Our HOPE team model

It’s grant season! United Way of Windham County will be allocating $125,000 to nonprofits in this community who are making a positive impact in the spheres of health, prosperity and education. How do we make decisions on who receives funding? We embrace the HOPE team model. 
Sadie Fischesser: “It is an opportunity for a bunch of different people who are from different parts of the community to have a chance to make an investment together. It’s amazing to me because some of these people don’t work in human services, health, or education and they can still come in here and offer their life experience and are heard as a representative for this community.”
Because this money was raised in the community, we rely on a community process where we are accountable for where that money goes. We want to hear from the community about how this money can best be used, which is why we embrace the HOPE team model. Organizations apply, and community members on our HOPE team review their applications and make recommendations. Then, the team meets to discuss organizations’ applications at length. Recommendations are agreed upon by the entire team before any funding recommendations are passed along. The United Way of Windham County board receives our community recommendations, and make funding decisions based on what our HOPE team feels is most in line with the community’s needs, our goals as an organization and our goals as a community.  Applications from community organizations are due March 15th, and review will be ongoing through April. Funding decisions will be made and organizations will be notified in June.  Each piece of this process takes hard work and dedication from our HOPE team members, UWWC staff members and our board members. 
 
Why do we work so hard? Your donations MATTER and we work hard to make sure they make a meaningful, positive impact.
 
 
Some of our HOPE team members, along with some of our funded partners from this previous year, at a discussion on community impact.