Community Connect-ups
As part of its new Community Impact model, Upper Valley United Way (UVUW) is taking an active role in connecting individuals and organizations within and beyond their service area. The goal of this effort is to better meet community needs by increasing communication and collaboration.
One way this is achieved is through "Community Connect-ups". These are measures designed to create linkages around topics of common interest.
These Community Connect-Ups can take many forms. A Connect-up may be as simple as asking a staffperson from an organization for permission to share their contact information (i.e. connecting two child care facilities to discuss the pros and cons of formalized relationships with nearby employers).
It may mean creating an e-mail list of people with an interest in a common concern, such as transportation or youth employment, or forwarding announcements of coming events to appropriate community partners.
Community Connect-ups can also include making contact with experts on certain topics, such as afterschool programs or consumer credit counseling, and asking them to share their expertise with Upper Valley residents.
Community Connect-ups can take the form of helping local non-profits access United Way and other funding. With the transition to Open Funding under the new Community Impact model, Upper Valley United Way hosted informational sessions for both its existing partner agencies and those non-profits interested in new partnerships with UVUW. Also, Upper Valley United Way provides information from the Needs Assessment and other in-house data sources to help a non-profits seeking funding from other sources, to meet critical needs such as housing.
For more in-depth Community Connect-ups, Upper Valley United Way invites interested parties to convene and discuss specific target areas. These sessions may in turn lead to larger, ongoing efforts around specific issue areas.
Examples of Community Connect-up sessions already hosted by Upper Valley United Way in 2007 include: Community Oral Health, Southwest Community Service Workforce Development Programs, Wheelchair Ramps & Home Safety, and Community Support of Local Veterans.
