By Annie Dunsky, Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs Manager, IBM

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, leadership_next, monthly enewsletter

Labels: monthly enewsletter, Volunteering

Labels: monthly enewsletter, Volunteering

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, leadership_next, monthly enewsletter

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, monthly enewsletter

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, leadership_next, monthly enewsletter

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• Give
  Join United Way in addressing metro Detroit's growing hunger crisis through immediate and long-term strategies that improve access to food in our region. Give today!
• Advocate
  School-based nutrition programs provide nutritious meals to kids in need, yet many still can’t access these meals. Advocate for policies that help kids take advantage of this important source of food. Advocate now.
• Volunteer
  Start a One Can A Week food collection program in your neighborhood and help your local food pantry feed metro Detroit's hungry. Learn more and get started.

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Labels: Financial Stability, monthly enewsletter, Volunteering

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Leadership Next has partnered with Gleaners Community Food Bank to provide an impactful morning of volunteering for individuals on Nov. 14. Volunteers will be packing food boxes to be distributed to local food pantries.

Saturday, November 14
8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Gleaners: Joan & Wayne Webber Distribution Center
24162 Mound Rd. (located behind the Salvation Army Warren Service Center)
Warren, MI 48091

RSVP here. Please reply promptly so that we can ensure meaningful work awaits all of our volunteers! Participants should wear jeans and closed toe shoes.

Labels: leadership_next, monthly enewsletter, Volunteering

This column profiles a campaign that gets results while utilizing innovative strategies. We hope that by hearing from your peers, you gain some fresh ideas to use in your own campaign. If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Best Practices profile, contact your United Way liaison.

This month, our conversation is with Patricia Sonntag, coordinator of H.R. and Performance Improvement at Edw. C. Levy Co. In 2009, 1,100 employees pledged over $240,000. Five locations had 100 percent participation.

Why United Way? Levy’s mission statement challenges its employees to: “Repay the communities that support us by operating safe and environmentally sound business while sharing our success with worthy charitable causes.” There are many charitable causes that the Levy organization supports throughout the year, but United Way is special. The organization has a reputation of making the best use of the monies donated, our employees can choose where they want their contributions to go, and it is a national organization, which means all Levy locations, in 10 states, can participate. For these reasons, and many others, Levy has been supporting United Way for more than 40 years.

Do you set a goal for your United Way campaign? In years past, we have set goals to increase donations by a certain percent. However, this year our chief operating officer sent a letter to employees emphasizing the poor economy and that our friends, neighbors and families are in need. We believe it's up to us to help one another and that's why our current goal is 100 percent participation.

What campaign events do you conduct? Each year, Levy kicks off their UW campaign with a continental breakfast meeting. This year and in past years, our United Way representative graciously offers his time to come and speak to the group about United Way's work in the community. These visits truly inspire our managers and site representatives, giving them a real understanding as to where the dollars are being used. They are better equpped to return to their sites and approach each of their employees to ask for their support.

What vehicles do you use to communicate about the campaign to your workforce? Posters are displayed at all of our locations a week before the campaign to inform employees. As an added incentive, some of our locations hold raffles. For each $25 pledged, an employee receives one raffle ticket. At the end of the campaign, names are drawn for prizes.

What campaign challenges does your organization face and how do you overcome them? One of the challenges we face each year has been seasonal lay-offs. This year, we moved our campaign up earlier in the year as a way to reach employees who have not been able to participate in the past because of the lay-offs.

Labels: fundraising, monthly enewsletter

On October 18, more than 19,000 runners participated in the 32nd annual Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon. Among those runners, nearly 30 demonstrated the Live United spirit by running on behalf of United Way. In addition, another 35 volunteers supplied plenty of spirit at cheer stations along the route.

For the first year United Way was a charity partner in the marathon, allowing individuals and teams to run and fundraise on our behalf. As our runners trained hard for the half marathon, full marathon or 5K events, they also worked to raise over $1,600 to support our work in education, income and basic needs.

Photos from the day can be found here. We are already planning next year’s marathon festivities. It’s never too early to start training. If you’d like to Live United at the 2010 Detroit marathon on October 17, click here and sign up!

