logo logo
Donate
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Social Justice
    • Racial Justice
    • Climate Justice
    • Disability Justice
    • Economic Justice
    • Health Justice
    • Immigration
    • LGBTQ+
  • Civic News
  • Nonprofit Leadership
    • Board Governance
    • Equity-Centered Management
    • Finances
    • Fundraising
    • Human Resources
    • Organizational Culture
    • Philanthropy
    • Power Dynamics
    • Strategic Planning
    • Technology
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Leading Edge Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Webinars

United Way Withdraws Resources and YWCA Steps Forward

Ruth McCambridge
January 4, 2011

January 3, 2011; Source: Syracuse.com | NPQ is fascinated to watch how community organizations are working together to ensure that people’s needs are met when resources are very scarce. In this case, a Syracuse settlement house had been disaffiliated from the local United Way, costing it $200,000 or a quarter of its annual budget. It was one of two groups to get dropped. The United Way cites governance and management concerns as reasons for eliminating the group’s funding but does not suggest that there are legal, ethical or moral issues of any kind.

Approximately half of the eradicated funding was to have been used for badly needed after school programming and so this led to discussions between the Dunbar and the local YWCA about collaborating on providing those programs at Dunbar with the YWCA taking the lead and, in fact, applying to the United Way for the money to cover those services. The YWCA may also bring at least one additional program serving teenaged girls to Dunbar this year.

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

The president of Dunbar’s board, Louella Williams, says that the YWCA is a good match for Dunbar. “They are empowering families, women and fighting racism,” she said. The president of the United Way, Frank Lazarski seems supportive of the plan. “I think there is a real concerted effort among several not-for-profit organizations that want to see Dunbar retool and move ahead,” he said. “We really want to see the services for the people in that community and that neighborhood continue, however best they can be implemented.”

Everyone seems to be responding productively in public but the comments following the Syracuse.com article linked to above reveal some interesting perspectives on the United Way’s decision and its priorities.—Ruth McCambridge

About the author
Ruth McCambridge

Ruth is Editor Emerita of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.

More about: Nonprofit News

Our Voices Are Our Power.

Journalism, nonprofits, and multiracial democracy are under attack. At NPQ, we fight back by sharing stories and essential insights from nonprofit leaders and workers—and we pay every contributor.

Can you help us protect nonprofit voices?

Your support keeps truth alive when it matters most.
Every single dollar makes a difference.

Donate now
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

You might also like
As Global Climate and Refugee Crises Accelerate, a Call for Humanity
Angely Mercado
How Nonprofits and Activists Can Oppose Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”
Matthew Rozsa
“Unrig the Game”: Learning from Women of Color in Leadership and Social Movements
Holly Jonas
For Black Maternal Health, We Need Justice and Equity: A Conversation with Angela Doyinsola Aina
Rebekah Barber
A Group of Black Girls Commemorates Juneteenth by Walking in Harriet Tubman’s Footsteps
Rebekah Barber
In California’s Largest Landback Deal, the Yurok Tribe Reclaims Sacred Land Around Klamath River
Anita Hofschneider, Grist

Upcoming Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
June 26th, 2:00 pm ET

From Performance Management to Mutual Commitment

Fostering a Culture of Joyful Accountability

Register
Group Created with Sketch.
July 24th, 2:00 pm ET

Organizing in Divided Times

The Relational Infrastructure We Need to Protect Democracy

Register

    
You might also like
A group of about two dozen students, many wearing blue shirts, walk in the rain in front of the US House of Representatives.
How Nonprofits and Activists Can Oppose Trump’s “Big...
Matthew Rozsa
Conservatives Attack Nonprofits on Capitol Hill
Isaiah Thompson
Glass-paneled exterior of the Microsoft building.
Microsoft Axes Free 365 Software for Nonprofits
Isaiah Thompson

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Donate
  • Editorial Policy
  • Funders
  • Submissions

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.