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Live United by Erin Haag

This week, United Ways from around the state gathered in one room to discuss our successes, challenges and ideas. In the room were those brand new to the nonprofit world. There were people who’d been working with United Ways for over 20 years and people who had extensive corporate experience and had made the switch to the nonprofit sector. There was an icebreaker where we lined up according to length of time. I’m coming up on five years in my position in April, but with over 20 years of experience working in the nonprofit sector.

I talked to a newcomer to the United Way world. My time wasn’t long enough to discover if she was also entirely new to the nonprofit world. As another colleague and I talked with her, I realized that I was wondering if she was too idealistic. This made me feel like maybe I was too cynical. She talked about how her area needed more direct services for basic needs. I agree, we need the same. I reminded her that she couldn’t save the world and challenged her to think — not smaller but bite-sized solutions. Was I too cynical though? I’m not sure. Only time will tell. I’m often accused of being a bleeding heart. You betcha. When I write these articles, the ones that are especially poignant will be written while I have tears falling. However, something I’ve learned about myself in the past couple of years is that while I’m a bleeding heart — and proud of it — I’m also eminently practical. I’m not entirely sure where that came from, but there it is.

A good friend lives by the starfish story, right down to the small starfish tattooed on her foot to remind her daily what her mission is. The story has many versions, but the basic premise is this. A young girl is walking along the beach, where millions of starfish have washed up. She picks up the starfish and throws them into the ocean. Her grandfather tells her, “You can’t save them all.” The girl replies, “I saved that one!” Inspired, the grandfather joins her, and then others in the community join them, and all the starfish are saved. My friend focuses her work on the individual. She never set out to save the world, just one kid at a time. Having seen her in action many times over the years, even from a distance, she’s accomplished what she set out to do. She’s made a difference. She saved “that one.”

A tagline for United Way of Freeborn County that has been used for a long time is “What are the greatest needs?” and “Where can we have the greatest impact?” I’ve used it myself. This is our rationale, why we choose to focus on some areas and not others. Over the last few months, I’ve started to dislike these questions. I can tell you what some of the greatest needs are — but I can also tell you that we’re not able to make lasting change in that area. The bleeding heart recognizes the need, and the practical side recognizes the challenges.

What does all this mean? United Way Worldwide’s pillars are “health, education and income.” What does that mean? Last spring, I was inspired by a United Way in Indiana that changed their pillars. Wait a minute — we can do that? My mind was blown. I’ve long felt that our United Way needed a bit more of a structured focus. The issues are so broad, so wide, and there’s only so much we can do. Couldn’t we make a greater impact by narrowing our focus? How do we narrow our focus without losing our ability to be nimble and respond to the community’s biggest needs? Where do we narrow our focus to in a way that won’t be exclusionary? What about the animals at the Humane Society or the benefits of cleaning up our lakes and rivers? Can you see my bleeding heart showing?

I’m not alone in these ponderings. At the conference this week I attended a session update from United Way Worldwide. Surprise, surprise, they’ve been talking about the same thing. The traditional pillars needed to be updated and have more context on what goes where. When the slide came onto the screen with the new logo, brighter colors … and the new pillars, I bounced in my seat. This was what resonated. I loved what the United Way in Indiana did — but it wasn’t for us. Our community is very different from theirs. What United Way Worldwide presented was a package that I felt could be “plug and play” for our community, a way to demonstrate how we’ve evolved in the last decade — and even in the last two years.

I have just a few articles left, and then it’ll be time for the break during the legislative session. You’ll be left hanging on a cliff to learn what these new pillars are and how and if they’re going to be used at our United Way. Detailed information is being presented to my board of directors to see if it resonates with them the same way it does with me. United Way Worldwide is developing materials, and we anticipate a big announcement this summer. I will tell you that it’s still “health, education and income,” just expanded and evolved. We’re not required to use these, but we’re given an opportunity to embrace shared language, something that will allow us to tap into the network of United Ways across the county. We’ll have areas of focus — and our job will be to develop strategies on how we’re going to accomplish these areas of focus.

It’s a brand-new year and a brand-new reset. Operational changes at the Welcome Pantry are set to take effect starting in February, and we’re hopeful that our big move and adjustment will give us some stabilization. As always, there’s a multitude of ways you can help. New volunteers are welcomed in a variety of ways, including our pantry, our administrative work and our board of directors. We also welcome opportunities to talk about a workplace campaign or a service club project. Would you like to learn more? Give us a call at 507-373-8670. Until then, stay warm and stay Living United.

Erin Haag is the executive director of the United Way of Freeborn County.