Page 1 ... Learn how we work with our community, agency, and corporate partners to create an environment of opportunity
BRAND AND MESSAGING TOOLKIT For Staff & Volunteers
WHAT’S INSIDE... This document provides you with language you can use as a GUIDE when talking about United Way of Central Carolinas.
Our Brand Our mission, values, brand credo and brand promise.
How to talk about United Way of Central Carolinas Learn how to answer the question “How does United Way impact our community?”
What we care about Learn how we work with our community, agency, and corporate partners to create an environment of opportunity for our neighbors.
How people can get involved We love new volunteers, donors, and advocates. Guide your co-workers, friends and neighbors to join in our community’s mission.
BRAND OVERVIEW VISION
Long-term statement that describes what the organization is trying to accomplish and where we want to be in the future.
United Way envisions a community where all individuals and families achieve their human potential.
MISSION
Foundational statement describing how the organization will achieve our vision by making our core objective clear.
To improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community.
VALUES
The code by which the brand lives – the principles upon which we make our decisions. These are the heart and soul of United Way of Central Carolinas and do not tend to change over time.
• Community • Diversity • Empowerment
• Excellence • Integrity • Respect
• Stewardship • Teamwork
BRAND OVERVIEW (CONTINUED) OUR CREDO
The articulation of how our brand drives value, which should be actively communicated to the target audience.
United Way fights for the education, health and financial stability of every person in our community.
BRAND PROMISE
What drives our unique promise and proposition in the market, and frames how we communicate and innovate.
We win by living United. By forging unlikely partnerships. By finding new solutions to old problems. By mobilizing the best resources. And by inspiring individuals to join the fight against our community’s most daunting social crises.
BRAND IDEA
The singular motivating idea that drives action in the marketplace.
In order to live better, we must LIVE UNITED.
BRAND PERSONALITY
The set of human characteristics attributed to our brand.
• Compassionate • Confident
• Empowering • Honest
• Inclusive • Optimistic
• Purposeful
HOW DO WE TALK ABOUT UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL CAROLINAS? THE HARD TRUTH A Harvard University/UC Berkeley study in 2013 uncovered that a child born in poverty in the Southeast has very little chance of climbing out of it during their lifetime. In fact, Charlotte-Mecklenburg ranked 50th out of 50 among the largest U.S. cities in economic mobility. But our challenge is not unique. Other communities across the South are dealing with the same issue. All too often, access to economic opportunity in our region is aligned with the zip code and neighborhood where one lives.
Soundbites • Children born in poverty in the Southeast have little chance of moving up • Charlotte-Mecklenburg ranks 50th out of 50 in economic mobility • Access to economic opportunity is often aligned with neighborhoods and zip codes
A TRUSTED LEADER Now more than ever, community leaders, businesses, policymakers, nonprofits, and individual donors and volunteers are collaborating to fight for change on a scale that no single organization can achieve on its own. As a trusted leader, United Way has the relationships and influence needed to bring these individuals and organizations to the table and collaboratively address community-specific challenges with an emphasis on education, health and financial stability. Through the hundreds of community conversations we have conducted over the past two years, we have listened to and understand the issues that matter most to the people in neighborhoods across our region.
Soundbites • We Unite the full force of our community • We understand the complexity of the issues • Together, we create lasting change
HOW DO WE TALK ABOUT UNITED WAY OF CENTRAL CAROLINAS? (CONTINUED)
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT? Through our unique position at the center of the nonprofit, government, philanthropic and business communities, we engage nearly 400,000 people each year to help create the change they want to see across our region. When we come together with one voice, our community is truly advocating for our neighbors in need. We believe community problems can’t be solved by focusing on only one issue, so we work with our network of partners to cross issue areas and weave together solutions. This collaborative approach provides comprehensive and coordinated services to achieve the best possible result. Our unique Community Grant Panels engage hundreds of volunteers to help us invest $16 million annually to fund those solutions and impact over 300,000 neighbors in our region.
Soundbites • We engage nearly 400,000 people each year • We cross issue areas to create solutions • Our Community Grant Panels for funding are unique • Our community invests $16 million annually to impact 300,000 neighbors
WHAT DO WE CARE ABOUT? We stand United with the individuals, families and organizations across our region that care about creating strong communities made up of healthy children and families, thriving economic conditions, and good education options. It’s all these things that give a community the power to shine. We believe in creating an environment of opportunity where thousands of families in neighborhoods across our region can break the cycle of poverty and achieve economic mobility for their children and grandchildren. We are committed to building a caring, cohesive community willing to have hard conversations about race and equity.
Soundbites • We stand United with individuals, families and organizations to create change • We believe in creating an environment of opportunity • We are committed to build a caring, cohesive community
OUR COMMUNITY IMPACT FOCUS To create an environment of opportunity for all, we focus on building stronger neighborhoods, improving the systems that serve children and families, and providing basic needs support across our region. This targeted approach is fueled by broad civic engagement that brings together the people, resources and services necessary to improve economic mobility.
ECONOMIC MOBILITY Focusing on education, health, financial stability and basic needs, we work to address our community’s economic mobility challenges. Our twogeneration approach supports the entire family to break the cycle of poverty by intentionally focusing on the needs of both parent and child.
Impact Grants We support our five-county region through a network of partners that work collaboratively to provide comprehensive and coordinated services to achieve the best possible results.
United Neighborhoods We utilize a community-led model to create sustained neighborhood change by working with key partners and community residents to drive transformation and revitalization efforts.
Unite Charlotte We support new and grassroots organizations through grants and capacity-building activities that strengthen organizational and financial stability, program quality and growth.
