Continuing our series of guest posts from a Program Investment Volunteer, we hear from a volunteer from Treatment and Management strategy in the Health focus area. You can see all the strategies in Health by clicking here. In case you missed our first blog from our Education volunteer click here.
My name is Guy and this was my fourth year as a Community Investment volunteer. I was active in United Way activities through my employer, but saw this is an opportunity to get more involved.
I wanted to give my time to help in this process because as a donor for 30 plus years, I have always believed in what United Way has stood for in the community. Contributing time gave me a new outlook on how the organization works, and it has been a great experience. My focus area was Health in the strategy of Health and Management.
Having a group of volunteers with such diverse backgrounds provided insight into the community needs that may have otherwise been overlooked. We were very diligent in their scrutiny of the applications, and the top three things that stood out to me during the process were the commitment, detail and accountability each volunteer exhibited. Each of the volunteers was committed to seeing that the available funds were put to the best use for the community as a whole. This sometimes meant making some very uncomfortable and often heart breaking decisions. As far as details, this evaluation process provided the volunteers with loads of information about each of the programs being assessed, and that the programs are now held accountable for results. With funding dollars becoming harder and harder to come by, this ensures that those programs who really deliver will stand out and be recognized.
Every program that submitted an application serves a vital need in the community. However, with so few dollars to distribute and so much need, it was an inescapable fact that not everyone could be funded. The volunteers did their very best to see that the dollars available for distribution were given to the programs that would have the biggest impact on the community.
If you would like to join Guy as a volunteer, contact programinvestment@cauw.org.
