Project Blueprint

“United Way is conceived of as an optimally inclusive community system for providing health and human-care services. United Way should be as inclusive as possible with regard to people, agencies and services, and natural geographic market and service areas and should be particularly sensitive to the inclusion of women and minorities at all levels of United Way operations, of agencies and services that meet new and emerging needs, and all geographic areas where people live, work and are served.”

United Way Standards of Excellence

Project Blueprint of Mobile is the United Way of Southwest Alabama’s plan for working toward a more inclusive United Way system. Project Blueprint is a program that began in 1988 and originally was sponsored by the United Way of America, with initial funding by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the local J. L. Bedsole Foundation. Twenty-three communities across the U.S.A., including Mobile, were selected in 1988 from nearly 100 applicants to conduct demonstration projects that are now used as models by other United Ways. This year the United Way of Southwest Alabama’s Board of Trustees allocated funds for a Class of 2004 in response to the continued need in the community for a Project Blueprint class. A total of 11 classes have graduated from Project Blueprint producing 186 potential board members.

The specific objective of Project Blueprint of Mobile is to identify, recruit and inform minorities in the United Way system, and to make them available for placement and election to the Boards of Directors of member agencies, the United Way and its operating divisions. So far, eleven groups (a total of one hundred eighty-six persons) have participated in the program. They attended seven seven-hour informational classes covering the United Way system, the Responsibilities and Functions of Volunteer Boards, Time Management, Leadership and Team Building and other board process topics. These graduates are prepared to serve on the boards of member agencies in various capacities.

The Project Blueprint Steering Committee, the United Way staff, presidents of the Member Agency Boards and Agency Executive Directors were pleased to discover that there are so many talented African-Americans available and willing to serve the volunteer sector of our community. The success of the program is evidence that the usual method of identifying and recruiting board members does not reach many members of minority groups who are qualified and willing to serve. Special emphasis and a different approach are necessary to achieve the goal of inclusiveness. Project Blueprint is United Way’s answer.

For more information, contact: Patsy Herron (251) 431-0117