Sally Zive will leave the post she’s held since 1999 and begin treatment in February for ovarian cancer.

What’s an especially exciting project for United Way right now?

The Allumbaugh House (a 16-bed detox and mental health crisis center) will open in March.

It’s a perfect example of the special power of collaboration that we are focused on now. It takes all of us, the nonprofit organizations and all levels of the government to “move the needle” on big issues like this.

Substance abuse is a root cause of so many community problems. The Allumbaugh House isn’t a treatment facility, but it’s a place to start to build a system of care to keep folks on track.

The project has taken a while, but it was a remarkable effort from so many groups in the community who stayed at the table together to see it through.

How has United Way of Treasure Valley changed since you took over leadership in 1999?

The biggest change has been in the community in the business landscape.

Historically, our primary relationships were with businesses. We would help people learn about local needs and how they could do something about it.

Now, we need to figure out how to reach the self-employed, the professionals in smaller businesses in a cost-effective way that engages them.

A well-known local CEO told me that not that long ago, he could bring 15 or 20 CEOs together to discuss a community issue, and they would represent 80 percent of the Valley’s employed people. It was easy to get things done.

Now, it would take hundreds of CEOs to get that kind of coverage to make that kind of an impact.

What this means for everybody is that we need to know more people, talk to more people and find more ways people can contribute – because they do want to contribute.

How did the organization decide to focus its giving on three areas: education, income and health?

It comes from the national United Way’s research, and essentially means we want to help people be healthy, wealthy and wise.

For me, it seems education trumps everything. If you get an education, you’ll have fewer problems with everything else, and studies have shown that this is true.

I think there are all kinds of forces coming together now, from United Way to the Idaho Statesman’s Vision for the Valley project to the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, to change the local culture of the importance of education at the early and secondary levels. This excites me.

United Way designed Born Learning, a program that focuses on early education. What else is the organization doing?

This quarter, we’ll release a study we started last summer to look at the graduation rate, and college attendance, as well as the educational resources we have and which we don’t, specifically in the Treasure Valley.

The study will help United Way and other organizations identify the kinds of projects the community needs, and what collaborative efforts can improve college attendance rates.

What project was the hardest to sell to your staff and donors?

Investing in the education research took some doing.

My contention is that if we want to be a credible voice in education, we need to partner with the university and use the research talents there to help us know what we don’t know.

There’s always tension between the various compelling needs for money, but periodic research can help make sure we’re investing our time and financial resources wisely.

We need to be able to tell people about the scope of an issue if we are trying to solve it.

How do you counter those who say United Way is a “middle man,” and that it’s better to give directly to charities?

That old model, where we were a fundraiser for a static list of beneficiaries is long gone. Unfortunately, the memory lives on.

We’re in a unique position – between businesses, government, individuals and nonprofit organizations.

Most nonprofits are focused on the important work they do every day. We have the advantage of knowing a lot about the good results they are achieving.

We want to help “connect the dots” among all these groups to come up with a more coordinated and cohesive approach to issues.

After my medical issues are taken care of, I hope to continue to be involved with these problem solving activities in our community. It has been such an honor to serve with United Way these many years.

Anna Webb: 377-6431

On December 3rd, United Way held an Investment Volunteer Reception at Beside Bardenay to celebrate the kickoff of this process. The event, sponsored by Intermountain Community Bank, was attended by United Way Staff, Board members, and volunteers who will commit their time over the next few months to ensure that these funds are invested in quality programs.

Over 80 volunteers will review grant applications, attend site visits and engage in discussions with non-profit leaders in the Treasure Valley. To see a complete list of programs that have applied for funding, visit 2010-11 Grant Applicants (PDF).

The volunteers’ funding recommendations will be made to United Way of Treasure Valley’s Community Impact Council, which presents the recommendations to the Board of Directors in March, 2010.

If you were to drive by Julia Davis Park last week, you would’ve seen this:

And though you would’ve wondered to yourself, “What is a group of grown adults doing in a chorus line in the park?”, what you were seeing was the dedicated team of the 2009-2010 Loaned Executives and Loaned Executive Alumni Philanthropists (LEAP).

