United Way changing its community focus

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EVERETT - Quick, define United Way.

What? You think it's just an umbrella fund-raising organization?

United Way of Snohomish County hopes to change that perception during its 2001 campaign to combat a national trend of declining donations.

By year's end, United Way hopes local donors will think of the agency as a leader that extracts pearls of wisdom from grassroots groups and then pools those insights to make positive changes in the community.

"It's not going to be United Way getting involved in things. It's going to be United Way leading things," said campaign co-chairman Tim Nowlis, a Boeing community relations manager.

The organization also has launched a yearlong project to identify specific areas in which United Way should target its attention in the future.

That way, donors would have a clearer picture of where and how their money was being spent, and United Way could better document the impact of those donations.

"This is a pivotal year," said Snohomish County Executive Bob Drewel, Nowlis' co-chair. "We need to demonstrate how we can make the future brighter."

Nationally, United Way's share of all charitable donations has dropped 37 percent since 1988, Nowlis said.

"There are a lot more nonprofit organizations nationally than there were in the past," he said. "So with more organizations, some of the money that used to go to United Way is now going to other organizations."

During its 2000 campaign, the Snohomish County agency fell about $365,000 short of its $11.4 million goal. Donations were slightly below the 1999 total of $11.15 million, said Mark Todd, vice president of marketing and communications.

Last year, the county organization funded 107 programs operated by 50 different agencies, he said. Funded groups ranged from major, well-known agencies such as the YMCA and American Red Cross to local programs such as the Little Red Schoolhouse for developmentally-disabled children and the Cocoon House shelter for teenagers.

United Way of Snohomish County recently finished a 14-month "strategic renewal process," in which leaders looked at trends around the nation regarding United Way, Nowlis said.

United Way of Atlanta caught their attention, because that organization launched a new focus on safety programs about 18 months ago.

In January, the Snohomish County organization kicked off a 12-month study to identify its own future focal points for community spending.

That study, called the Community Assessment Process, is a partnership between United Way, the Snohomish Health District, Snohomish County and Healthy Communities, a public-private coalition of social-service, government and law-enforcement agencies.

Once United Way chooses its new focus, its next step will be crafting a publicity campaign.

"It's letting people know that these avenues of attack will personally affect their community," said Jim Hammond, Drewel's government-relations adviser.

"It's not just bullets for the war, it's the generals and the strategies that help you win the war."

Diane Brooks can be reached at 206-464-2567 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com.