Labels: fundraising, monthly enewsletter, Volunteering

Labels: monthly enewsletter, Volunteering

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Join us for the annual Employee Campaign Coordinator training, Sept. 9.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., and include important information such as:

• New engagement opportunities! Ranging from tech-savvy to athletic, we have a way for everyone in your company to feel more connected to the community.
• Connect with your United Way liaison now and save time later.
• See how we're talking about our goals and progress in the community.
• Hear from a panel of experts who will address topics like: asking for donations when layoffs and budget cuts abound, keeping your campaign relevant and fresh, and how we're meeting the increased need in the community.

Labels: Annual Campaign, monthly enewsletter

• Adopt internationally-benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the workplace
• Recruit, develop, retain, and reward effective teachers and principals
• Build data systems that measure student success and inform teachers and principals how they can improve
• Turn around our lowest-performing schools

Labels: advocate, Educational_Preparedness, monthly enewsletter

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This month, our conversation is with Susan Richardson and Scott Sweet of Parisian, Inc. Susan is the Human Resource Manager at the Laurel Park Mall Parisian, and Scott is the Store Manager at the Parisian located in the Mall at Partridge Creek. With nearly 500 employees between them, the two stores raised over $7,600 for United Way last year.

Click here to continue reading.

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While there are individual exceptions to each trend, the overall pattern that leads to a decrease in births is made up of three factors: out-migration of younger residents, contributing to decreasing numbers of women in their child-bearing years (15-44 years); aging of the population in general, contributing to both the loss of women and increasing numbers of deaths; and finally a move toward delaying marriage and childbirth, resulting in smaller families and often a choice of not having children at all.

Labels: monthly enewsletter, Research

Last year, we issued a request for proposals (RFPs) and subsequently received more than 360 responses, from 199 agencies and 91 collaboratives across southeast Michigan who were interested in working with us. The process of evaluating proposals and considering future partners for our Agenda work took a tremendous amount of effort on the part of United Way staff and over 130 volunteers representing the nonprofit, business, labor, faith-based, education and government sectors, among others, who served on 23 review committees.

Continue reading.

Labels: Agenda_for_Change, civic engagement, monthly enewsletter

One of the more innovative solutions 2-1-1 has developed is in response to homelessness. 2-1-1 On the Go! was developed to help the homeless overcome barriers they face in trying to get back on their feet. Some of these include the lack of a permanent address or phone number to use when job searching, as well as lack of knowledge about how to navigate the complicated web of resources available.

Read more.

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On June 5, 2008, the board of directors reached a critical milestone on the road to the Agenda for Change by approving the selection of United Way’s new nonprofit partners and affiliates for the 2008-2011 funding cycle.

Read more.

Labels: Agenda_for_Change, monthly enewsletter

We are committed to helping United Way for Southeastern Michigan make progress in the financial stability focus area of its Agenda for Change, and one of the ways we will do this is to provide key resources to potential homeowners.

We know that buying a starter home (or even a dream home) can be overwhelming. That is why Leadership Next is teaming up with City Living Detroit, Preservation Wayne and Detroit Young Professionals to assist consumers who are interested in taking this major step through MI City Home Toolkit.

MI City Home Toolkit is a six-part series that launches June 14 and runs through October. Each month, organizers stage a tour of three homes in one of six featured Detroit neighborhoods, and includes an opportunity for participants to meet the homeowners in those neighborhoods. Other event highlights include opportunities to:

• Meet homeowners and hear firsthand what it's like to own or rehab a historic Detroit home
• Talk one-on-one with Realtors, contractors and mortgage brokers to learn more about making smart purchasing and renovation decisions
• Learn how to take advantage of home buying incentives like NEZ property tax discounts, historic tax credits and more

Labels: leadership_next, monthly enewsletter

Serving on a board of directors of a nonprofit is a unique opportunity for young business professionals to give back to their community while advancing their careers.

Nonprofits are required by law to have a volunteer board of directors. The board of directors has the ultimate responsibility for the proper management, strategic direction and overall well being of the organization. Boards hire and oversee the chief executive. Research clearly demonstrates that nonprofits with talented and engaged board members are more successful in achieving their mission.

Business professionals are highly sought after to serve as board members because of their workplace experience and management skills. Marketing, public relations, finance, project management and strategic planning (to name a few), are skills nonprofits sorely need. Most professionals take these skills for granted, but they are valuable to nonprofits. Also, the board experience offers young professionals opportunities to grow or diversify their skill sets.

