Northern Santa Barbara County United Way
Live United.
Mission
Our mission is to live United by bringing caring people together to solve our community's toughest challenges.
Ruling year
1961
CEO
Mr. Eddie Taylor
Board President
Mr. Mike Cordero
Main address
PO Box 947
Santa Maria, CA 93456 USA
Formerly known as
United Way of the Central Coast
EIN
95-6006513
NTEE code
Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (S12)
Fund Raising and/or Fund Distribution (P12)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Literacy 2.0 – What it Means to Us United Way believes education is the foundation for a better life. United Way believes the literacy 2.0 effort will change the lives of thousands of individuals and families as we go to scale. Our process begins with the Imagination Library, in partnership with the Dolly Parton Foundation. Read more below. The Ready 4K and Beyond provides high-quality digital content through age 13. Read more below. The Sammy Rabbit program provides financial literacy curriculum to help children develop savings habits and goals. The Real Cost Measure in our County The Real Cost Measure (RCM) estimates the amount of income required to meet basic needs for a given household type in a specific community. In our county, 43,188 Households are below the Real Cost Measure. The Real Cost Measure builds a bare-bones budget that reflects constrained yet reasonable choices for essential expenses: housing, food, transportation, health care, taxes and child care.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Product Philanthropy
Product Philanthropy in Santa Maria is a vital link between donors of goods and services and local nonprofit agencies operating as a collaborative program of the Northern Santa Barbara County United Way and Path Point-Santa Maria , Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, Pottery Barn, Office Depot, Good 360 and many more. Over $1.2 million of quality products collected and re-distributed annually.A wealth of high-quality product and service donations make Product Philanthropy Santa Maria an invaluable resource for qualified non-profit organizations.
Financial Stability Partnership
Financial Stability Services Partnership -(MyFreeTaxes.org / VITA) was introduced in 2007 and had a $1.5 million community economic impact its first year. The partnership included Alan Hancock College, Cal Poly University, Community Action Commission, Family Service Agency, Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation, the IRS and numerous community organizations. The partnership has grown and expanded to serve over 1,800 families annually with an economic impact exceeding $6,000,000.
Education
A New Framework to Lift Literacy and Financial Stability
United Way works with a broad range of individuals and organizations in order to identify and resolve pressing community issues. We believe education is the foundation for a better life and the LITERACY 2.O effort will change the lives of thousands of individuals and families.
Northern Santa Barbara County United Way (NSBCUW) is committed to building a stronger community by providing people with opportunities to improve their lives. LITERACY 2.O, our newest initiative, is a unified, collaborative effort to provide a platform for school-aged youth to begin saving/investing with a goal-setting mindset. Keep reading to learn more!
Overview- Sponsors, donors and financial institutions will provide a stable platform for students to realize a financially secure future.
Literacy and family engagement programs offered by United Way provide the resources for personal growth.
www.Literacy20.com
Home for Good Santa Barbara County
Home For Good Santa Barbara County supports a Coordinated Entry System, a no-wrong door, countywide system that engages and connects individuals and families experiencing homelessness to the optimal resources for their needs. We believe that everyone deserves a safe place to call home for good.
AmeriCorps
AmeriCorps members serve in agencies that help veterans and people experiencing homelessness obtain housing, employment, provide assistance to the formerly homeless and connect them to other mainstream services to increase self-sufficiency.
Mission United SBC
The challenges that veterans face are too big and complex for any single organization to solve alone. In each of the 1,100 communities we serve in the U.S., we have the relationships and the expertise needed to fight for lasting change that benefits everyone. Through MISSION UNITED™ we fight for those who fought for us. United Way MISSION UNITED™ enables military veterans and their families to successfully acclimate back to civilian life. Veterans can face challenges transitioning from active duty, and too many find themselves homeless, jobless, or unable to access treatment for substance abuse, brain injury, or other physical and mental health issues. MISSION UNITED™ is a free program that coordinates community services for veterans and their families, connecting them to affordable housing, job training, health care and other resources. By forming a coordinated network of community partners, MISSION UNITED™ provides veterans and their families with a single entry point to the help they need.
