A Look at the Web Resources of the United Way of Central Louisiana

The impetus for this post came from David Britt, who has been president of the United Way of Central Louisiana for the past decade. Dave left a comment in my previous post, and I felt compelled to make up for overlooking his organization in my hasty and incomplete overview of the nonprofit scene in Cenla. It would take months to uncover every nook and cranny of the Louisiana nonprofit sector's web presence, and fortunately the United Way of Central Louisiana has already completed most of that work.

The homepage of the website for the United Way of Central Louisiana is unassuming and does not belie the bevy of resources it makes available. That said, it's two most important components, the Volunteer Center and the Guide to Human Services, are easy to locate. They will each be dealt with in turn. The homepage also has a link to donate, and an announcement that it is one of just twenty-two organizations in the state to be certified by LANO's (Louisiana Association of Nonprofits) Standards of Excellence accountability program (please see the previous post for more on LANO and the Standards program). It's easy to see why: in every project and forum, one can find almost full disclosure on contacts, financing, goals, and various ways to get involved.

The tabs at the top of the website hold a large amount of useful information about the United Way of Central Louisiana and their programs. Under "Katrina/Rita," the website provides the minutes to the Long Term Recovery Committee and information on the Cenla Hurricane Recovery Center. In the tab "Our Community," one finds the "Human Services Forum," a monthly meeting for nonprofit staff to network with their peers. Also in "Our Community" is a list "About Member Agencies" of the United Way of Cenla, such as the Hope House, the Salvation Army, and the Boys and Girls Club. In "Links," nonprofits can find a number of useful sites from The Louisiana Office of Community Development to Grantsmart. Another tab describes the quarterly educational "GIS Forum," for people who work with Global Information Systems. "Young Professionals" provides information on an organization for those under the age of forty to network with other community-oriented professionals in the Cenla area.

The Volunteer Center provides a searchable and browsable database of volunteer opportunities for the seventeen member agencies of the United Way of Cenla. There is also a calendar, though it seems seldom used.

The real meat lies in the Guide to Human Services, which goes far beyond the member agencies of the United Way of Cenla. It uses an interactive website, called CommunityPoint, that is described as a "powerful website application designed to increase public access to community resources. It enables managers of information and referral data to publish and edit data in a real time environment." It is an open system that has an easy application process for organizations. Hundreds of charitable organizations in Cenla have gotten involved. There are unique searches to find volunteer opportunities, agency profiles, (which “include address, phone numbers, web, and email addresses, hours, disability access, fees, eligibility requirements, and service descriptions”） agency wishlists, and--perhaps most important--the specific services provided by various agencies. It also includes a calendar, but it too appears to be underutilized.

My favorite link on the United Way website (here's where the nerd in me comes out) is the Pathways Mapping Initiative, which is a compilation of articles and case studies for the development of communities in America. It can be found in the "Solutions to Poverty" selection of the "Our Community" tab. Pathways has two initiatives: Child School Readiness and Family Economic Success. A tab at the top of the Pathway's website gives you the option to view each initiative's Components, such as Attributes of Effectiveness, Examples, and Rationale. For the first-timer, the Actions Overview gives a sense of the breadth of Pathways' resources (these links are for the Pathway to Family Economic Success). The Pathway Navigator is interesting, though my personal favorite, of course, is the list of Indicators.

To list one example of many, "More Outlets for Reasonably Priced Goods and Services" is in the group of Community Investment indicators under Family Economic Success. This indicator acknowledges that in inner-city areas, retail goods are generally more expensive. A link to a project that analyzes vendors is provided, and suggestions and concerns are discussed. Essentially, nonprofits or policy makers could use this information to begin to address the disparity of goods-pricing in economically depressed areas. Other indicators include "Increased Home Ownership," "Increase of Levels of Family Income and Earning," and "Children With Health Insurance."

My personal interest lies in methodologies for evaluating and monitoring public policy and nonprofit projects. These kinds of websites provide virtually limitless resources for researching social empowerment.

The website of the United Way of Central Louisiana has many more features, and here I've listed those that I feel are most important. I encourage you to peruse their site, and if I've missed anything, let me and other readers know by leaving a comment. Their website is just one of many examples of the impact the Internet can have on the nonprofit sector. As evidenced by the explosion of personal and political blogs, the open exchange of ideas on the web is democratizing information and allowing ordinary citizens to easily get involved at the grassroots level. There is one caveat, of course: sitting in front of your computer is no substitute for leaving the house and getting your hands dirty.