Serving on a nonprofit board allows you to give back to a cause you value, while developing leadership and team building skills, providing management oversight and, most importantly, networking with many other business professionals volunteering in the same capacity.

Nonprofits, faced with increasing accountability standards and performance expectations, actively seek skilled, committed professionals to serve on their boards.

Here are some tips on joining a nonprofit board:

• Start by studying the roles and responsibilities of a nonprofit board of directors
• Look for opportunities on the board of a nonprofit whose mission you are passionate about
• Identify a management role on the board that matches your professional skills and experience
• Remember that nonprofits are uniquely different from businesses largely because of their mission (rather than profit) focus

In order to promote board service, United Way for Southeastern Michigan and Lawrence Technological University have joined forces to offer a series of low-cost workshops to help people become effective board members. The program is called BoardWALK, and includes a series of seven workshops, each covering a key area of board management.

Sessions are offered monthly on Lawrence Tech's Southfield campus. Topics range from legal accountability to strategic planning to financial oversight. For more information on the BoardWALK workshop series, visit www.uwsem.org/boardwalk.

Consider this your invitation to join us.

Professor Lindman is director of the Center for Nonprofit Management at Lawrence Technological University, a program of the Graduate College of Management, offering graduate education and community outreach programming focused on advancing professional leadership at charitable, nonprofit organizations. For more information, email lindman@ltu.edu

Leadership Next welcomes editorial submissions and other contributions from its members. If you are interested in sharing your talent, please e-mail Julie.Updyke@uwsem.org.

Labels: leadership_next, monthly enewsletter

Three new members recently joined the group. We are pleased to welcome:

• Deborah Thompson - Miller Canfield
• Sharon Field Hoffman - Wayne State University
• Blaire Miller - Virchow Krause & Company

The latest additions to the Women's Initiative raise total membership to 46 -- a 50 percent increase over 2007, and three times larger than the group in 2006.

The Women's Initiative is a Leadership Giving program, which means members contribute at least $1,000 annually to United Way.

Labels: monthly enewsletter, Womens_Initiative

As we review what has to take place to strengthen our employment opportunities, education, and talent attraction and retention always end up among the proposed solutions. At the same time, it will come as no surprise that one of the issues we struggle with both regionally and statewide is unacceptable graduation rates from our K-12 school systems, especially in our urban and economically challenged districts.

Through extensive community outreach and substantial resident input, our region identified educational preparedness as a significant priority. It is one of three focus areas of United Way for Southeastern Michigan's Agenda for Change, along with financial stability and basic needs. One D, the consortium of organizations dedicated to addressing the most pressing issues in our region, also established educational preparedness as one of its five major priorities and decided to tackle the issue during a two day Dropout Prevention Summit to explore solutions.

I am proud to say that United Way took the lead in organizing the conference, and partnered with our One D colleagues, New Detroit and the Detroit Regional Chamber, as well as the Skillman Foundation, the Detroit Parent Network and our hosts, Lawrence Technological University. The mission was to advance the turnaround effort in 35 high schools in the region that have a drop out rate of 40 percent or higher. Edsel Ford II, One D's lead champion, kicked off the conference, and other leaders participated during the event, including Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Mike Flanagan, the state Department of Education's superintendent of public instruction, Connie Calloway, general superintendent of Detroit Public Schools and David Hecker, president of AFT Michigan.

The conference convened several experts from across the country with experience in successfully working with districts to improve student achievement and graduation rates. The experts presented their ideas to approximately 150 officials from DPS, suburban school districts and students, as well as representatives from foundations, businesses and organized labor. The conference format allowed participants significant time to discuss the approaches that had been successful elsewhere and begin the planning for our region’s turnaround.

There was lots of discussion about the importance of early childhood development to success later in school, which is something the Women’s Initiative of United Way identified as a critical success factor -- and we chose to focus our energy on this area. No doubt, our work will be a part of the multi-faceted solution and will ultimately contribute to this effort's success.

The excitement and enthusiasm throughout the event was unbelievable, as over 300 interested parties began to imagine our success and envision our future progress. Even during session breaks, the hallways were buzzing as attendees chatted about ideas to help each student in our region succeed in school.

It’s a new day in Southeastern Michigan and high-time we approach issues of importance as a team. This will take hard work and long-term commitment. But with the type of collaborative leadership this conference showcased, I am betting on the success of the home team.

