United Way in the News

Change is on the way

Tom Mallini, left, outgoing chairman of the board for United Way of North Central Florida, shakes hands with incoming chair Denny Gies. This area's United Way will undergo a transformation as it enters its 50th year in 2007, focusing more on specific community impact and measuring outcomes rather than simply redistributing donations. (TOM McCARTHY/SPECIAL TO THE SUN)

Article published May 29, 2006
By MARINA BLOMBERG
The Gainesville Sun

As it enters its 50th year in 2007, the United Way of North Central Florida will realize some changes in not only the way it has been run, but in the way it affects the community.

It will still be helping nearly 30 non-profit agencies improve the human and health services in the region. But it will also be affecting its own changes.

United Way is an agency that, as outgoing chairman Tom Mallini put it, "is a gatherer of a community's generosity, which it then redistributes in an efficient manner using volunteers."

That historical role is changing. After three years of strategic planning, the board of directors has decided to embark on a community impact focus. Mallini said "Involving the citizens of the community, an analysis will be made of the state of affairs, identifying areas that need improvement and critical issues that face our community.

"United Way will act as a collaborator and convener of resources that both currently exist and need to be developed, to come together in partnerships, to design programs, to address our needs," he added.

The first two community impact initiatives are the 2-1-1 and Success by 6.

2-1-1 allows telephone users to directly access health and human services. It is being put in place all over America. Here callers can get non-emergency information and referral in Alachua, Bradford, Dixie, Gilchrist, Levy and Union counties. The 2-1-1 will accessible to cell phone users this fall.

Success by 6 is collaboration between current and new child development resources to reduce crime rate, teen pregnancy and welfare dependency and increase success in school, workforce readiness and community engagement.

Success by 6 is not a new movement; it originated nationally 16 years ago. According to the national United Way, in the past five years alone more than 500,000 children have benefited from early learning, child care, parent education, health, literacy and family resource center programs.

Denny Gies, incoming chair of the United Way who has been involved with the group for 20 years, said the decision to choose Success by 6 was made by a task force comprised of 70 individuals, after surveying 500 people about the needs of the community.

Gies said "children are born ready to learn, and we (the community) blow it." He was flabbergasted when he noted that "the state of Alabama gauges the future need for prison beds on the reading levels of third grades. What is that all about? But they've been doing it for 20 years, and you know what? It's an accurate predictor."

Mallini adds, "Look at the cost of the juvenile justice system. In 2003, Alachua County spent $24.5 million just to operate it. Look at teen birth rates. We see 17-year-olds who already have two children. That mother is probably not prepared to prepare her child for school. We want programs in place that will ensure when that child is in first grade, they have skills to succeed."

Gies said another change he is looking forward to seeing is "this result-oriented, outcome stuff we've been beating into the heads of agencies and programs. We will be able to report on significant outcomes and how we impact lives."

Mallini described it as "United Way used to be measured by how much money we raised. Now it will be measured how it will impact the community."

Gies said the difference will be between output and outcome. "It's the difference between how many sausages you made - that's output - and if they tasted good and you sold a lot - that's outcome.

"With this change - outputs to outcomes - we are going to start seeing results, and report to the investors 'Look at what your money is doing.'"

Mallini said the agency is already seeing increases in funding from these reports of outcomes.

Donors of more than $10,000 a year to United Way are listed in the Alexis de Tocqueville Society. This region had three members four years ago; there are now 18, Mallini said.

While these two initiatives will be evaluated yearly, once they are up and running, new ones will be chosen, Gies said. "In a perfect world, these would soon become self-sufficient, and we can focus on another group, such as the elderly or the homeless."

Gies takes charge at United Way's annual meeting Wednesday. He says he is excited with the prospect. "My first job is to keep the momentum going. Tim Goldfarb is campaign chair this year, and we expect an even better campaign than last year. And that one, under Roland Daniel, was a record one."

He said his job will be easy because of the people working with him. "I am humbled by being asked to do this. The staff is first rate, and I have a very good board - they are focused. In the past three years I have seen this board grow by leaps and bounds. They know what is going on, care about making a change and ready to take the heat - not everyone is going to be happy. This is an engaged board. I can't say enough about their strength."

Mallini, 57, is chairman of the board and CEO of M&S Bank, as well as involved with other community and banking associations. He has served on the United Way board for four years, including on the allocations panel and as campaign chair.

But he's been involved with United Way for the 20 years he's been with M&S and in Savannah, Ga., 33 years ago.

He said he chose United Way for its scope and how it touches multiple segments of the community. He said board member Rod Smith described it as "enabling you to help people in the community that you would want to help if you knew they needed the help - but you didn't know they needed help."

Gies, soon to be 64, retired two years ago from 20 years serving as administrator for the North Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center. This is a maximum security mental health facility on State Road 26 that houses people with mental illness who are involved in the criminal justice system.

He became involved with United Way through the state employees campaign. "I thought it as a perfect fit for people who do social service work. Now I can contribute a little more." He volunteered on the allocation panel for 15 years, and has been a board member for about four years.

Both Mallini and Gies say being board chair of an agency that handles millions of dollars doesn't mean an overload of work. Mallini said he spent perhaps two to three hours a week during his tenure, but noted that particular year had a lot of out-of-the-ordinary workshops and training sessions. Gies said he spends about two hours a week, including meetings and special events.

This is good, he says, so he can spend other hours with his favorite pastime: playing bluegrass on the mandolin. He's even been in a couple of bands and at a few festivals.

He's not always been into bluegrass. Shortly after their marriage 33 years ago, his wife, Joyce, bought him a three-record LP record set of bluegrass for Christmas. "I was into rock and roll, I was looking for Led Zeppelin and Cream. I didn't know one person in this set, not one - and there were 30 of them.

"But I played it and it was a major epiphany. There's enough I have to learn to keep me busy for five lifetimes."

Marina Blomberg can be reached at (352) 374-5025 or blombem@gvillesun.com