Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/1122874
26 | I NSIGH T • J u n e 2 0 19 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m "Almost immediately, you get the job and those benefits stop, and you haven't even gotten your first paycheck yet. So, that's the benefits cliff," Davis says. Oen, this is how people end up at pantries or feeding programs, she continues. ough they're making more, people may end up feeling worse off than they were before and give up, not because they're lazy but because they can't make it work. United Way campaign chairs oen speak to company leaders. Davis says it can prove enlightening when they start to realize they have ALICE working for them. "In their minds, they are paying a good wage, but if you start to think about what it costs for housing and all of these other factors, you realize it's not stretching as far as (you) thought it did," she says. Stability for all T he BCUW, which employs 12, has created a 2018-2028 strategic plan with the goal of setting 10,000 individuals on a path to stability in 10 years. It's taking a targeted approach to reach this objective. Davis says three spheres of influence drive community and transformational change, and these guide BCUW's work. ese include providing grants to programs that offer direct services, systems change and nonpartisan advocacy on the local, county, state and federal level. In addition to focusing on those areas, the nonprofit has undergone organizational restructuring. Since taking her role in 2017, Davis says the BCUW has worked to become more agile. It's made changes in staff responsibilities, retooled strategies and refreshed its grant structure. e BCUW isn't alone in addressing community issues. e organization works closely with other groups such as the Greater Green Bay Chamber and Greater Green Bay Community Foundation. It's a valuable and unique relationship, Davis says. "It's really great when she and I can come together and share our top initiatives and what we're focusing on and how we're trying to move the community forward," the chamber's Radke says. "We certainly are a community that has heart, and we care about the individual, and we want to make sure that there's an opportunity for all." e community foundation's Buehler says the three organizations work together to respond to the needs of the community as defined by the community using tools such as the Leading Indicators for Excellence (LIFE) Study. Completed in 2011 and again in 2016, the LIFE Study surveyed 800 community leaders and 1,500 scientifically selected households to gather their thoughts about aspects of life in the county. "We appreciate each other's work, we respect each other's work and we try to complement in any way we can because we certainly know that the stronger we are together, the stronger our community as a whole is going to be," he says. A great challenge lies before Davis and the organization she leads, from the scope of the task of moving 10,000 onto a path of stability in 10 years to adjusting to changing donor habits and attitudes. Her objective, she says, is to let people know the United Way is always there and always working. A lifetime of work and experiences has led up to this, and with the help of the community and other organizations, Davis is ready to meet the challenge. "My voice by itself, maybe somebody isn't going to listen to me, but if there's a group of us that are all singing the same song or sharing the same message, then there will be a greater impact than me by myself," she says. The Greater Good c o n t i n u e d "My voice by itself, maybe somebody isn't going to listen to me, but if there's a group of us that are all singing the same song or sharing the same message, then there will be a greater impact than me by myself." — Robyn Davis, president and CEO of Brown County United Way