Six Sayings for Your Bulletin Board

Over the course of working with United Ways for the past 32 years, I find myself frequently using these six sayings:

It is better to be known for one thing than to be known for nothing. If trying to explain everything your United Way does is nearly impossible for your staff and board, then don’t expect your donors to “get it.” Pick one thing to talk about and stick to it.

If you try to be everything to everybody, you're nothing to anybody. This is the corollary to the previous statement and both statements come from Pamela Beckford, Executive Director of United Way of Wells County.

Donors buy your results, not your process. Donors do not care how the sausage is made as much as they care how the sausage tastes. Stop using United Way jargon – it has never convinced a donor to give.

The true measure of success is how many people no longer need help. Too many United Ways miss the mark when they measure success by how much money was raised or how many people participated in a program. Donors want and need to know how their contribution changed lives in their community.

Impact drives resources. As Julie Capaldi, President of United Way of Pickens County says, “It used to be money drives the work, now work drives the money.” Issue focused United Ways are all about impact.

Why comes before how. You need to decide why your United Way exists before you decide how your United Way is going to achieve your why. If why your United Way exists is the same as it was 20, 30, or even 50 or more years ago it is time for change or else your United Way will become irrelevant.  

I hope you find these sayings to be helpful to your efforts, so much so that you put them up on your bulletin board. The first person to email a picture (info@perspectives4uw.com) of these sayings on your bulletin board will receive a free webinar of your choice from our Resource Center. If you have a good saying that applies to United Ways, please let me know. I love a good saying!