These are the folks ‘on loan’ to United Way to help us with the community campaign. United Way runs some 300+ campaigns during the Fall, with a staff of about 12. How is that possible? LOANED EXECUTIVES. These volunteers are out in the community, most of them in addition to their full time jobs, helping us share the UW story through workplace campaigns. They are hard working volunteers committed to our community.

Occasionally, they’ll take a break for a little breather and some team building. Here’s what a couple of our LE’s had to say about their experience:

From Emielle Centrella:

“Friday I had the awesome opportunity to participate in a team building experience with my fellow Loaned Executives, members of LEAP and United Way of Treasure Valley staff. I am once again impressed with the level of commitment that the UWTV has given to supporting their volunteers. It was a great opportunity for us to come together as a team, get to know new faces and develop our leadership skills.

We participated in a lot of challenging activities that tested our ability to communicate, listen, build trust, brainstorm new ideas, and execute while under pressure. All important qualities found in leaders, and this group excelled. This activity gave us the opportunity to leave our jobs as bankers, fundraising professionals, program managers and volunteer coordinators behind and simply have a few laughs in the sunshine.

Being new to the area, it was a fantastic way to meet new people, focusing on what we have in common as young leaders in the Boise community.”

From Ben Moore (Bank of the Cascades):

“For most of this year’s United Way Loaned Executives and Loaned Executive Alumni Philanthropists (LEAP), teamwork is a large part of our everyday jobs. This is certainly true for a group of individuals donating their time and talents to spread the good messages of the United Way. Teamwork seems like a simple concept, yet there are challenges that even the most talented teams face. Last week we were fortunate enough to have the YMCA facilitate an excellent team building experience.

We learned many nuances of team building and team work. How do you flip over a 10×10 tarp with nearly 20 people standing on it? We tried one way with limited success, and someone stepped up and said to cut our loss and start over with a new idea. The new idea worked, and the lesson learned was at times we need to re-evaluate the situation and take action, even if it means starting over from scratch. Leadership, cooperation, creativity, risk and trust were all vital parts of this lesson.

Thank you to the United Way for sponsoring the event, and to the YMCA for facilitating. It truly was a rewarding experience.”

Doesn’t that sound like a kick in the pants?

If you’re interested in serving as a Loaned Executive during next year’s campaign, contact Kathy Wold . Team builders welcome.

Here are a few ways you can help, by sharing information about United Way and the Help the Most People campaign:

You can:

• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Invite your Facebook friends to become Fans
• Follow United Way of Treasure Valley on Twitter
• Share our Twitter updates with your friends and followers
• Watch the 2009 Campaign Video, and other videos from us, on YouTube
• Post the 2009 Campaign Video to your own websites, blogs, Facebook profiles and more.

The more you can help us increase awareness for United Way, and the Help the Most People campaign, the greater impact we’ll have on the community.

“After years of constructive conversation, I’m proud to announce that we now have construction – and as important as conversation can be, in this case construction is what is needed,” Mayor David Bieter said.  “The ground we break today represents a new and necessary addition to our services – not only for those in need in our community, but also for taxpayers who expect those services to be delivered in a cost-effective manner.”

The 9,200-square-foot facility will extend emergency sobering services, detoxification services, and mental health crisis services to Boise Valley residents in need. The facility is planned to provide a sobering station, 12 beds for detoxification and eight beds for mental health crisis.

Construction cost of the facility is estimated at $2.7 million, with an annual operating budget of $1.8 million. The facility will be owned and maintained by the Boise City/Ada County Housing Authority.

Other funding partners include United Way of Treasure Valley, Region IV Mental Health Board, the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation, Boise City/Ada County Housing Authority, Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, and the Community Detox Coalition. Additional construction funding was provided through federal funds brought home by Idaho’s Congressional Delegation.

More than 1200 people showed up to support the community over a plate of flapjacks at yesterday’s campaign kickoff breakfast–doubling last year’s attendance.

This was a first time event for United Way. In the past, we’ve done your basic big event breakfast, $30 tickets, reserved tables, a program of the coming year. But that kind of event never quite felt consistent with UW’s broad community focus. Anybody can give or volunteer with UW, and anybody might be a beneficiary of a UW program, so it seemed like we should kick off our campaign with an event that anybody could come to. And thanks to some great sponsors: Simplot, Albertson’s/Supervalu, KTVB, we were able to throw the kind of party that reflects how we feel about this year’s campaign and the work ahead of us–a celebration OF community and FOR the community where everyone could be a part of it. The fact that our numbers doubled makes us feel like we really got it right.
Check out our Celebrity Pancake Flippers!

