Last month marked the inaugural project, the creation of a new community garden at Giraffe Laugh Early Learning Center. Six hardworking volunteer gardeners planted tomatoes, squash and herbs.

These dedicated community volunteers will be on the ground again tomorrow, serving lunch at the Boys and Girls Club of Ada County.
Go guys–you rock!

Given the fact that we had a 9 PERCENT INCREASE in this year’s campaign, we had a lot to celebrate!

We wrapped up our 2008-2009 campaign with a $5.9 million total. We celebrated this with the many, many people who made this happen at our Experience Event last week. 

Our thanks goes to the people, businesses, civic organizations, volunteers, really, the ENITRE community, who made this happen. We’re not surprised that the people of Treasure Valley would dig deep to give to their neighbors in need in this down economy. What we are is very honored and proud that more than 12,000 people chose United Way to make a difference.

This week we marked a momentous achievement for our community–the announcement of  the signing of a joint powers agreement to build, fund and provide for the operation of a community detox center.

The need for a detox center has long been recognized, but what it took to make the vision a reality seemed too large of a project for any one entity to take on, which is where United Way’s unique position in the community could be of greatest service. As a convener, United Way could pull together our friends in the business community, the human services sector, elected officials and state agencies to come to the table and stay there until we had a plan.

We stayed at that table for almost a decade. The project required intricate funding and operations planning for it to be successful and sustainable. And now, because of that commitment, the visionaries of this vital community service will see groundbreaking in April, 2009 on a 9,200 square foot facility that will begin operation in 2010.

The detox center is a testament to the caring power of this community, and at United Way, we are very proud to be a leader in service to this community that knows what it means to give back. Thanks, Treasure Valley.

Holiday business is booming in the non-profit sector. Agencies are working seven days a week in a flurry of need, generosity, food boxes, coats, cots and cookies.

It’s a good time of year to be employed in this field. It keeps you honest, humble, thankful. The human condition is played out so visibly this time of year–hope, care, love, suffering, need–at every turn there’s something that reminds you that life can be simultaneously unpredictable, tragic and glorious.

In a time of such economic insecurity, it’s no surprise that need is up dramatically. The Salvation Army gave away a record 204 food boxes last week, with 30 percent of them going to people accessing services for the first time.  The Boise Rescue Mission tells us that the line for dinner goes out the dining room and down the hall. At their City Light Shelter for women and children, they are providing emergency housing for two families who recently lost their house after the primary wage earner was laid off. In the last month they’ve provided emergency housing services to three infants, one of them just a few days old.

Times are tough, but people are tougher. This year I have seen such incredible examples of people who faced unexpected tragedy and hardships who, with the help of others, are moving forward and into a better lot in life.

Which is why I feel so lucky every time the phone rings. Nine times out of ten the person on the line is calling to help. Often they are looking for a volunteer opportunity their whole family can do together. In the last six weeks alone I have set up group volunteer projects at the Idaho State Veteran’s Home, Idaho Botanical Gardens, Boise Samaritan Village, Boys and Girls Club, Life’s Kitchen, Ronald McDonald House, Idaho FoodBank, Taft Elementary, Boise Rescue Mission and Agency for New Americans. Volunteers are everywhere, doing just about anything asked of them. It is a remarkable display of the caring power of our community.

So this holiday season, a season that is also overshadowed by economic insecurity, consider an investment in service. Ring a bell, serve a meal, knit a scarf, adopt a family, (make a donation to United Way!) and see if you don’t feel about 100 percent better about the world. Celebrate the season with service and lift your spirits.

Get started here!

They say you’re only as good as the company you keep, so at UW, we’re feeling like pretty hot stuff.

Tates Rents, Wells Fargo and UW intern/Break Through organizer Kylie Poppen, all friends and supporters of UW, were recently recognized for their commitment to community by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Idaho Chapter, on National Philanthropy Day. Congratulations to:

• Tates Rents, Outstanding Corporation, Small Business
• Wells Fargo, Outstanding Corporation, Large Business
• Kylie Poppen, Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy

Kind of a big deal, don’t you think?

It’s a pleasure to be able to recognize all your good deeds. Congrats guys.

United Way President Sally Zive became an all star hall-of-famer last week at the Smart Women, Smart Money conference when she received the Hall of Fame award, sponsored by Citi. The award recognizes outstanding women in Idaho who exemplifies a high degree of moral character, entrepreneurship, community involvement and leadership.

Sally was recognized for her 20 years of service to community through her work with United Way, and specifically her work on issues relating to financial stability and independence.

Under Sally’s leadership, United Way has partnered in providing free tax preparation to low-income individuals and families, with a special focus on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

This partnership with Idaho State Treasurer Ron Crane, the Coalition for Economic Improvement, AARP Tax-Aide, the IRS, 211 – Idaho Careline, Bank of America and others, resulted in a public outreach marketing campaign to promote 21 free tax sites run by hundreds of trained volunteers across the Treasure Valley.

The results were outstanding. In just one tax season, 7,170 individuals and families filed their federal and state tax returns for no cost; and $6.9 million in federal tax refunds that claimed $1.7 million in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) came back to the Treasure Valley where they can help those among us who need it most.

U.S. Census data shows that EITC lifts more children out of poverty than any other single program or category of programs available today. This is real change for lasting results.

Rock on Sally. You make us proud.

