Identify Community Issues
United Way of Greater Rochester has developed five focused plans—called Blueprints for Change—for our areas of investment. Each Blueprint not only outlines United Way's funding priorities, it also highlights the volunteer and advocacy strategies that will best help us make progress in that area. Our focused areas of impact are Early Childhood, School Age Youth, Aging, Crisis Services and Disabilities Services.
The process of developing these blueprints began with a community needs survey in which we asked the community what mattered most and on what United Way should focus. The results were clear: help children succeed, keep our community safe, help older adults and those who care for them to stay strong and active in the community for as long as possible.
Once we knew the issues that mattered to you most, we set about developing the plans. The process was rigorous, but also inclusive and transparent. Hundreds of professional human service providers and topic experts worked with us to develop the Blueprints. And we were committed to ensuring that the voices of those we serve were a part of the process as well. We focused on preventive, direct-service programs that are proven to work and evidence based. We also developed an evaluation plan for each Blueprint to ensure the strategies we selected are working to make a difference.
Read more about our process of developing our Blueprints for Change in our most recent Community Report.
After identifying community issues, United Way then uses your donations to fund community solutions.
