UNITED WAY OF GORDON COUNTY, INC.
LIVE UNITED
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our organization aims to increase our community connections to increase funds donated to partner agencies. By increasing funds, we are better able to impact education, basic needs, and health. We also want to create more opportunities for youth development and mentoring programs. Our overall goal is to help our agencies focus on providing services.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Animal Rescue League of Northwest Georgia
A no-kill animal rescue serving Gordon County.
Boys & Girls Club of Chattooga, Gordon, Murray, & Whitfield Counties
(We serve the Gordon County Club) - Provides after-school and summer program for children of all backgrounds and incomes.
Boy Scouts of America (NW GA Council)
Provides diverse programming for boys and girls intended to instill ethical values and leadership skills. Weekly meetings, year-round camping, educational programs, etc. are offered
Calhoun-Gordon Council for a Literate Community
Works to end illiteracy in Calhoun and Gordon County by offering free classes to anyone desiring a GED free of charge. English as a second language is taught, as well as classes for those who never learned to read.
Calhoun Recreation Department
Allows children and youth from low-income households who are unable to pay for sports activities to participate at no cost.
Camp New Adventure
Provides a summer day camp program for special needs students in the city and county school systems- arts & crafts, bowling, swimming, games, movies, songs, and meals.
Coulter Hampton Foundation
Provides assistance to families when children under the age of 18 have serious medical conditions. Support includes assistance with financial and emotional needs.
George Chambers Resource Center
Provides support for adults with disabilities in the areas work, recreation, and social skills.
CASA of Northwest Georgia
United Way of Gordon County funds the CASA program through the Advocates for Children to serve those needing a CASA representative in Gordon County.
Gordon County 4-H
Promotes the development of leadership skills in local youth, grades 4-12, through educational enrichment programs and learning opportunities. Project development, camp, district and state competition, and school clubs are offered.
Gordon County Recreation Department
Allows children and youth from low-income households who are unable to pay for sports activities to participate at no cost.
Gordon County Domestic Violence Outreach Office
Works to end violence in the home by providing shelter, support, and advocacy to victims while working in the community to change attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
Gordon County Child Advocacy Center
Provides advocacy, forensic interviews, forensic medical exams, and therapy to child victims of abuse and their non-offending caregivers.
L.E.J.O. (Latinos for Education & Justice Organization)
Serves as a conduit to the Hispanic community by providing resources, referrals, educational forums, classes, bilingual services, small business and economic development training and youth leadership development.
American Red Cross (NW GA Chapter)
Offers service to Military men and women; health and safety classes such as CPR, swimming instruction, blood drives, and provides disaster relief due to fire, flood, or storms.
Prevent Child Abuse Gordon County at the Family Resource Center
Prevents all forms of child abuse, including physical, sexual, emotional, and neglect. Teaching positive parenting and nurturing behavior and helping parents and children develop strong self-esteem, training to new mothers, and adoption investigations.
Voluntary Action Center (VAC)
Offers emergency assistance to those who qualify according to income guidelines with food, rent, utilities, temporary housing, prescriptions, clothing, household items, etc. Operates a thrift shop, food pantry, coordinates volunteers and conducts special projects throughout the year for groups with various needs.
Winner's Club of Calhoun
Provides family support and tutoring to at-risk children. Weekly club meetings, tutoring sessions, field trips, camping, singing performances, gardening, and arts and crafts are offered at no charge.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
United Way Member Agency 1987
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with disabilities, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Victims and oppressed people, Parents
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Grant awards vary by year according to the total campaign dollars received. Funding has been reduced over the last year due to the economy and still recovering from the pandemic.
Total number of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Parents, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Victims and oppressed people, Families
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
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?
United Way of Gordon County is a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving the Gordon County area. We partner with local non-profits to create lasting and measurable change. United Way focuses on the building blocks for a good life: Education, Basic Needs, and Health.
Our Mission
To Change Lives, Connect Community, and Challenge Donors to LIVE UNITED.
Our Vision
To bridge community resources with donor dollars to create lasting and positive change.
To have a community where everyone’s basic needs are met, people have access to educational and developmental programs beginning at birth, and a supportive community that fosters the mental and physical health of Gordon County.
What We Do
We challenge donors to give to local causes through the United Way
We connect and mobilize community resources
We change lives
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We plan to continue to build and grow our existing community and agency partnership while adding new partners. By increasing community awareness and support, we will be able to improve our impact on our key focus areas: education, basic needs, and health. We plan to more fully support our partner agencies as they focus on providing services to eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, increase education, and help ensure overall health.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We are getting back to the basics of making human connections. We plan to utilize technology and social media skills to broaden our exposure while making strong and lasting personal connections. We have established a plan to recruit and develop a strong board that is focused on change and empowerment. By providing training and educational opportunities for our community and agency partners we will expand our reach throughout the community.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We have recently had a change of leadership which has brought about a new focus and direction. With this change, we plan to move forward with a direction of mentorship and capacity building.
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?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve, It is difficult to identify actionable 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 WAY OF GORDON COUNTY, INC.
Board of directorsas of 10/24/2023
Dr. Heather Hess
Shorter University
Term: 2024 - 2023
Randy Black
Nourison
Crystal Boone
North Georgia Electric
Allen Bowen
Gordon County Schools
Shannon Bunch
Synovus Bank
Kevin Casey
HitMix Music USA
Maricela (Mari) Cunningham
MC Transactions
Joseph (Jody) Darby
Mannington
Bram De Bruyne
Mohawk
Ray Denmon
City of Calhoun
Kem King
Shorter University
Melissa Kirby
Shorter University
Addison (Add) Layson
Community Volunteer
Rika Meyer
AdventHealth Gordon
Mary Ann Owens Stone
Community Volunteer
Kayla Ralston
Calhoun City Schools
Christy Reeves
Mohawk
Suzanne Roberts
City of Calhoun
Ethan Robinson
Engineered Floors
Leigh Rogers
Shaw
Amanda Ruddell
North GA National Bank
Andrea Silvers
Community Volunteer
Candy Steele
Chick-fil-A
Shane Watson
Apache Mills
Michael Wilson
Builtwell Bank
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 ? Yes -
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? Not applicable
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
No data
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 06/03/2022GuideStar 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 review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- 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 disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- 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.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.