United Way Impact & Investment Council

The purpose of the council is to review funding applications and make community investment recommendations for:

1. Programs that meet identified needs in Will County
2. Programs that best carry out the proposed outcomes and goals that United Way of Will County has established within each community impact area.

Council Meetings and Requirements

This council begins in late winter and meets in the spring. It requires a significant time commitment. Commitments include: attending a training, spending at least two hours on an agency site visit, reading agency applications, and attending two days of panel reviews. Members of our Impact & Investment Council:

• Attend a community impact area-specific orientation session to learn about our local community needs and our commitments to creating positive, sustainable change in Will County.
• Read through and evaluate submitted grant applications on how local programs will help meet local needs in Will County.
• Work in a team with other volunteers to visit an agency in order to gain first hand knowledge on program seeking support from United Way of Will County. This is referred to as a “program site visit,” which will be pre-assigned for you. You will have the opportunity to visit the agency, view the program in action (when confidentiality is not an issue), and ask questions for further clarification.
• Finally, the community impact-specific council* will come together for the review panel meetings. During these review panels, volunteers will report out on what they learned during their site visit and agencies will attend to educate the entire council on their programs seeking funding. At the end of this process, volunteers will determine the funding investment from United Way of Will County that each applying program will receive.