decade we have developed an entirely new innovative model for sparking social capital and creating real, sustainable pathways to individual opportunity and collective power as detailed in this year’s annual report.
And
we still have much to learn.
When our members join Union Capital they are not joining an exclusive club. There are no dues. There are no attendance requirements. There is no baptism (literal or figurative).
Instead a member chooses to join Union Capital by filling out a quick online form, much like joining a shoppers reward program. There are no costs and no barrier to entry, other than living either in the Boston or Springfield area and knowing someone who invites you to join.
We are very intentional about fostering this “open network” rather than a “closed group”. But as a result we have a lot of members that are members in name only. Some never become fully activated and engaged with our rewards app, community gatherings, or leadership programs.
We want to take the next five years to evaluate how we can improve our member activation and engagement. And we want to share with others across the country about how we create an open network that creates real impact for our community that is cost efficient and incredibly effective.
Our 5-year Strategic Plan Activation
and Engagement
There are different types of social capital and all of them are valuable. In the Union Capital model we are particularly strong at facilitating “Bonding” social capital by connecting our members with each other and to valuable resources, interests, and opportunities in their communities. We also work to create opportunities for “Bridging” social capital by connecting our member communities across Boston, from East Boston to Mattapan, and by bridging Boston and Springfield together as well!
We seek to improve the opportunities and pathways for our members to connect within their own groups and neighborhoods (bonding), across different groups (bridging), and spanning a variety of socioeconomic groups (linking).
Bonding
Social capital within a group with shared interests.
TYPES OF SOCIAL CAPITAL
Bridging
Social capital across different groups.
Linking
Social capital that spans different socioeconomic groups, promoting upward mobility.
We see this work being done in three levels and stages over the course of the next five years:
Member Recruitment and Activation: improving the outreach and welcoming process for members to join our network in a way that is welcoming and not restrictive
Member Engagement and Continuity: defining and measuring the types of member engagement, better understanding disengagement, and creating leadership-led programs to improve member involvement that drives greater impact
Member Impact and Bridging Social Capital: piloting new programs, engagement events, leadership funds, and other opportunities to bridge our communities and spark new pathways for upward mobility and community power
Our 5-year Strategic Plan Activation and
Engagement
Connection Groups: The more that we can utilize our data to learn about our members’ needs and interests, the more we can tailor specific resources, programs, and opportunities to be specific groups, whether it be new parents, first-time homebuyers, fitness enthusiasts, arts and culture interests, and much, much more.
Crowd Funding: We are curious if we can create a platform for members to donate the UC Points they earn to community projects and member-led initiatives. Some members are not as engaged and motivated to earn UC Points, but the option of donating them towards a community benefit could motivate some to use it more.
Gamification: Now that we are fully built as a native app in the App Stores, we have the opportunity to develop new tools, enhancements, and badges to potentially gamify community engagement even further. We will want to make sure we do it in a way that aligns with our values and celebrates everyone for their efforts.
Professional Development programs: Another way we would like to foster more bridging social capital is to get our leaders into more coaching and development programs that connect them with other leaders from outside our network. We also want to support our leaders launching their own professional development programs as well. When our leaders gain skills and resources they bring it back to our members and community, creating an impactful ‘bridge’ of sharing and connecting.
Leadership Funds: Our leadership programs have been successful at cultivating leaders with new ideas. The next step is to provide funding so their ideas can be implemented. We have done this in small numbers already with the Thomas J Ruffen Fund and David R
Leslie Fund, and would like to see this grow with more seed funding for projects and programs. Additionally we hope to create a scholarship fund for professional development training programs.
Young People: Our App and incentives are easy to use and exciting for young people, however our programs and resources are more often designed for adults. We are eager to keep bringing in young people into our program through high school and youth partnerships, and learn more about their needs and interests. In order to effectively implement a youth program we will need to develop youth-specific programming and hire staff who can work specifically with young people, school partners, and run new programming.
Data Analysis: Our UC App and annual member surveys generate powerful stories about our member engagement and impact. We have only just begun to analyze and understand the data and stories that emerge through the use of our digital tools and engagement with our programs. The more that we can learn from our data about what truly sparks opportunity for our members, the more we can improve our programs and offerings to meet those needs and build stronger social capital.
This is only the beginning of our piloting and ideating for the next five years! What ideas do you have for us? Can you complete this quick survey with your own ideas and suggestions?
Year 4
Fiscal Year 2029
(July 2028 - June 2029)
• Solidify the new Activation and Engagement programs
• Evaluate the first 3-years of projects and map-out new bonding and bridging projects
• Continue to improve our administrative back office with additional hires as needed for finance and operations
Year 5
Fiscal Year 2030 (July 2029 - June 2030)
• Celebrate our 15th Anniversary!
