Looking Back and Looking Forward

Greater Twin Cities United Way
Tocqueville Society
Looking Back and Looking Forward
Winter 2010
Sue and I are privileged to have served as your Tocqueville Society co-chairs for
the past two years. Thank you for your continued support. Because of donors
like you, Greater Twin Cities United Way offers hope. Inside this issue you’ll find
an update both on the general campaign and the enormous impact made by our
Tocqueville Society donors.
Welcome to the 63 new Tocqueville Society members. You have joined a group of
amazing leaders in the Twin Cities who share your philanthropic goals, and one of
the most successful Tocqueville Societies in the United States.
Here are some highlights from 2009:
•
Tocqueville Society Annual Award Dinner. In May, John and Leslie Turner
were honored with the 2009 Tocqueville Society Award for Outstanding
Civic Leadership.
•
Evening Encounter Series. We learned about the needs of the homeless, the
severity of the problem in our community and Hennepin County’s response
during our multi-location series with Cathy Ten Broeke, Hennepin County’s
coordinator for homelessness.
•
$25K/Century Legacy Dinner. Members at the $25,000 to one million dollar
level enjoyed an intimate gathering at Jon and Susan Campbell’s home.
•
Best Of Awards. Ceridian won Best Tocqueville Society Campaign at United
Way’s Best Of Awards Celebration. Cargill was a second runner-up.
Even though Sue and I will be moving on from our leadership role, we will continue
to be strong advocates for United Way and Tocqueville Society. 2010 offers many
opportunities for you to get involved as well. Look for a new Evening Encounter
Series, a special celebration for our donors who give $25,000 or more, and an
exciting educational opportunity that will give you a firsthand look at your dollars
at work. Lastly, the Annual Award Dinner will be held in May to honor this year’s
award winners for their exemplary community work.
John and Trudy Wilgers will now take the lead as the 2010 Tocqueville Society
Co-chairs. We know them personally and can assure you they are committed,
talented and passionate about our community. They will build upon what’s been
established by Tocqueville Society over the years. Please support them, get
involved and help the Twin Cities grow and flourish. Learn more about John and
Trudy inside this issue.
Thank you for your time, talent and resources over the past two years.
Nick Burke and Sue Slattery-Burke
2008 and 2009 Co-Chairs
The Immeasurable Impact
of United Way Volunteers
In a typical campaign year, major gift donors (1
percent of all donors) make up 17 percent of the
campaign dollars raised—that’s over
$15 million annually. But that statistic only tells
part of the story. Volunteer solicitors raise a large
portion of this money. In 2008, solicitations raised
$4,184,188 from 247 donors. In 2009, we surpassed
this number, with volunteer solicitors helping to
bring in $4,348,892 from 261 donors! By meeting
with their peers, these volunteers spread the
positive message of United Way even further and the
results impact everyone United Way serves. Thank
you, volunteers, for giving your time and talent on
behalf of United Way.
An additional thank you to the 2009 Tocqueville
Society Cabinet. Cabinet members used their
knowledge and expertise to provide innovative ideas
that created remarkable results. Their leadership
helped drive our growth in 2009, and we are grateful
for their guidance and support! The 2009 Tocqueville
Society Cabinet members are:
Nick Burke
Theresa Davis
Howard Epstein, M.D.
Colleen Grant
Peter Grant
Jeff Greiner
Terri Greiner
Ian Hardgrove
Dick Payne
Mary Payne
Sue Slattery-Burke
Sara Sternberger
Kathy Tunheim
Mike Vande Logt
John Wilgers
Kirt Woodhouse
Nicole Woodhouse
*The cabinet members for 2010 will be
nominated in April.
2010 Tocqueville Society Calendar
Connect with other Tocqueville Society
members and learn how United Way is building
pathways out of poverty at our 2010 events.
Watch your mail and e-mail for more details,
dates and locations for these upcoming events.
•
Annual Tocqueville Society Award Dinner
Thursday, May 13
•
Evening Encounter Series
Julie and Doug Baker’s Home
Tuesday, July 27
Shirley and John Johnson’s Home
Thursday, July 29
•
United Way Neighborhood Bus Tour
Early September
•
$25K/Century Legacy Event
Trudy and John Wilgers’ Home
Thursday, October 7
For questions about any of these events,
or if you are interested in hosting an event
in the future, please contact Kelly Flodin
at 612-340-7546.
