UNITED MIDCOAST CHARITIES
Identifying needs. Supporting solutions.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our mission is to energize Midcoast Maine nonprofit agencies through finance and guidance, supporting a network of resources stronger than any single organization. Our main areas of focus are food, housing, health & safety, and economic security. Through a grantmaking program and educational/networking opportunities, we work with nonprofits that provide programming aimed at promoting the welfare of low-income residents within UMC's focus areas of food, housing, health and safety, and economic security.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Grantmaking
United Midcoast Charities’ annual competitive grant program assists a wide range of nonprofit agencies which provide programming aimed at promoting the welfare of residents of Knox and Waldo counties within UMC’s focus areas of food, housing, health and safety, and economic security. UMC’s preference and history has been in funding projects or organizations whose main goal is to aid low income residents.
Community Investors of Knox County
Community Investors of Knox County is a community collaborative comprised of a group of highly established non-profit organizations in Knox County. Its goal is to create ways for caring individuals to help people directly. United Midcoast Charities is the fiscal sponsor of Community Investors of Knox County.
Capacity Building
Learn With UMC is a series of capacity-building offerings that enable local nonprofits to better serve their clients through greater efficiency, organizational stability, improved governance, more robust funding, and a data-informed focus on outcomes. All programming is designed in collaboration with our Nonprofit Advisory Council, a group of twelve high-performing direct service organizations serving vulnerable populations in our area.
The Nonprofit Advisory Council members agree that in addition to ongoing operational support, their greatest need is for capacity-building support, guidance, and expert advice. Less than 30% of more than 50 surveyed agencies have any budget for professional development funds, and most opportunities in this state are offered two hours away in either Bangor or Portland, requiring expensive travel and additional staff time. Based on this feedback, and aiming to create equitable opportunities for all, UMC expanded its programming to include workshops, individual coaching, networking, and consultation based in Midcoast Maine.
United Midcoast Charities is currently the only organization providing nonprofit professional development and technical assistance in the Midcoast. More than 85% of 2019 attendees reported that they would be otherwise unable to access this kind of training and support.
In 2019, UMC offered eight workshops on subjects including essential financial policies, employee retention & recruitment, marketing, and program evaluation. These workshops served more than 80 attendees representing over 50 nonprofits. 87% of attendees report that they left their training with the necessary tools and materials and a plan of action to implement their learning.
In 2018, UMC partnered with Foundation Directory as a Funding Information Network (FIN) Partner to begin offering free fundraising assistance to local nonprofits five days a week. Foundation Directory Online access at UMC allows grant seekers to search more than 156,000 registered foundations in granular detail to identify funders who are eager to support their work. UMC provides free access to FDO and one-on-one coaching on grant seeking to any nonprofit representative working in our two county service area.
In 2019, more than 50 nonprofit representatives have used this resource at our Camden office to find additional funding for their organization. 100% reported that their visit resulted in strong new funding prospects.
United Midcoast Charities’ capacity building program builds equity by expanding nonprofits’ ability to assist those in need by helping them become more efficient, sustainable, attractive to other funders, and to become more able to deliver data-informed outcomes. Learn With UMC attendees can better serve Mainers when they are fully resourced, with fiscally sound policies, excellent program design and evaluation, and a highly engaged staff and board.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of organizations applying for grants
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Grantmaking
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
During this period (2017-21), UMC has declared and further defined its grantmaking priorities and focus areas leading to fewer applicants but higher quality more impactful proposals.
Average number of non-monetary support contacts per grantee
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Grantmaking
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Median grant amount
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Grantmaking
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Total dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Grantmaking
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Grantmaking
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
This metric varies based on dollars available to award and each proposal's impact in our focus area.
Average grant amount
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Grantmaking
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Because of higher quality proposals with more impact in our focus areas, we are now awarding larger average grants.
Number of hours of training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Capacity Building
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of hours of coaching
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Capacity Building
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of training workshops
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Capacity Building
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
COVID restricted our ability to conduct training workshops in 2021 and 2022.
Number of one-on-one coaching sessions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Capacity Building
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of staff members certified in subject area training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Capacity Building
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of advisory councils the organization is a part of
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Capacity Building
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of fiscal sponsorship dollars distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Community Investors of Knox County
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2021 UMC transferred its fiscal sponsorship of Community Investors (a coalition of nonprofits) to another member of the founding coalition.
Number of referrals to resources offered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Capacity Building
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of organizations accessing technical assistance offerings
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Capacity Building
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Due to COVID, our ability to provide FDO access was restricted.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
By 2025, we aim to…
-Increase the number of people who have a personal experience with UMC: through grants, trainings, outreach, volunteering, etc.
-Fully fund the grant requests each cycle that make an impact in our focus areas.
-Fully develop a society of donors to sustain our grantmaking.
-Diversify our funding mix and concurrently increase major gifts, foundation grants and fee-for-service opportunities.
-Develop data quantifying the baseline in each focus area and measures to track the collective impact of our grantees.
-Deliberately and consistently share the results of our work and amplify the work of our grantees.
-Act proactively in response to the needs of local nonprofits.
-Right-size UMC’s human capital—staff, BOD, volunteers—and provide them with the resources to further UMC’s mission and fully utilize their specific skill sets.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We will accomplish our goals through grantmaking, resource-sharing and through networking and educational events. We will operate with transparency and openly share processes, policies, and other guidance.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We will draw upon our professional staff in addition to volunteer board committees, our board of directors and our executive committee. We will also use the collective resources of our network of businesses and nonprofits, as well as a Nonprofit Advisory Council to share in decision-making around our grant-making process, community needs and more.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In the last 34 years, UMC has made more than $10,000,000 in grants to nonprofits in our two-county service area and annually we serve 50+ agencies.
In 2018, we formed UMC's Nonprofit Advisory Council, a key element of our new strategic plan and a reflection of our commitment to shared decision-making. The council is made up of representatives from UMC's grantee agencies across Knox and Waldo counties. Their input will inform decisions on UMC's grant-making process, community and nonprofit needs and more.
In 2018, we also became the fiscal sponsor for the Community Investors of Knox County, a collaborative of highly established nonprofit organizations in Knox County. This program's goal is to create ways for caring individuals to help people directly. Through community-sourced fundraising, this group is able to fund small individual needs to help local residents move out of poverty.
Our new commitment to guidance - in addition to continuing our 80-year commitment to funding - led UMC to create Learn With UMC in 2019, a series of free educational opportunities on topics essential to nonprofit sustainability and impact.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
UNITED MIDCOAST CHARITIES
Board of directorsas of 06/22/2023
Jim Hengerer
Jay Foster
Chris Beebe
James Hengerer
Frank Hackett
Elinor Goldberg
Karyn Rizzo
Denise Breed
Janice Washburn Gates
Kristin Sidwell
Jim Povec
Melanie Frazek
Amanda Cunningham
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/29/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.