Introduction
For several decades, United Way has managed to recover the lives of many Americans based on the efforts of worried communities and people. The work of the United Way is not only based on financing projects but also deals with the work done by professionals from diverse organizations and individuals in providing the important desires, and being aware of the issues that affect the community.
The community-based issues are paid much attention in how the United Way members call for change. Their efforts can be measured based on their personal involvement of partners with the aim of helping others and ensuring that their lives is at progress. This paper will be about the activities carried out by the Human service program, United Way of Americadelivers to the beneficiaries in various regions across the United States.
Delivery of services
The United Way human service program spreads out to the communities it is concerned about in the proviso n of services. Based on the website for this program, the vision of the program is to achieve a world where all families and individuals are able to achieve maximum human potential through income stability, healthy lives, and education. The mission of the human service program is to improve lives via mobilizing the communities in developing caring power in all places of the world.
The currently in going activity at United Way is to fulfill the goals of its 2008 10 year program that aims at promoting healthy lives, helping people, and families to achieve financial stability, and improving education among high school, dropouts. In order to attain a durable and assessable change, the United Ways program constructs and recognizes commune property and strengths. With the goal of assisting groups and individuals with a kind of comfort for the discovery of customs on sustaining direct program services, talents, and time, and the achievement of change through community efforts and also to support changes based on public policy (Julian 2000, p 260).
A helpful web is that which is carefully designed to provide a wide range of issues in different ways. One of the most credible aspects that can be seen in United Way website is the choices made by groups or a group of volunteers with the will to make a change in the lives of people. They partner with various parties based on the issue of concern and the choices of districts to be addressed. United Way has for example managed to partner with administration agencies, labor economic institutions, schools, charitable organizations, and regional relations, district corporations for growth and reliance commune among others. They work together in determining the community issues and areas that needed to be provided with full attention as per the needs of each community.
This is the only way United Way and her partners are able to fully understand the specific needs and challenges of a given community. Based on the context of a given community and people’s culture, they will be offered the right treatments. This means that United Wayconsiders the unique conditions faced by diverse communities, which are also addressed appropriately. Based on such a strategy, the program on human service is able to pay full attention as per the right venue.
The volunteers of this program are able to focus on the most crucial issues. These volunteers can be individuals from the same communities they are dealing with or from other communities but understand the needs, background, and the way of life of a given community. A community issue is basically addressed effectively and innovatively through the provision of relevant solutions and also demonstrates its effectiveness in the measurement of outcomes (United Way of America 2007).
For example, planners at the United Way develop a local model meant for outcome –based funding in order to support evaluation and formative evaluation aimed at improving the program.
For the case of the ongoing implementations and development of local United Wayprograms, they have funding models that are outcome-based. The values of United Wayindicate that a kind of its services is autonomously provided by various agencies the community level. These agencies have the responsibility of ensuring that the resources of the program are accessible to each member of the community.
Further another value for United Ways is that it recognizes that each and every individual has the capacity that needs to be enhanced and identified. Special emphasis is placed on collaboration and prevention, which are the main strategies in addressing the basic issues with local human services. Other values are based on volunteerism, representation, and diversity in all the affairs of United Way. On outcome based funding the key values that United Way focus on is to become a responsible community member. A steward of resources for the community and to be a fund –raiser. The values originate from the perceptions of the community members and from historical development of the most important roles being undertaken by local United Way.
The United Way, at a broader perspective beyond the local level, will focus adhere to its general themes that have to be pursued by each local United Ways. This includes the children’s welfare in whichever status they are in and for family’s welfare in the local and urban setting. the programs conducts regular data collection, which are the social indicators that are compared with the goals and objectives of community human services, and further acts as a means to determine whether the services recipients have achieved the desired community conditions and statues, in the right way.
Though the United Way priorities are locally selected, its main themes include promoting self efficiency, helping in the success of all children, building safe and vital neighborhoods, and supporting, and strengthening families. These are the main projects indicated on the website to show the activities which United Ways and its partners deal with in the community with the goal of improving lives.
This paper has presented an overview of the projects dealt with by the United Ways and its partners with the goal of bringing changes to the communities (Fischer, 2001, p 561-568). It aims at young children’s lives, high school dropouts, and adults. The organization’s website clearly indicates the currently ongoing project with various goals and solutions as per the context of each community needs and problems. Generally, United Way has managed to address to the human needs through various tools that are beneficial for dialogue promotion among program providers, community members and system personnel.
Reference
Julian D (2000) a case studies of the implementation of outcomes-based funding within a local United Way system. Community psychology journal. Vol 8, p 290
Fischer, R (2001) the Sea Change in Non-profit Human Services. Vol 82, p 561-568
United Way of America (2007) Achieving and measuring community outcomes: Alexandria, VA