ECONOMIC MOBILITY Impact Grants
Education
United Neighborhoods
Health
Unite Charlotte
Financial Stability
Basic Needs
UNITED NEIGHBORHOODS Our United Neighborhoods strategy works to change the odds for individuals and families living in our region’s most under-resourced neighborhoods. From helping families become financially stable and find affordable housing, to preparing children to enter school ready to learn and read, the needs of these communities are many and varied. Beginning with one to two neighborhoods in 2017, United Way will work alongside residents, and business and community leaders in each selected neighborhood to drive transformation and revitalization efforts. This highly-coordinated approach will address critical communitybased challenges in economic mobility. Whether investing in early childhood education, supporting job training and creation, helping individuals meet their basic needs, or advocating for systems-level change, United Neighborhoods will concentrate resources in selected neighborhoods through a community-led model to address the needs of residents, create a stronger infrastructure, and build thriving communities.
IMPACT AREA:
EDUCATION A child’s earliest experiences – before they even enter school – can determine their ability to succeed for the rest of their lives. Early access to quality education is essential to promoting their development and learning into the future. Once in school, reading at grade level by the end of third grade is the single most important predictor of success; however, a lack of support, available resources and absences put children at risk for academic failure. We support early childhood literacy programs, tutoring initiatives, mentoring and family support programs that provide important life navigation for students and their families.
United. How We Have Helped.
88%
of students improved or remained stable in reading
97
of students were engaged in a mentoring/tutoring relationship with a caring adult
%
IMPACT AREA:
HEALTH
Access to health care is key to excelling at school, earning a living, and enjoying life. When they’re not well, kids can’t learn and adults can’t work. Providing comprehensive medical and mental health care to those with insufficient coverage goes beyond a doctor’s visit. It means helping people prevent, manage, and treat all aspects of their health for a better life, and giving them the information and resources needed to make healthy choices for their families. By aligning community-wide goals with expertise from our partners, we help individuals achieve optimal physical, mental, developmental, emotional, and social health.
United. How We Have Helped.
89
of clients adhered to recommended health treatments and guidance
78
of clients have improved their health
%
%
IMPACT AREA:
FINANCIAL STABILITY To give our community a reliable foundation, we empower our neighbors to overcome financial hardship and reduce homelessness — or prevent it altogether. Families facing homelessness also face obstacles in accessing useful resources. With the right tools, we can open doors to help them secure and maintain safe, affordable housing. An integrated holistic approach provides families access to the tools and resources they need to work toward financial stability. By connecting them to job training, employment opportunities and career counseling options, we help create a better quality of life and independence.
United. How We Have Helped.
61
of participants have moved into safe, affordable housing
41
of individuals secured employment
%
%
IMPACT AREA:
BASIC NEEDS To solve the complex issues we face as a community, we need to start with the basics by making sure our neighbors have what they need to survive. When people struggle to meet vital needs — like food, shelter, and safety — everything else becomes more difficult. The problem with crises is they come when you least expect them, so we work with families through our partners to provide temporary support during crises, establishing a path to help them get back on their feet.
United. How We Have Helped. over
35,000
individuals or families received direct financial assistance to prevent loss of housing
Specialists are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide free and confidential assistance by calling 2-1-1 or visiting www.nc211.org.
10,629
victims of domestic violence/ sexual assault were assisted
COMMUNITY IMPACT FUNDING PROCESS Our funding process is undergoing a change that represents two-plus years of planning and meetings with our nonprofit partners, volunteer community impact councils, board of directors, and corporate partners. The result is a streamlined community impact strategy that aligns with findings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force report and with identified community needs, and a new funding mechanism that allows us to be more nimble and responsive to our community’s evolving challenges. As we move forward, our funding priorities will focus on economic mobility, basic needs, neighborhood-based initiatives, and collaborative efforts involving multiple agencies. Beginning in early 2018, an RFP process will open for current partners and qualified new agencies to request funds, with funding changes to take effect in July 2018. Every effort will be made to provide transition funding for those current agencies not aligned with our community’s impact agenda. As always, our Community Grant Panels will be central to the funding process. These dedicated volunteers review each grant proposal and identify the local collaborations and programs that align with our strategies and goals to create lasting impact.
Always end with a call to action. Behind all our work, there are people like you who get involved in big and small – but always significant – ways to ensure a better future for the families in our community.
ADVOCATE Advocacy is much more than lobbying. Use your voice to take a stand for what you believe in by sharing through your community groups, social media posts or emails to legislators.
ENGAGEMENT GROUPS
DONATE
We come from different backgrounds and do different things, but we come together as one for the community. Choose the United Way engagement group that is right for you: A-LIST, LINC, Women United or Young Leaders.
Your donations transform the lives of your neighbors every single day. When you give to United Way of Central Carolinas, we will ensure your investment makes the greatest impact in our community.
VOLUNTEER
START A CAMPAIGN
There is no better way to create change than to volunteer right where needs are being served daily. Hands On Charlotte, the volunteer arm of United Way, provides group and individual experiences across our region.
Our campaign volunteers have done some amazing things by pooling their passion, knowledge, and resources. Start your own campaign today with family, friends or coworkers.
THANK YOU, YOU’RE AWESOME! As an ambassador for United Way of Central Carolinas, you play an integral role in solving our community’s biggest issues. You are helping change the odds for the children, families, and individuals in our region, and helping provide them an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. Questions about this document? Please contact Bo Hussey, Chief Marketing & Engagement Officer, at 704.371.6341 or
[email protected].
uwcentralcarolinas.org