• Analyze our 5-year impact and evaluate the current opportunities and challenges
• Continue to promote our model regionally and nationally as a new way to cultivate individual opportunity and community prosperity
• Prepare our direction for our next 5-year plan
The next five years carry many opportunities and risks. We cannot predict what the future will hold, but by chartering a general course of action we can shepherd our mission and members through this period of uncertainty and upheaval.
And we will need your advice and support to do it.
We are so grateful to our broad community of members, advisors, and supporters who ensure that our mission of strengthening our community can persist despite attacks on our communities and our values.
While the specifics of this plan will certainly shift and be updated, we are clear and steadfast in the goals we carry for the next five years of improving the activation and engagement of our members to open up new doorways of jobs, financial health, education advancement, healthy living, civic participation, community power, and all the other remarkable benefits that are generated by building social capital.
Matching our Budget with our Values
We are grateful that thanks to generous support and careful planning we are able to run and grow our programs. In the past year, with the collective support of our community, our annual budget surpassed $1.7 million. We intentionally design a budget that matches our spending with our key programs: 1) the UC Rewards App, 2) Network Nights and Events, 3) Network Coordinators and Leadership Training. We heavily invest in our team and value their work so that they can invest in our programs and people.
Our FY26 proposed budget is reflective of the uncertainty in our world this coming year. We do not foresee pathways to major revenue growth and therefore are plotting out very careful and strategic programmatic plans that are sustainable given the unfortunate uncertainty.
FY25 & FY26 budgets (July-June)
Thank You
Our work is only made possible by the incredible partners, leaders, advisors, and funders that believe in our mission and support our program through their time, talent, and monetary support.
Boston Partner Organizations:
• Boston Public Schools: Albert D Holland School of Technology (formerly Burke High School), Community Academy for Science and Health High School, Hurley K-8, Madison Park High School
• Codman Square Health Center
• Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Higher Ground Boston
• KIPP MA Schools
• Metropolitan Area Planning Council
• NeighborHealth (formerly East Boston Neighborhood Health Center)
• Nuestra Comunidad Community Development Corporation
• Project HOPE
• STEPRox Recovery Support Center
• Transitional Remedies Solutions
• Urban Edge
• Vital CXNs
Springfield Partner Organizations:
• Alliance for Digital Equity
• Baystate Health
• Home City Development
• New North Citizen’s Council
• Springfield Public Schools, Brightwood Elementary
• Tech Foundry
• Veritas Preparatory Charter School
Thank You
Boston Network Coordinators:
• Erika Roxana Aguirre
• Karla Brown
• Missy Brown
• Shondell Davis
• Luisa De Los Santos
• Lydia Deloney
• Leah Dotten
• Odette Escobar
• Sharee Farley
• Nickki Gassant
• Zenaida Gonzalez
• Tarina Harrison
Springfield Network Coordinators
• Erica Andrews
• Lourdes Balestier
• Nicole Coakley
• Eneida Molina
• Glynis Phillips
• Jasmyn Quinones
• Frances Rivera Albero
• Heather Salerno
• Darien Santiago
• Hans Torres
• Jess Torres
• Ana Martinez
• Aura Mejia
• Rubén Ulises Orellana
• Mahogony Payne
• Erika Rodriguez
• Nikia Shell
• Garrick Thames
• Maria Vargas
• Pamela Walker
• Lashaunda Watson
• Frank Williams
Thank You
The Union Capital Advisory Council supports the impact of Union Capital by
• Providing counsel and resources to advance the organization’s mission.
• Connecting UC leadership to opportunities, key stakeholders, and strategies that the organization could not otherwise access.
• Exploring additional future engagement possibilities that align to interests and capabilities.
The Council meets twice a year, along with additional optional strategic advice and planning meetings. Interested in learning more about joining our Council?
Please contact Eric Leslie directly at eric.leslie@unioncapital.org.
• Matt Aronson
• Brad Braufman
• Lina Cañon
• Joe Coupal
• Lucy Darragh
• Mattie Deed
• Bonnie Delaune
• Emilio Dorcely
• Saskia Epstein
• Alex Fischbein
• Jennifer Gilbert
• Rick Grudzinski
• Delisa Joseph
• Jeff Kushner
• Becky Lin
• Rich Schneider
• Luc Schuster
• Matt Stein
• Gosia Tomaszewska
Thank You
Philanthropic support
• Barr Foundation
• Baystate Health
• Berkshire Bank
• Beveridge Family Foundation
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
• Eastern Bank Foundation
• Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation
• Liberty Mutual Foundation
• Lynch Foundation
• MassMutual Foundation
• M&T Bank Charitable Foundation
• Needham Bank
• One8 Foundation
• PNC Bank
• Roy A Hunt Foundation
• TJX
• Trefler Foundation
• Upland Gardens Fund
• Wells Fargo Foundation
• Yawkey Foundation
We would like to thank Adria Meadvin, our College for Social Innovation intern this past semester, for her research used in this report, and Michael “JOHN ALIVIXI” Guadarrama for his design of this report.
