Community Investment Reviewer Training
United Way of Greater New Haven
March 2010
United Way’s Mission
United Way of Greater New Haven
brings together the caring power of
people to create change in our region
and to improve lives.
Orientation for Community Investment Reviewers
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United Way Values
• Maximizing Community Impact
• Transparent, Deliberate, and Ethical
Decision-Making Processes
• Volunteer Involvement and Leadership
Orientation for Community Investment Reviewers
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United Way Agenda for Change
Community Leadership
Education
Income
Health
Basic Needs
Orientation for Community Investment Reviewers
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2010 RFP Process
Education
Success By 6
Income
Economic Opportunity
Housing
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Volunteer Involvement and
Leadership
• The review process includes a wide range of
volunteers representing the community.
• Review committees will make recommendations to
the Community Impact Cabinet. They will look at the
“big picture” across all of the investment areas and
make a final recommendation to the UWGNH Board.
• The UWGNH Board will make the final decision
regarding funding decisions.
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Applications
A competitive RFP process open to:
• Incorporated 501(c)3 organizations or have contracted
with a fiduciary
• Serve residents in our twelve-town service area
• Can demonstrate their program’s alignment with the
UWGNH desired results and strategies in Success By 6
and Income and how people they serve will be better off
• No preference for current grantees
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Community Investment Process Roles
• Reviewers
SB6 Community Invest Review Team (volunteers and staff)
Income Community Investment Review Team (volunteers
and staff)
Tier 1
Tier 2
• United Way Staff
• Facilitator
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Reviewer COI and Confidentiality
• All reviewers will complete a conflict of interest
form to indicate organizations with which they
have an affiliation or relationship that would pose
a conflict of interest.
 Reviewers will be assigned to an investment
area in which they do not have a conflict.
• Reviewers agree to maintain the confidentiality of
the applications, the group discussions, and the
funding recommendations.
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SB6 Reviewer Tasks
• Score approximately 6 applications
• Complete a scoring sheet for each application
• Schedule and conduct a site visit for 2 to 3 applications.
• Participate in the SB6 deliberation meeting
 May 12, 12:00-4:00 p.m., Graustein Memorial Fund,
Hamden
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Income Reviewer Tasks
Tier 1 Reviewers:
1. Score approximately 6 applications
2. Complete a scoring sheet for each application
– Based on the reviewers’ scores, applications that fall
below a natural break in scoring will not advance in
the review process.
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Income Review Process
Tier Two Reviewers:
1. Score approximately 6 applications
2. Complete a scoring sheet for each application
– Based on the reviewers’ scores, applications that fall below
a natural break in scoring will not advance in the review
process.
3. Schedule and conduct a site visit for 2 to 3 applications
4. Participate in the Income deliberation meeting
– May 11, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Regional Water Authority,
New Haven
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Reviewing the applications
• Read the assigned applications on eCImpact. You will
be assigned up to 6 applications to score. All
applications within your team will be available for you
to review.
 The eCFund User’s Manual will be provided
• We strive for consistent scoring
 Provide scores based on the information you have at the time.
 Use the guiding questions on the review form to help you
analyze and score the information presented in the application.
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Group Deliberations
• Income and Success By 6 will meet separately to review the
applications and make funding recommendations.
• Reviewers’ scores will form the basis for the initial discussion about
the applications.
• Be prepared to answer questions/provide information during the
meeting about the applications you scored.
• We’ll use alignment with United Way strategies and capacity to
achieve results to make funding decisions.
• We anticipate having to make hard choices about how to use United
Way funding to have the greatest impact in the community.
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Site Visits
• Teams of 2 reviewers conduct 2-3 site visits
• Reviewers coordinate with program staff
• Opportunity to build knowledge
• Focus on questions, concerns in application
• Update scoring form with feedback from visit
• Bring what you learn to the deliberations
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New! Results Based Accountability
• All investments must have a plan for evaluating and
communicating their impact
 Formerly Used the Logic Model (inputs, activities,
indicators, outcomes)
• Adopted Results Based Accountability (RBA)
– Helps United Way assess program effectiveness and
larger community change
– Helps programs focus on measuring success and using
data
– Helps reviewers determine which applications are best
designed to achieve change for clients
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RBA In the Application
Focus on programs making a difference in clients’ lives.
– Desired results for Greater New Haven are identified by UW
– Specific strategies to reach those results are identified by
UW
– Applicants select the result(s) and strategy(ies) their program
supports
– Applicants explain their theory of change for the people they
serve
– Applicants make the case that clients will be better off as a
result of their program
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RBA in the Application
Applicants provide a compelling theory of change that drives the
program
1. Describe how their clients are doing against the UW result
2. Identify the factors promoting and challenging success
3. Describe what they will do to positively impact their clients
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RBA: Theory of Change
SB6 Result: Children enter school developmentally ready to learn
Indicator: % of children entering kindergarten with a pre-school
experience
100%
90
80
70
New Haven
60
50
40
30
20
10
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
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RBA: Turn the Curve
SB6 Result: Children enter school developmentally on track
Indicator: % of New Haven children entering kindergarten with
a pre-school experience
100%
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
Theory of change to impact
clients served
20
10
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020
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RBA In the Application
Three types of Performance Measures:
1. How much = the quantity of services (output)
2. How well = the quality of services
3. Better off = client impact/outcomes
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RBA In the Application
Focus on programs that can demonstrate clients are better off
Better off performance measures tell us how a program will know
that they are making a difference for clients
Better off means changes in: behaviors, attitudes/opinions,
circumstance, knowledge, skills
United Way invests in programs designed
to create client impacts/outcomes
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Reviewing and Scoring Applications
1. Application review
2. Score sheet review
3. Scoring simulation
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On behalf of UWGNH, thank you for taking on this
important role of leadership and
service to the community.
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