Partners in Purpose

by Fred Payne, president and CEO, United Way of Central Indiana

On July 25, United Way unveiled its plan,?Partners in Purpose, to combat poverty and make a measurable difference in our community over the next five years.

A?measurable?difference.?In our 100+ years of existence, United Way has measured a lot of its work. In 1918, United Way measured success by counting all the dollars and coins thrown into a gigantic treasure chest on Monument Circle. Decades later, we had full-scale thermometers on our front lawn measuring fundraising efforts. Today, we have a dashboard online where you can see the community need and impact data from partner organizations updated quarterly. With all this experience and the data backing us up, we have set a bold goal of distancing 10,000 households (roughly 30,000 people) from poverty in our five-year plan.?

A measurable?difference.?Moving beyond figures, data, and measurements, we will never lose sight of the impact United Way and its partners can make on people’s lives. Those households are made up of people, who despite working hard, might be facing evictions with nowhere to go, unable to earn more in their paychecks because they lack advanced education or credentials, missing work because they can’t find safe and affordable childcare for their kids, or constantly worried about money to feed themselves or their families.?

We call our plan?Partners in Purpose?for two obvious reasons: to be successful in eliminating poverty, we must form and strengthen partnerships in our community to reach the measurable impact we intend. And, great partners share a purpose – to help people live the lives they are capable of living.?

When I think about helping to change the trajectory of a person’s life, I think of several examples that inspire me at United Way. I think of Jami, who sought help at?Stability First?in Morgan County and worked so hard to get her life back on track. I think of D. Frank, who emerged from incarceration and now is a certified peer recovery coach at a local hospital,?thanks to PACE. We know there are thousands of folks like Jami and D. Frank out there, needing assistance, support, inspiration and hope.?

Together, with our hundreds of partners and our common shared purpose, we know we will succeed in making a measurable difference in people’s lives and throughout our community.?

Learn more about United Way of Central Indiana’s?Partners in Purpose Plan.