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, monthly enewsletter, Womens_Initiative

1. Pay down debt. Debt is one of the biggest obstacles to financial independence. Give serious consideration to paying down credit card or student loan debt. Americans have doubled their debt over the past decade to $2.5 trillion (this excludes mortgage-related debt). The sooner you eradicate your debt, the sooner you can build assets, which will put you on the road to financial stability.
2. Apply toward mortgage principal. Consider making an extra payment to your principal. Although the short-term benefit may seem small the impact over 30 years could result in noticeable mortgage interest savings.
3. Avoid fees and get your whole check. If you don’t have a bank account, avoid cashing your rebate check at check cashing outlets that aren’t affiliated with a financial institution because they will charge high fees that eat into your rebate. Wal-Mart is offering the opportunity to cash your check for free at their stores and no purchase is necessary. Once you do this, you should also consider our next option...
4. Get banked. More than 28 million Americans do not have a bank account and an additional 44.7 million are under-banked, hindering them from becoming financially stable. If you are one of millions without a bank account, consider starting a savings account with your rebate. If you have a bank account, consider directing some or all of your rebate toward beefing up your rainy day fund.
5. Start (or add to) your child’s college fund. Individuals who are college educated are likely to make $1 million more in their lifetime than those with only a high school diploma. Help your child attain a full education and be better prepared to succeed in life.
6. Build you retirement nest egg. If you plan to stop working at some point you need to put money away. The money you invest in your retirement today is going to carry you even further down the road when the interest in your investment grows. Consider a Roth IRA or other investment vehicle.
7. Further your education. Have you been thinking about finishing a degree or receiving training in a different career field? Use your rebate toward that goal and in turn you can increase your employability.
8. Support others in need. If you have all you need, consider helping others thrive by donating some of your rebate to United Way.
9. Update your home. A home is a person’s greatest financial asset, so it’s important to keep it in good condition. Many home improvement stores are offering discounts if you use your rebate check toward merchandise.
10. Take advantage of retail savings. Once you have carefully covered all of your savings, investing and charitable giving bases consider taking advantage of discounts retailers are currently offering to consumers in hopes of getting some of their stimulus cash. National and local retailers are offering discounts, gift cards and other incentives to get you to shop. Now may not be a bad time to take advantage of the extra buying power to get clothes for the children or an item you really need.

Labels: Financial Stability, monthly enewsletter

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, Employee Voices, monthly enewsletter, Research

You will not be required to share personal financial information at these seminars. At the conclusion of the seminar you will have the opportunity to discuss your individual situation with mortgage and money management professionals.

Both seminars are free and open to the public, but reservations are advised because space is limited. Please call Stephanie at 248.370.9440 to reserve your spot today.

Join us:

Thursday, May 22, 6 p.m.
Oakland County Credit Union
1375 N. Oakland Blvd.
Waterford, MI

This seminar is hosted by T&C Federal Credit Union, GreenPath Debt Solutions, Oakland County Housing Counseling and United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 p.m.
Auburn Hills Community Center
1827 N. Squirrel Rd.
Auburn Hills, MI

This seminar is hosted by Cornerstone Community Financial, GreenPath Debt Solutions, Oakland County Housing Counseling, United Way for Southeastern Michigan and the City of Auburn Hills.

Labels: Financial Stability, monthly enewsletter

• Bernie Firestone Labor Award
  Theresa Hawley-Pace and Terry Harden of UAW Local 594, for creation of the Caring and Sharing Program, which collects bicycles for children in need to enjoy
• Exemplary Group Service Award
  Chrysler Women’s Forum, for its work helping children get their basic needs met and preparing them to succeed in school
• Heart of Gold Award
  Terry Grahl, for helping women in transitional housing facilities enjoy a better living environment
• Heart of Gold Award
  Bob York, for helping families get their basic needs met after a devastating house fire
• Outstanding Business Award
  UPS, for numerous services provided to St. Francis Family Center in Southfield
• Outstanding Youth Award
  Lauren King, for helping individuals and families prepare their tax returns, and claim important refunds and credits in the process
• Young Adult Award of Excellence
  Adam Harris, for volunteer leadership during United Way’s Alternative Spring Break projects in both Louisiana and southeast Michigan

For the first time, all nominees had to submit a short video, in which they discuss their volunteer service and explain why they should be considered for an award. The nominations were narrowed down to two semi-finalists in each category and then featured on United Way’s Web site. The community was invited to view the videos and to help select winners. During National Volunteer Week, more than 3,500 votes were cast.