Q&A with Sarah Caruso, United Way President and CEO
Sarah Caruso joined United Way
on November 30 as the new
president and CEO. Formerly
the president of the Minnesota
Children’s Museum, Sarah, a
St. Paul native, has strong ties
to Minnesota. After completing
a B.A. at Smith College and an
M.B.A. at Stanford University, she
began her career at General Mills
where she managed some of the largest consumer brands.
She is the current chair of the Council on Early Care and
Education, appointed by Governor Pawlenty at the Council’s
inception in December 2008, and has served on the boards
of several human services and arts organizations. Sarah lives
with her husband and three children in Minneapolis. Sarah
recently sat down with the newsletter editor to tell us a little
more about herself.
What is your transition plan? To get started, I’ve committed
myself to 100 conversations over the first 100 days of
my tenure at United Way to get a 360-degree view of this
organization from community leaders, donors and partner
agencies. I’m only beginning to realize the possibilities of just
where we can go with our rich history and strong community
support. I believe United Way is moving toward becoming
the trusted resource in the Twin Cities’ human services field.
We are the largest funder across 10 impact areas that deeply
affect the lives of those in poverty. The depth of knowledge
our staff holds on the root cause of specific issues, how the
system is trying to meet these needs, what actually works
based on research and development, and the work our
partner agencies are doing is amazing. For example, we are
using this knowledge to help improve efficiencies in the food
shelf distribution network and get more tax return dollars into
the hands of the working poor. All this on top of supporting
over 200 top-notch partner agencies.
Why did you take this job? United Way has a remarkable
impact across so many parts of the community. To me, both
the breadth of the work as well as the depth of the work is
profound. I was born in St. Paul, I live in Minneapolis: This
is my home, and this is the community I want to be part of
strengthening. I saw this as the leadership opportunity of
a lifetime.
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of so
far in your career? Probably the most fun I ever had in a job
was as product manager for Wheaties cereal in the late 1980s.
Michael Jordan was on the box, our market share was terrific,
and I went to every major national sporting event for two years.
Our success was based in leveraging a great sports equity
and popular athletes into many innovative relationships.
Ultimately, the consumer had fun eating Wheaties.
Tocqueville Society News and Notes
Barbara Forster was honored as the 2009 Association of Fundraising Professional’s Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser.
We are proud to have one of our own Tocqueville Society members recognized in a community known for its
outstanding philanthropy. Barbara’s influence is felt throughout the Twin Cities and we are honored to have her as
a Tocqueville Society and Planned Giving Task Force member. Barbara works tirelessly on behalf of our community’s
underserved through United Way, and she is also active in the causes of cancer research, human rights and women’s
issues. Barbara and her husband are long-time United Way supporters and have passed along their values to their
children. Barbara’s son and daughter- in-law, Nick Burke and Susan Slattery-Burke, have been invaluable Tocqueville
Society co-chairs in 2008 and 2009. Congratulations on this wonderful honor, Barbara!
The Tocqueville Cabinet thanks Theresa Davis for her many years as an active and valued cabinet member. She
is leaving the cabinet to co-chair the 2010 United Way campaign with her husband, Richard Davis, president,
CEO and chairman of U.S. Bancorp. Theresa’s enthusiasm and talents helped expand our calendar of events with
special presentations from local community experts about how United Way is leading efforts to reduce hunger and
homelessness. We look forward to her continuing contributions to our community and congratulate her on chairing
the upcoming United Way campaign.
Tocqueville Society Member Profile:
John & Trudy Wilgers
excellent organizations needing support, but we
feel particularly good about United Way. We are very
impressed with the Agenda for Lasting Change and
the real focus United Way has in terms of identifying
needs in the community and their ability to build a
plan and make a difference,” said John.
When John and Trudy Wilgers and their three children
were transferred to the Twin Cities in 2005, they were
looking for ways to connect with the community,
meet people, get involved and meet their
philanthropic goals.
John, now managing partner of the Minneapolis office
of Ernst & Young, had been involved with United Way
in Kansas City for many years, starting in 1986 with
his participation in the Loaned Executive (LE) program.
“The Loaned Executive program was such a strong
experience,” said John. “As a young professional,
being an LE not only gave me a venue to learn about
United Way, but it was a fantastic opportunity to work
with a variety of companies and meet new people, all
while enhancing my presentation skills.”
The Wilgers continued their involvement by
contributing to United Way through donations and
volunteering to make donor calls. John also joined the
board of a United Way partner agency in Kansas City.
During his board tenure, he made presentations to
the United Way allocation committee. “I got an even
greater appreciation for the diligence that United Way
has in making funding decisions,” he said. “This really
confirmed how good I felt giving to United Way.”
