Download a Volunteer Application here.

The citizens review process takes place at the end of the United Way annual campaign.  In March of every year our partner agencies apply for funding toward one or more of their programs within the United Way focus areas, which are:

1. The promotion or development of family values and the family structure;           
2. The promotion of healthy individuals, including medical, dental & mental health;       
3. The elimination of all factors upon children ages 0 to 6 which impede the child’s mental, emotional or physical development or well-being;           
4. The prevention or treatment of special problems of children ages 7 to 18;           
5. The support of those in need of special assistance, for example the elderly, the mentally and physically challenged, and county residents in the military service.

United Way IRC currently has 32 non-profit partners that are applying for funding towards 41 programs.  It is the policy of United Ways nationwide to involve local communities in the decision of allocating funds based on United Way standards, the agencies’ requests, impact of the programs on the community and availability of funds. 

In Indian River County we currently rely on 120 volunteers assigned to 12 panels of 10 including a panel chairman, a fiscal analyst and 8 associate panelists.  On Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 the panelists must attend an orientation breakfast meeting and presentation by United Way at which they will meet their fellow panelists and receive their assignments - usually a copy of 1 or 2 program applications submitted by 2 or 3 partner agencies.  (The panel chairs, fiscal analysts and United Way support staff will have already prescreened the applications by the end of March.) Each associate panelist then has at least a week to read the applications and prepare any questions to present to the agency staff on the day of the site visit. 

On the day of the site visits (2 per panel) the panel will meet at United Way and travel by van to the respective agency’s facility for a presentation by the agency CEO, CFO, board member(s) and sometimes a client.  The panel will return to United Way and, with the input of the fiscal analyst’s report, reach a consensus on the rating and funding, if any, of the program(s).  Responsibilities of the fiscal analyst and associate panelists end at this point.  The panel chair will progress to the next stage as a member of the Community Investment Committee, which reports to the United Way Board.

Several meetings take place in May.  First the CIC will meet to match the panels’ recommendations against the available funds, followed by recommendations to the United Way Board of Directors for approval. Each panelist will receive a letter from United Way informing them of the final decisions of the Board.

In June the agencies have the opportunity to appeal any decision by the panel, following which a meeting would be convened by the CIC, and in July the funding begins for that fiscal year.