Monadnock United Way

ABOUT US Monadnock United Way isn’t just our name. It is how we work. We unite people from all sectors of the Monadnock Region to solve problems in our community. We believe that when we work together, we make all our region’s communities stronger. The problems challenging us are complex; they are issues that no single organization or individual alone can solve. Monadnock United Way’s goal is to create long-lasting changes by addressing the underlying causes of these problems. United Way has the networks, partnerships and strategic initiatives to improve the lives of our family, friends and neighbors. Real change is possible when nonprofit, public and private sectors team up to work together. Advancing the common good is less about helping one person at a time and more about changing systems to help all of us. OUR VISION For more than 65 years, Monadnock United Way has been committed to creating better lives for all in our region. Our five-year strategic plan provides a roadmap for investing in our community. Together, we will create lasting change by supporting strategies that are innovative, promising and measurable. Historically, we have invested in programs. Today, we begin a new way of investing — by focusing on issues such as child neglect, lack of education and the need for living wages — while helping to ensure that foundational needs, such as food and shelter, are available for those in need. WHY We Invest in Children, Education, Financial Stability In 2012, the Monadnock United Way and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation partnered with the NH Center for Public Policy Studies to conduct extensive research with a goal of uncovering gaps in the well-being of people living in the Monadnock region. The goals of that study were to: - Identify major trends and community needs in our region - Identify evidence-based solutions to address those needs - Explore a systems approach to address the needs at the root cause Of the many factors that influence a community’s well-being, three foundational areas were identified as high priority that MUW is uniquely positioned to address. Those are: Children.The rates of teenage pregnancy, and child abuse and neglect are higher in this region than all but three counties in the state. Education. High school students in this region generally scored lower than the top 25 percent in the rest of the state. Financial Stability. The region is losing high-paying jobs and our wages are the second lowest in the state. These three factors tend to cycle together. On an encouraging note, when children, education and financial stability needs are addressed, they positively affect other areas, including substance abuse, hunger and homelessness.