Governor and Mrs. Otter Flipping Flapjacks for United Way

We’re going to raise $6 million during this year’s campaign.

I say this with confidence because I believe it. I believe it so much, in fact, that I’m already thinking of the agencies who are going to be relieved to hear that in an economic downturn, when their resources are being stressed to the max, they’re going to get a little extra help from their community.

I believe it because the Idaho Foodbank just told me not to send over a group of volunteers because they didn’t have enough food on their shelves for them to sort. I believe it because Jesse Tree, an emergency rental assistance agency who receives UW grant money, recently told us they are receiving more requests for help from intact families than ever before.

Hardworking people who are living paycheck to paycheck, are struggling under dramatic increases in food, energy and gas prices. When they can’t quite make it to the next paycheck, these are the services that are there to make sure they don’t fall through the cracks.

And it’s not just these emergency services, it’s the stuff that prevents people from being at risk in the first place–it’s programs that help youth reach their potential, families achieve financial stability, and substance abuse recovery and mental health crisis services. Last year’s community donations are at work at more than 30 different agencies in the Treasure Valley. View the list.  

When you look at the web of services, how they all work together to lift people to a better quality of life, it is impossible to choose where you’d make the cuts.

Which is why I believe that we can raise $6 million–because we can and we have to.

The entirety of your donation is invested in your community, reaching people in 50 different programs at 32 local agencies.

Chances are, you interact with someone touched by your gift to United Way every day; at work, at the grocery store, at school—your gift supports your community. Listen to stories from people whose lives have been changed in the Community Campaign video:

In 2007, Boise was named one of the “100 Best Cities for Children” by America’s Promise. And yet 17 percent of children born in Idaho are born into poverty.

Idahoans built nearly 68,000 new homes since 2001; the 12.8 percent increase was the seventh highest in the nation. And yet there are an estimated 2,000-3,000 homeless people in Boise.

What’s going on here?

We recognized a serious and growing disconnect between those enjoying a high quality of life in the Treasure Valley and those who are struggling to get by. So why is that?

We started talking to people–all kinds of people. We asked them what they knew, what they saw and what, if anything, they wanted to do about this livability gap. Occasionally we would hear how lucky we were to live in a place like Boise, where “there weren’t any of the problems you see in big cities, like hunger of homelessness.”

We discovered that people wanted to do something they just didn’t know what or how or where. Also no surprise, whatever the what, how, where was, it had to be something that could be worked into a life full of jobs, kids, school, commuting; the stuff of life. What we needed was a perspective commitment, not a time commitment. We had to get people out there on the front lines of need, so that they could see it firsthand. The story tells itself; we just had to give people a chance to hear it. It was the perfect example of how United Way could bring people together to address issues in our community.

Thus was born the United Way Direct Impact Response Team, (D.I.R.T.)

DIRT is a loose knit group of volunteers who give one lunch hour a month to volunteer at a project that is dirty or otherwise difficult to recruit help for.

There are only three criteria for DIRT projects:

1. They help people
2. There’s an opportunity for education
3. The project is considered undesirable or too difficult for traditional volunteer groups

Anyone can come and everyone is welcome. The format makes it easy for people—all people, to do a little something that takes them out of their daily routine and into the community to places they may not otherwise see. It is a chance to gain a different perspective on our community, without a large time commitment that might thwart their inclination to do something.

Founding DIRT Clod, Holly Sue Kerns, said this about getting DIRTy:

Holly Sue Kerns, Founding DIRT Clod

“What I love the most about DIRT is that I have gotten to work with so many different types of people in our community and have had such a great time doing it. I have worked with many non-profits in the past and have gotten a bad taste in my mouth because I felt like I was caught up in red tape and meetings–never really feeling like I actually helped someone. With DIRT I see the end result of what I am doing and who I am helping. I just love it.”

Wanna get DIRTy? Sign up here: www.dirtclods.com