Imagination Library
The Imagination Library provides preschoolers with a brand new, age appropriate book every month from birth to kindergarten. More than 50,000 books have been distributed and over 1,000 preschoolers have graduated our Imagination Library thanks to your support.
Where we work
Awards
Community Engagement Award 2020
EPIC
Affiliations & memberships
Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce Nonprofit of the Year 2021
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of meetings with policymakers or candidates
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Social and economic status, Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Home for Good Santa Barbara County
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of homeless participants engaged in housing services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Veterans, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Home for Good Santa Barbara County
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of VI-SPDATs conducted throughout Santa Barbara County. Individuals and Families.
Number of books distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers, Families, Parents
Related Program
Imagination Library
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
Imagination Library is our book distribution program. It is mostly volunteer-run, and we are working to revitalize it.
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Estimated dollar value of clothing and household goods donations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Product Philanthropy
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Estimation of value of items donated to us through product philanthropy and Stuff the Bus.
Total number of clients experiencing homelessness
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Homeless people, Unemployed people, Veterans
Related Program
Home for Good Santa Barbara County
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Hours of volunteer service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Average grant amount
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Social and economic status
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of donations made by board members
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn 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?
A New Framework to Lift Literacy and Financial Stability
United Way works with a broad range of individuals and organizations in order to identify and resolve pressing community issues. We believe education is the foundation for a better life and the LITERACY 2.O effort will change the lives of thousands of individuals and families.
We also aim to address the issues of homelessness and financial hardships throughout the county through VITA, Home for Good SBC, Mission United, and other programs.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
By partnering with child care organizations to distribute high-quality meaningful educational materials to parents and caregivers we are able to begin the process of instilling a love of reading and learning in very young children. The Power readers initiative also incorporates The Imagination Library, providing a brand-new age appropriate book to every registered preschooler from birth until their fifth birthday. The books are sent free of charge directly to the child's home in their name each month. The third step in the process is our Power Readers program in partnership with local school districts and community-based organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club and YMCA. Reading Plus, the software program utilized, develops silent reading fluency with comprehension.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
United Way is recognized as a leading philanthropic organization focused on initiatives in three areas - Education, Financial Stability and Health. Working from the organizations core structure of workplace campaigns, engaging small and large businesses we are able to develop long-term relationships with donors to support the 10 year goals of the organization. Our partnerships with local school districts, colleges and universities as well as the frontline agencies delivering services to the community enhance our ability to build long-term relationships with corporate and individual donors. Our dedicated staff provides the leadership and training of the volunteers in the community who interact with the children and adults wherever services are being provided. The Northern Santa Barbara County United Way has been in business for over 50 years, is well-funded and positioned as a leader in local philanthropy focused on education and financial stability.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The intended impact of the Power Readers initiative to increase the number of students reading at grade level in every grade. Results of the surveys show students engaged in the power reading program stating "I could easily understand what I read" increasing from 29% before to 74% after participating in the program for 12 to 20 weeks. Most students (86%-96%) state they feel like they are better readers, they read more often and they would like to continue in the power reading program if they need additional help. Our focus will be on "seizing the middle ground" to reach our goal of increasing the number of students reading at grade level by concentrating on students in 4th - 8th grade. This will assure that students are reading at grade level when they enter the 7th grade and be much better prepared for the rigors of middle school and high school. Our work in the area of financial stability has a stated goal of cutting the number of financially unstable families in half by 2020.
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 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 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 act on the feedback we receive
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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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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
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Northern Santa Barbara County United Way
Board of directorsas of 08/26/2023
Mr. Scott Santella
Central Coast Solar
Term: 2019 -
Mike Cordero
Government/Law Enforcement
Philip Sinco
Law
Scott Santella
Solar / Business
Jacob Grossman
Construction
Edward Schiff
Chamber of Commerce
Claudia Ortiz
Mechanics Bank
Sarah Strommen
Self-employed
Ben Alaniz
PPBI
Terri Leifeste
SM Times
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? 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:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/26/2023GuideStar 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 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 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 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.
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