United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County 2012-14 Strategic Plan

selected critical external and internal issues for 2012-2014: • A slow economic recovery will mean limited job growth and low wages, employers reluctant to offer volunteers, more low-income families, increasing costs for goods and services, and reluctance to make charitable gifts. However, new businesses and opportunities will arise.

• Federal, state and municipal budget pressures, changes in taxes, tax credits and tax deductions along with antagonism across political lines will likely lead to less funds for transportation, schools, housing and assistance for families’ basic needs and safety ; at the same time the requests for health and human services will continue to increase.

• Competition for charitable dollars, volunteers and leadership will increase, as will pressures on nonprofits to merge or collaborate for efficiency.

• There will be a new generation of community leadership emerging and affluence, influence and leadership will not necessarily be tied together or in the hands of a few.

• New and growing social media markets will provide enhanced opportunities to share information but will require different messaging.

• Volunteer and staff leadership need to reflect the diversity of the community as they position United Way as a leader in specific community issues, strengthen our advocacy role, and engage new community leadership.

• Financial resources will be needed to ensure sufficient, highly skilled staff, advanced technology, and adequate general operating funds.

• Internal policies must be in place for standard operating procedures to ensure quality business practices.

• Invest in measurable results for Education, Income, Health, 2-1-1, Hands On Asheville-Buncombe and Middle School Success.

UNITED WAY OF ASHEVILLE AND BUNCOMBE COUNTY’S GUIDING PRINCIPLES:

ADVANCING EDUCATION, INCOME AND HEALTH

VISION: A strong, caring community Mission: Mobilize our community to help people improve their lives and care for one another.

VALUES: Collective Action Innovation Community Focus Integrity Compassion Responsiveness Results

Theory of Change: When we engage and mobilize people to give, advocate and volunteer, when we invest resources in and connect people to solutions in education, income and health and when we sustain and enhance the intellectual, financial and physical resources to carry out this work, then we can improve lives and advance the common good.

We come from different places. We come to different conclusions. But underneath it all, we share a passion for improving the human condition. When we LIVE UNITED, we create real, lasting change in the building blocks of a good life: the education, income and health of our communities, our families, even the person next to us.

Unique apart

united together

2012-2014 strategic plan UNITED WAY OF ASHEVILLE AND BUNCOMBE COUNTY 50 South French Broad Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801 828-255-0696 www.unitedwayabc.org www.facebook.com/unitedwayabc

GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.

UNITED WAY OF ASHEVILLE AND BUNCOMBE COUNTY

LIVE UNITED

From the Strategic Planning Committee:

“I

n 2011, United Way’s staff and our committee of volunteers began a process of updating what we believed was an already strong 2009-2011 strategic plan for 2012-2014. Of course, we did more than ‘tweak.’ We wanted to make our next strategic plan the best, most effective one possible, and we spent the next 12 months getting it right.

On the back of this brochure, you’ll see the mission, vision, values and theory of change that drove the creation of our three strategies as well as the external and internal conditions that influenced our goals.

There’s much more to United Way’s strategic planning than what you see here. These strategies and goals are the basis of annual plans that contain hundreds of activities that accomplish measurable process and outcome objectives.

Even with ever-tighter resources, staff and volunteers do a tremendous job of hitting the mark.

Every year, they create and accomplish a more ambitious annual plan than the year before.

I’d like to thank the strategic planning committee volunteers for their work in creating the plan, staff for their close attention to critical details and the board of directors for its support. We know we will advance the common good and create positive, lasting change in people’s lives with the execution of this plan.”

Suzanne DeFerie, Chair 2011 and 2012 Strategic Planning Committee

strategy ONE: engage and mobilize GOAL ONE: Communicate with the community about United Way, LIVE UNITED, Education, Income and Health GOAL TWO: Increase the number of donors to United Way’s Community Investment Fund GOAL THREE: Educate and enlist participation in United Way-related advocacy GOAL FOUR: Engage individuals and groups in Hands On volunteer opportunities

strategy TWO: invest and connect GOAL One: Align Community Fund investments with community-level results

GOAL ONE: Recruit, develop and retain competent and diverse employees

GOAL TWO: Collaborate with others for collective impact in priority community results

GOAL TWO: Recruit, develop and retain representative volunteers for board and committees

GOAL THREE: Increase community support for middle school students

GOAL THREE: Increase and diversify overall revenues

GOAL FOUR: Connect people to community needs and resources through 2-1-1

GOAL FOUR: Further develop capacity for organizational priorities GOAL FIVE: Maintain sound business operations GOAL SIX: Enhance and protect physical assets

GOAL FIVE : Expand cross-participation of donors and volunteers

Members of the 2011 Strategic Planning Committee: Suzanne DeFerie, chair

Allan Morse Allison Jordan

strategy THREE: sustain and enhance

Bob Bolak Bob Turner Catherine Frank David Bailey Debbie Shroyer

Gary Jackson Hank Dunn Jennie Eblen Joe Brumit John Kimberly

Kevin Montgomery Lance Edwards Martha Thompson Maxine Brown Patrice Mitchell

Rachael Nygaard Sarah Wohlmuth Tracy Buchanan Vicki Lloyd Ann Von Brock