Blog

BiGAUSTIN (Business Investment Growth), Focus Area: Financial Stability

We continue our in-depth look at the new programs United Way Capital Area is supporting through the new Community Impact Model. You’ve probably heard of the enormous success that global micro-lending organizations have had–foundations like Kiva and TrickleUp–and, maybe you’ve wondered why a similar program can’t be duplicated right here in Central Texas for low-income individuals. Through BiGAUSTIN, the success of micro-lending and low-income business support is taking place here in Central Texas. BiGAUSTIN provides a developmental approach to address the needs of potential and existing entrepreneurs through training, technical assistance, access to markets and lending resources. BiGAUSTIN’s primary market is individuals with an interest in business ownership or business expansion whose access to credit and/or to high quality business training and ongoing support is limited or non-existent as a result of poverty, minority or gender status, or other barriers to business opportunity. The typical BiGAUSTIN client is a low-income individual, member of a racial and ethnic minority group, or a woman with a high school education and little formal business training. Typically, our clients have been in business for less than two years, and many start as micro-enterprises. They also start their businesses on an uneven playing field, competing with business owners who have more capital, fiscal agility and other economic resources. Through the services provided by BiGAUSTIN, more entrepreneurs gain access to markets, financial literacy, management skills, and increased access to funding, thereby reducing this gap between the advantaged and the disadvantaged. StatsClients Served: Over 6000Loans Disbursed: $4.3MLoans […]

Read More

Thank you 3M!

Winner of United Way’s 2007 Gifts In Kind Corporate Challenge… I want to personally express my sincere appreciation to Russell Bridges for securing 3M donations totaling over $592,000 to United Way’s Gifts In Kind Program. Russell is an outstanding community affairs executive who goes above and beyond and exemplifies the true potential of an individual who makes a difference in the community. 3M’s recent contribution will allow the Resource Center staff to distribute in-kind goods to nonprofit organizations to help more people in Central Texas. Check out the video and pictures of Russell Bridges and a team of 3M employees helping clean and stock the shelves at the Resource Center with boxes of post-it notes, flip charts, flag highlighter pens, desk lamps and many other miscellaneous office products. See the current agencies wish list below! Please post your comments! Diana SantosCorporate and Volunteer Relations DirectorHands On Central Texas Gifts In-Kind WishlistThe Resource Center can always use more. Here is a list of the most recent “Wish List” items: The Austin State School – Volunteer Services Council is seeking new books to create a library to improve the quality of life for the residents. Call 512-374-6070 American Red Cross of Central Texas needs new blankets (any size) to assist individuals in need of emergency care. Call 512-929-1251 The Austin Academy is in need of twenty bus passes to give to students who have no transportation. Call 512-326-8655 The Theatre Action Project is seeking 2 laptop computers to promote and create socially […]

Read More

Calling all Latinos/Hispanics!

I’m excited to announce the launch of the Latino/Hispanic community engagement strategy, as part of our Culture Connections program! We want to listen, learn and engage this very important and growing segment of the community. We are interested in engaging Latinos/Hispanics in addressing issues important to their communities. Hopefully, we’ll be able to come up with some good projects and innovative ways to connect with this community. Yeah, this is one of the ways United Way is being more intentional and authentic in it’s community work. It’s a very simple survey and you can take the survey here or call the survey line at 512-498-4900. The survey is in English and in the original Texas language…Español! Check out our press release y tambien me pueden llamar si tienen preguntas sobre la encuesta al 512-225-0360. Si Se Puede!MandoDirector, Manos Sobre…Central Texas!

Read More

The 10th Annual Austin Under 40 Awards

We all know how hard Mando has been working to engage Central Texans in volunteer work, and he may be honored for it this spring. Check out the website for Austin Under 40 here. If you look through the website, you’ll see some well known Central Texas movers and shakers on the past winners list. Here are the other finalists in the Community Service category with him: Community Service, presented by Capital One Bank Chase Bearden, The Coalition of Texans with Disabilities Caroline Boudreaux, The Miracle Foundation Jim Higgins Walker, Central Texas Sustainability Indicators Project David Pena, National Hispanic Business Association Armando Rayo, Hands on Central Texas, United Way Capital Area Congratulations Mando and good luck from all of us at United Way Capital Area!

Read More

Public Innovators Lab III – Learning

I just spent 3 1/4 days of learning! Yes, this is exciting! (notice the exclamations!) I love to learn from experiences, from others, from myself and dare I say say it….from failure. I believe this is when we learn the most – when we fail. That’s one of my key take-aways from the Lab – to not be afraid of failure; putting yourself out there, being innovative, being authentic in your work and whether you succeed or fail, you were bold enough to try something new. From there you pick-up the pieces, you learn and try it again. Rich Harwood also talked about focusing our efforts outward to the community – for the common good. He asked those of us that work in nonprofits, “do you really know your community?” I responded with a no. We think we know our communities because we work in nonprofits and see the needs on a daily basis and we have the data to prove it (at least to ourselves) but we really don’t know what the “community” wants, what their aspirations are, their dreams for their kids, families and neighborhoods. Rich said that we need to stop thinking of clients as clients, donors as donors and we need to see them as citizens of the community. In many cases, we don’t see them as citizens, we see them as recipients of services or funders of our events and programs. If we want to authentically engage our communities, we need to change the way […]

