Management Discussion and Analysis

At United Way we work diligently to maximize our impact on the communities we serve. We strive to ensure both our community-facing and our internal operations are as efficient as possible. In 2011 we moved forward with a number of important initiatives that will enable United Way to provide the best possible service to our community.

Last year United Way embarked on a two-year development plan to implement a new fundraising and constituent management solution. This initiative, known as Spark, is more than just a technology project. It is an opportunity for United Way to refine the internal systems and procedures that support our engagement with donors, community agencies, volunteers and many others. Ultimately our goal is to better serve and better manage our interactions with stakeholders from across our community.

In 2011 United Way also launched a new values statement to guide us as we strive to be agents of change — both within our organization and across our city.

Working together with — and being guided by — our community is at the heart of everything United Way does. We believe that when people come together, we accomplish so much more than we ever could alone.

At United Way, we strive to demonstrate integrity and accountability in everything we do. We deeply value the trust that our community has placed in us — and we work hard to ensure that trust will always be well-founded.

United Way’s commitment to diversity and inclusiveness goes beyond reflecting the community we serve. We embrace different abilities, perspectives and experiences and are committed to the promotion of equity. Our aspiration is to build a community that welcomes, celebrates and values the contributions of all.

We are devoted to excellence and innovation. At United Way, we strive to go beyond expectations and seek out new ways to achieve our shared goals.

United Way is motivated by a commitment to service — to our donors, our neighbours and our city. Our achievements are defined by the collective success of the communities we serve. We believe our greatest strength is our ability to bring people together from all walks of life to build a better city.

Last year was the third year in United Way’s Diversity and Inclusion Journey, an organization-wide effort to embed principles of inclusion and equity in all aspects of our work. Building on United Way’s Code of Conduct & Ethics and Board Statement on Diversity, the Diversity and Inclusion Team’s Charter includes several goals:

• Promote respect, equity, access and participation for all individuals who interact with United Way
• Embed Diversity and Inclusion into United Way’s priorities
• Create an equitable environment within United Way, enabling all employees to achieve their full potential
• Incorporate various perspectives and ideas into United Way’s culture, processes and work to develop better, more innovative solutions
• Attract and retain new and diverse talent to promote equity and better reflect our evolving city
• Gain a broader base of support for Diversity and Inclusion from volunteers, donors and partners
• Position United Way to facilitate the collaborative efforts needed to make changes in community coalitions

United Way made some important changes to key internal structures last year to become an even more efficient and impactful organization. Many of our community-facing staff teams were merged into one Community Impact department. This strengthened both collaboration and communication. We are re-calibrating our governance model to maximize the contribution of our senior volunteers. Both changes will allow us to better serve our community while remaining accountable to our many constituents.

In 2011 United Way was recognized as being one of Greater Toronto’s Top 100 Employers. This distinction recognized our commitment to creating an environment that enables open communication, that fosters teamwork and that allows each and every employee to be their best.

United Way worked to meet the many challenges facing our sector and our community in what was a difficult year for many. As we try to ensure that we are there to meet rising need in Toronto, we continue to strive to become the most innovative and effective organization we can be.