Idaho State Treasurer Ron Crane; United Way President & CEO, Sally Zive; Citi VP Public Relations & Communications, Laura Cobb

Scott Simplot, chair of the Company’s board of directors, kicked off their campaign by discussing his dad:

“My dad was like most of you. When he got a request for money, his reaction a lot of the time was, ‘Oh no, not another request.’ Most of the time, it took him awhile to decide. When he liked something, eventually he’d come around to making a donation. He would say something like, ‘I have no argument with that organization. It is a good way to give back to the community.”

“In this case, the United Way is truly beyond argument. It is THE good way to give back to our community, and I hope our employees will consider participating in the 2008 campaign.”

And give they did.

The Simplot folks’ campaign goal was an 8% increase over last year; good by anyone’s standards. But the Simplot employees took that challenge and ran with it. By the end of their two week campaign they had shattered their previous giving record, well past the 8% goal.

Simplot increased their giving by 25% over last year.

Simplot has always been one of our biggest supporters. And as a long time Corporate Champion, they have demonstrated their commitment to making sure that every dollar that comes from the community campaign goes to work in our community.

But a 25% increase over last year?!?! Now that’s a whole other level.

Thank you Simplot. You’ve done yourself proud.

A few weeks ago, our staff participated in a Persogenics Workshop, led and sponsored by Carl Arriola, CEO of Tates Rents.  Carl is on our Board and is the Chair of our Community Impact Council. Carl is a very smart guy, and an outstanding leader, so when he suggested the training we jumped at the opportunity.

If you’re not familiar with Persogenics, it’s much like a Myers-Briggs type of exercise, only this one is specific to your style of communication. There are four basic patterns: Dominant, Expressive, Amiable and Analytical. The names are fairly descriptive of the types. Most people have a primary pattern and a secondary pattern.

It goes without saying that knowing yourself is very helpful in matters of work. You know your strengths, weaknesses, and you get better at what you work at. But knowing your communication style as well as those of your co-workers is tremendously useful. In fact, it was so helpful to us, that we all put our Persogenics style on a name tag outside our door: Neva Geisler, Express/Dominant.   

About half of our office are Expressives, which makes sense, as Expressives are very people oriented. They are constantly ’selling’, selling their ideas, their passions, themselves. Being out in the community, working with others to improve the quality of life for all people in the Treasure Valley, is a natural fit for an Expressive. In fact, it’s a kick in the pants.

The other half of our office fit in other styles, but most commonly they are Analytical. Here is the description of the Analytical Pattern, as provided by Persogenics:

“Analytical Patterns are task-oriented. they are careful to be certain that the job gets done right the first time. Analyticals focus on facts and details…are thorough in their work…and might seem more concerned with information than with people.”

No surprise–our Expressives work on the campaign/community engagement/communication side of UW, and our Analyticals work on the finance/data management/administration.  

I’m an Expressive. According to the Persogenics people I ‘prefer to deal with the big picture rather than supporting details’ and ‘have an aversion to activities and tasks of a routine, meticulous nature.’ This shouldn’t excuse my lack of ability with numbers, or my disinterest for the little details of a big project, but it did provide a complete AH-HAH! moment for me at UW.

When UW pledges come through our front door, here’s what happens:

Connie, Resource Development Coordinator (Analytical) puts it in an envelope and seals it and records where it came from and the amount. That envelope then goes to Anita, Finance Associate (Analytical) or Susan, Office Manager (Analytical) who open the envelope and verify the contents. Then the envelope goes to Joyce, Administrative Associate (Analytical) and it is entered into our database.

From my Expressive Big-Picture Lovin’ perspective, this process always seemed a little on the inefficient side. I mean, why should we bog down this process by having three people do what one person could do in half the time? All I could see in this was that it seemed to slow down what I thought we should be racing to do, which is to recognize and thank the donor for the gift.

But then I sat in this year’s audit report meeting (UW is audited every year) and heard the auditor’s glowing report of our clean audit, specifically that our separation of duties assures high standards of internal control procedures, and thought, heyyyy, wait a minute…then I began to understand. What seemed a weird process to me was the very thing that makes UW a trusted place to donate money to–the donor’s money is meticulously sheparded to ensure the utmost stewardship. In short, the donor’s money is the donor’s money. The donor says where it’s going to go, and the process it goes through to get there is protected, checked and double checked.

So at the Board meeting when our Board Treasurer, Kevin Andersen of Eide Bailly LLP gave us accolades for our finances, I finally got it. I was going to try and blog about what he said exactly, only I can’t remember because there were too many details, but here’s the basic idea, as told from the Expressive perspective:

“GOOD JOB ON THE FINANCIAL STUFF!”

Read the UW audit (if you’re into that kind of thing).  

What are you doing when you grow up?  Have you ever heard those words?  I have, several times in my life.  I remember those words in high school then as I finished college, after my military service and several times in my work. When I left a major electronic company three years ago – I again heard those words. 

As I started the second-half of my work career, I took a new look at what was important and what did I want to do when I grow up?  A few years ago I was reading a magazine from Trout Unlimited and I noticed an advertisement about giving back:

“We make a living what we get …We make a life by what we give.”

 Winston Churchill

So what does this mean to me?  For me, I have found more satisfaction from giving back to my community and family. I have found new friends and rewards that are thank-you smiles than I saw in my corporate life. There are many needs in this valley and state that need not only your financial support; they also need your time and talent!  If you would like some help in finding one of these opportunities, the volunteer center can help you find one!

I have found my life more rewarding by giving back!

What would make your life more rewarding?

PS:  I have also found it is more fun to go fishing that to read the magazines.