Read More

The Most Important Investment

featuring J. Barry Griswell, Chairman and CEO of The Principal Financial Group As chief executive officer of one of the world’s leading financial companies, Barry Griswell knows a thing or two about smart investments. And on February 20, he’ll be in Austin to talk with us about the astonishing economic impact of early childhood education. Prior to his compelling presentation, TXP (Texas Perspectives) economist Jon Hockenyos will unveil findings from the just-published Travis County Child Care Economic Impact Study. E3Alliance Executive Director Susan Dawson will also speak to chosen regional priorities around early childhood education. Closing remarks by David Balch, President and CPO of United Way Capital Area, will provide a call to action for the top-level business and policy leaders in attendance. The Most Important Investment takes place at the Hyatt Regency Austin on Wednesday, February 20 from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. (By invitation only.) Special thanks to our event sponsor:

Read More

Public Innovators Lab II: Hope

Today we began to scratch the surface. We started to dig into perceptions of our communities, whether it’s the Eastside or Central Texas. What we found is that the perceptions where all based on individual experiences, where we live and how well we’re connected to the community and what we’re exposed to in the community. I for one, feel we have a long way to go: We don’t have broad, diverse and deep leadership; we have tattered networks, we are isolated (East vs. West/I-35 Railroad Tracks), nonprofit organizations are stuck in old patterns, still consider themselves charities as opposed to social entrepreneurs and don’t get me started on the divisiveness of the sector. With that said, I still have hope for our community! I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have hope because I see it in Public Innovators, in Volunteer Project Leaders, in everyday volunteers and community members; the willingness to help people and change our community’s conditions. They remind me how small acts of goodness can create the change we need in our community. Now, let’s work on doubling, tripling, quatripaling these acts of goodness! Public Innovators: Amanda Chiampi & Pflugerville’s own Rod Reyna! Will you “be the change?” Tell us how!!!! MandoDirector, Hands On Central Texas

Read More

Public Innovators Lab – Aspirations

What are your aspirations for Central Texas? I”ll tell you mine: Central Texas is an inclusive community, we are proactive in addressing community issues and everyone has the opportunity to succeed. Well, I guess that”s more than one aspiration, but I think we can get there. Today, we are in the first day of Public Innovator Lab, hosted by Rich Harwood and the Harwood Intitute for Public Innovation. The Lab is an orientation on how Central Texans can make “real change” happen in our community; to address our community”s most pressing issues. I”m excited about the next three days. I”m in a room with people full of knowledge, experience and the “ganas” to make things happen. I”m talking about community, nonprofit, city, business and regional folks. One of online slots the first things we discussed was our aspirations for our Central Texas community. In our discussion, we talked about the issues (poverty, economic and educational disparities, racism, neighborhood isolation, etc.) and how we can come together to make a lasting difference. I want to share some of our aspiration notes (see above). Today, we started to build a network of people who want to make change and hope real. What issues will we tackle or how will we go about it? That”s still to be determined but I am excited about the possibilities! Public Innovators: Tommy Darwin (UT) & Margaret Valenti (City of Austin) Read more about the Harwood InstituteView the first class of Public Innovators MandoDirector, Hands On Central […]

Read More

I Live Here, I Give Here

“I Live Here, I Give Here” has a video on YouTube that offers compelling reasons for why giving in Central Texas is so important. With our President and Chief Professional Officer David Balch as a member of the I Live Here, I Give Here steering committee, we are proud to participate with the The “I Live Here, I Give Here” campaign, which aims to boost local giving by educating fellow Austinites about the needs in Central Texas and the organizations working to meet those needs.

Read More

The United Way Capital Area 2-1-1 Helpline and the Community Tax Center program

The Community Tax Center (CTC) program, a United Way Capital Area funded program of Foundation Communities, began its 4th year of providing FREE Income Tax preparation assistance to Central Texas families on January 22nd. Once again our United Way Capital Area 2-1-1 Helpline is serving as the public point of information and screening for the Tax Centers. Last year the CTC program filed just over 13,300 returns bringing in $17 Million into our community. Between January and April 2-1-1 handled over 12,000 calls from individuals and families seeking options and education on filing their taxes. This year the CTC program seeks to continue the growth and scope of the program and bring in $20 million in returns and credits. To give you an idea of a typical day–on February 4th 2-1-1 Team spoke to 953 callers. Just under 400 were calling for information on the Community Tax Centers or rural tax prep options in Central Texas. Almost 80% of these calls were answered in under one minute with an average hold time of less than five seconds. What other call center do you know of where anything approaching that kind of response is delivered on a regular basis? Consider this: an average return for a Tax Centers client is $3,000. For an average day like last Monday, this means that if all 400 of our tax callers from last Monday are served, that will bring in $1.2 Million into their lives. This is a powerful step toward achieving a positive, […]

Read More