United Way of the Midlands Blog

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.”

-Fredrick Douglass

An interesting article was posted in the New York Times in January with the simple idea that we could end poverty with a hug, or lots of hugs, rather. In the article, Nicholas D. Kristof examined the impact of “toxic stress” in early life, and even before.

Where does toxic stress come from? Kristof explains it as something that can “arise from parental abuse of alcohol or drugs. It could occur in a home where children are threatened and beaten. It might derive from chronic neglect — a child cries without being cuddled […] the stress emerges when a child senses persistent threats but no protector.”

This toxic stress has an immediate and lasting impact on young children, perhaps even before leaving the womb. Cortisol, a stress hormone, can change children’s metabolism or even decrease brain function, and children facing toxic stress are more likely to have trouble with academics, be quick to anger, and tangle with the law. Stress in early childhood development can cause lasting symptoms as adults, too, with higher rates of heart disease, obesity, diabetes and other physical problems.

Kristof suggests addressing poverty with this information by using it to break the cycle. He says, “Poverty is difficult to overcome partly because of self-destructive behaviors. Children from poor homes often shine, but others may skip school, abuse narcotics, break the law, and have trouble settling down in a marriage and a job. Then their children may replicate this pattern.”

It is our job to set up programs to raise awareness and help young children. Many times no one steps in until the child starts school, but as Kristof points out, this is already too late:

“At age 6, studies have found, these children are only one-third as likely to have behavioral or intellectual problems as others who weren’t enrolled. At age 15, the children are less than half as likely to have been arrested.”

By simply teaching parents to pay attention to children and act as protectors, maybe we can help break the cycle of poverty.

What do you think? Read the article and share your thoughts below.

What fires you up? Literacy? Poverty? Hunger?

Whatever it is, there are opportunities waiting for you to get connected.

United Way of the Midlands has just launched Get Connected, a tool where volunteers can match their preferences with the needs of non-profit agencies throughout the Midlands.

Visit uway.org/volunteer to sign up or log in with your Facebook account. Once you’re in, you can choose a cause and find volunteer opportunities, see requests for in-kind needs, board opportunities, and even look for employment opportunities. You can even subscribe to updates from your favorite cause. Because it’s all based on your preferences, you don’t have to worry about anyone spamming you, and United Way will never give your personal information to anyone else.

“We looked at the work we were doing with partners in our community and realized just how great the need for volunteers is,” said Mac Bennett, President and CEO of United Way of the Midlands.  “We’ve been a leader in promoting volunteerism in the Midlands through our community-wide Days of Action and through our workplace campaigns and this website is a way to continue that work with a broader reach.”

Non-profit agencies in the Midlands, even those not affiliated with United Way, are encouraged to create an agency page and utilize this resource to further connect with their community and volunteers. More than 1,400 people have signed up already, and there are over 40 agencies with 100 volunteer projects, 60 in-kind needs and 30 events.

“We wanted to use this website as a way to strengthen not just our partners, but all non-profits in the Midlands,” said Bennett. “This is a resource that will benefit everyone in our community.”

For more information on “Get Connected” contact Bridgett Molony at 803-758-6987 or bmolony@uway.org. To sign up as a volunteer or agency, visit the website at www.uway.org/volunteer.

Find out more on our Facebook pages as well:

United Way:
http://www.facebook.com/uwmidlands

Young Leaders Society: http://www.facebook.com/UWYoungLeadersSociety

Women in Philanthropy: http://www.facebook.com/WomenInPhilanthropy

If you’re interested in nonprofits and you don’t know about Blue Avocado then take a minute and get to know it.  It is good reading for nonprofit staff, board members, or folks generally interested in nonprofits.  The magazine offers great articles and great commentary.  They also post something akin to “the Shameless Self promotion” award, so they have a sense of humor.

While it is an older post, this Blue Avocado article deserves some extra attention. Jan Masoka, nonprofit rock star, believes it is the executive director who is responsible for the organization.  ALL of it- including the how well the board operates. She’s right- everything hums along when both the board and the director are strong and are working well together.  She’s also right that when the board is weak something has to change, and the board likely won’t change unless the director gets involved and helps make the change.

I agree with Masoka to a degree.  However, I’m a fan of checks and balances, so I’m concerned about the director’s power.  I think it is too easy when operating from Masoka’s framework for board members with busy lives to defer to the director.  This deferment can further weaken or disengage a board.  Finally, and I hate to say it, but sometimes bad executives take advantage of or unwittingly hurt organizations. Call me skeptical and slightly paranoid, but I don’t want power of a charitable organization concentrated in one person.

So at Blueprint we work to cultivate an educated and trained group of volunteers who are prepared to step up and work on boards to make sure the best possible work is being done in an organization. The checks and balances from staff, to executive director to a Board of Directors made up of donors and volunteers keeps our message and efforts connected with the community and prevent them from being created in a vacuum, a crucial part to making an impact.

What are you doing to ensure your Board of Directors is engaged?

Last month a couple of us attended the United Way Worldwide Brand Forum in Atlanta. The conference focused on individual engagement and giving your donors and volunteers a cause to advocate for and participate in. We listened to a lot of speakers and watched several presentations but there is one video that stuck with me after the trip.

It’s an interesting interpretation of what is actually happening in the video, that much is clear, but I have to appreciate it for what it is saying. Nurturing our followers (or donors, or volunteers) as equal participants in our cause is something we can all do a little better on. We call on our donors to support us, and we call on our volunteers to give us their time, but do we continue to engage them once we have their ear? It’s not just our excellent fundraising and marketing skills that bring them in- they actually care about these things too!

Each of the followers in the video took ownership of the movement, and then brought friends. If we can give our donors and volunteers something that they care about, and can feel included in and responsible for, not only will we achieve a more authentic connection with them, but perhaps they too, will bring their friends in to follow, to give, or to volunteer. I won’t speak for all non-profits, but that’s not something we’ll be turning away anytime soon!