Spotlight on our Community Impact Volunteers

We help you help your community. But, just how are you helping the community when you give to Sioux Empire United Way? SEUW funds more than 40 different local non-profits each year. How is the funding level decided? People like you volunteer their time to learn about needs in our community, review local agency funding requests, and make funding decisions. It’s a process that takes nearly 6 months to complete, each year! This year, 100 volunteers donated over 1,500 hours of their time to ensure that your gift to SEUW is used effectively to meet the needs of the Sioux Empire. How does the process work?

 

1. Local health and human services non-profits complete their applications for funding between December and February. Applications include:

  • agency information - Board of Directors roster, mission statements, governance, and strategic plan
  • program information - need in the community, services provided, number of people served, and program outcomes
  • financial information – agency budgets, program budgets, and most recent audited financials

2. Funding requests are funneled through 12 different areas, grouped by similar programming:

  • Basic Needs
  • Emergency Services
  • Youth Development
  • Success By 6
  • After School
  • Seniors
  • Youth Outreach
  • Disablities
  • Health & Healing
  • Childcare
  • Diversity
  • Counseling

3. During the months of March and April, SEUW volunteers review funding applications and convene a review meeting with each applicant. These meetings give volunteers a chance to ask additional questions and see programs taking place prior to making funding recommendations.

Funding decisions can change from year to year based on the financial need of the agency (SEUW is strictly a deficit funder), the number of people being served, changes in need for the program, etc.

4. At the beginning of May, funding recommendations are further reviewed by the chairs of the 12 teams.

5. The last week of May, the SEUW Board of Directors reviews the final funding decisions, approves funding for the upcoming calendar year, and sets the campaign goal for the fall campaign.

So when you’re asked to support SEUW this fall, the need and funding decisions have been reviewed 3 times by multiple-layers of volunteers to ensure your donation is used effectively and efficiently. That’s how we help you help your community.

See what our volunteers have to say: