United Way Of 1000 Lakes

Which state are you working in?

Minnesota

What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?

Current or former grantee

If you were funded, tell us the outcome

Funded for lesser amount

What year was this experience?

2015

How would you rate this funder's accessibility?

Bad

The funder will answer calls; however, they typically take considerable time to respond to requests for information or clarification. They may drop or forget requests, if you're not persistent in your contact.

How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its current philanthropic goals?

Bad

This funder seeks to support and strengthen the nonprofit sector, but they have slowly shifted focus from supporting local nonprofit efforts to a focus on themselves and their operation of new programs- alienating donors and grantees. To court funders of their own, they have worked to assert themselves as experts for their grantees to follow. However, lacking capacity and being significantly smaller and less experienced than most of their grantees, they've burnt their credibility by trying to lead and control independent grantees.

If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?

Focus on your core mission of mobilizing community to support the work of others. Be great at a mobilizing support for the work of your grantees and serving their needs, that's who donors are giving too. When grantees are alienated, put off, or put down, they pull their support and that of those they are connected too.

Is there anything else that'd be useful for others to know to understand this funder?

Grantor is typically late with grant payments or obligations.

Tell us one thing that this funder does really well

This funder does a very good job of advertising and one can tell they put in significant effort to ensuring their materials are attractively designed.

How many hours did the grant application process take?

60