Labels: civic engagement, monthly enewsletter

The event was the first CEO Breakfast held by the Alliance for Economic Inclusion, of which United Way for Southeastern Michigan is a partner, and it was intended to encourage more executives of area banks and credit unions to get involved in a coordinated effort to bring the un-banked and under-banked back into the financial mainstream. Representatives from 11 institutions attended, and they heard discussions on potential products and services for low- and moderate-income households. UWSEM President and CEO Michael Brennan opened the session by stressing that reaching out to these populations is the right thing to do. These consumers too frequently turn to payday lenders and check cashing outlets that charge high fees. In fact, the Center for Financial Services Innovation reports that Americans spend at least $10.9 billion on more than 324 million alternative financial transactions a year.

Labels: Financial Stability, monthly enewsletter

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Labels: Financial Stability, monthly enewsletter

Our emphasis will center on those falling below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines – about $40,000 annually for a family of four. According to estimates from UWSEM researchers, there were about 1.2 million residents – better than one in four – living below the line in 2006. Many of these individuals fall into the category of “unbanked,” which means they have no relationship with a bank and are often vulnerable to opportunistic check cashing vendors and their inflated fees, along with other costly money traps. United Way is working to help these residents establish bank accounts, and to teach them how to save and manage money wisely. We also recognize the importance of taking action now.

Click here to read more.

Labels: Financial Stability, monthly enewsletter

You can help honor King’s memory by participating in one of these organized service projects in your area or volunteering at other service agencies throughout metro Detroit.

Click here to learn more.

Labels: civic engagement, monthly enewsletter

Labels: civic engagement, Educational_Preparedness, monthly enewsletter

The One Laptop Per Child project was originally intended to provide a low-cost computer for poor children in developing countries. The effort led to the creation of the XO computer, dubbed the “$100 laptop.” OLPC proved to be such a good idea that it has attracted worldwide support, and interest from groups like Leadership Next and others seeking to help young people in their respective communities. The United Way leadership group is made up of young professionals who share an interest in improving conditions across the region.

"Leadership Next believes in the power of technology," says Julie Updyke, UWSEM Major Gifts Associate and Leadership Next coordinator. "We want to begin bridging the educational divides that we see in our region - and think that everyone in our community must have access to technology for this to be possible."

Click here to read more.

Labels: Educational_Preparedness, leadership_next, monthly enewsletter

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"Every family and business should be ready for the unexpected throughout the year," says Lynn Pharr, director of crisis preparedness, response and recovery for United Way of America. "Now is the time for many of us to focus on cold weather, power outages, winter fire safety and snowstorms."

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In the June issue:

• Top Stories
  • Groups Unite to Fight Foreclosures in Macomb
  • Summer programs improve student readiness
  • DaimlerChrysler’s community work earns national honor
• Upcoming Events: Leadership Next
• Volunteer Spotlight: Tax refunds connect thousands to financial stability
• Kurt's Corner: Financial Stability Slipping Away From Region?

Labels: monthly enewsletter

In the April/May issue:

• Educational Preparedness: IDA program looks to prep 10 more for college
• Financial Stability: Take control of your future during Money Smart Week
• Basic Needs: MPRI Wayne celebrates anniversary
• Upcoming Events: United Way Emerging Leaders launch event
• Volunteer Spotlight: United Way celebrates region's exceptional volunteers
• Kurt's Corner: MEAP results reveal progress, problems

Labels: monthly enewsletter

The monthly newsletter highlights United Way for Southeastern Michigan's Agenda for Change work in the areas of educational preparedness, economic stability and basic needs -- along with upcoming events, volunteer spotlights and Kurt's Corner, UWSEM demographer Kurt Metzger's look at key regional trends.

In the February issue:

• Educational Preparedness: Early childhood investment produces huge return
• Economic Stability: EITC qualifiers fail to pocket cash
• Basic Needs: United Way gives voice to area's homeless
• Upcoming Events: Time to celebrate volunteers
• Volunteer Spotlight: Alternative Spring Break blog
• Kurt's Corner: Volunteering in America

Labels: monthly enewsletter