Once in the Twin Cities, the Wilgers looked into
Greater Twin Cities United Way. “There are a lot of
John and Trudy decided to make a bigger commitment
and joined United Way Tocqueville Society, and John
became a member of the Tocqueville Cabinet. “I
was really motivated by two things,” he said. “I was
impressed by the Agenda, but I also know it was a
great way to get involved with the community and
meet new people.”
John said his Tocqueville membership has helped
him connect with incredible individuals. Through his
United Way work, he educates people about United
Way’s mission—helping people better understand
United Way’s continued relevance and how living
united is building pathways out of poverty in
our community.
John and Trudy are now the chairs of the Tocqueville
Cabinet for 2010. “We really want to get in touch
with Tocqueville members to see what needs are
being met and where we can continue to provide new
opportunities,” said John. “We also want to compel
younger donors to connect with United Way and
see how Tocqueville Society can integrate with their
philanthropic goals.”
John and Trudy make a big impact on our community.
We appreciate all they do and look forward to
their leadership.
Campaign Results Give Hope
United Way Year-End Giving Hits Home
Campaign results are continuing to come in
and the campaign looks strong. As you know,
2009 was one of the toughest fundraising
environments and efforts to engage people with
creativity and innovation during the campaign
are clearly paying off.
In 2009 United Way provided two unique and
exciting ways for supporters to give.
The growing needs in our community are
startling. A recently released study by Hunger
Solutions showed that food shelf usage has
increased by 50 percent in the last six months,
with seniors’ use increasing by 84 percent. New
faces of poverty continue to emerge; we all know
someone who is in need. As our most committed
donors, know that every dollar you give makes a
significant difference.
Measurable Results for Lasting Change
United Way’s annual Community Report includes
a Scorecard detailing the progress we have
made toward reaching the goals in our Agenda
for Lasting Change. Together, we are building
pathways out of poverty and making significant
change. To read this publication, visit
www.unitedwaytwincities.org and click
on About Us.
•
Warm. Safe. Fed. United Way helped light
the way for those in need during the holiday
season. Visitors could select enlightening
gift ideas to give to loved ones while helping
the community at the same time. Once a
gift was selected, visitors could send a
customized e-greeting announcing the gift
that was made.
•
Rapid Re-housing Video. Tocqueville Society
members received a special video via e-mail
highlighting United Way’s rapid re-housing
programs which provide a quick and effective
way of moving families out of homeless
shelters and into permanent housing so
they can focus on stabilizing their families.
Due to a highly competitive fundraising climate,
our year-end dollars were not as high as we had
hoped, but we were able to raise nearly $8,000
through the Warm. Safe. Fed. campaign and our
strategies also raised awareness: 35 percent of
donors were new donors to United Way, and the
average gift was more than $100.
New Economic Updates Available
United Way provides regular economic updates, with timely statistics and trends:
Quarterly Economic Report – A data overview gauging the current economic climate, published
quarterly by United Way and Twin Cities Compass of the Wilder Foundation.
Monthly State of the Economy Report – A compilation of economic news from local and national
sources, with primary data from United Way 2-1-1TM, published electronically by United Way’s
Research & Planning Department.
To download or view the reports, visit www.unitedwaytwincities.org and click on
Community Information.
404 South Eighth Street
Minneapolis, MN 55404
(612) 340-7400
www.unitedwaytwincities.org
Printed at United Way. 02.10.600
Leaders Leave Legacies
Since 2001, caring individuals have given back to our community by funding over $5 million in planned gifts to United Way.
Meet two important community leaders who took inventory of what was important in their lives and created legacies to
lovingly support their convictions.
Mary Dyar, age 93, was a graduate of Carleton College and the University of Minnesota Library School. She spent her entire
professional career with the Minneapolis Public Library, retiring as associate director in 1976. Mary remembered United
Way with a generous trust gift.
Carl Drake passed away in July 2008, at the age of 84. Mr. Drake was a life-long resident of St. Paul, graduate of
St. Paul Academy and Yale University, World War II veteran and CEO of the St. Paul Insurance Company for many years.
Carl Drake was a much admired business and community leader. He served as the St. Paul United Way campaign chair,
board chair and helped establish the planned giving program at United Way. In November 2009, Carl was posthumously
awarded the 2009 Planned Giving Leadership Award by Greater Twin Cities United Way.
United Way has the tools and specialists to help you better understand and maximize the power and flexibility—including
tax savings and guaranteed income to you—of your potential planned gift legacy. United Way’s Planned Giving Manager
Micheal Moore, J.D., is available without obligation and in strict confidence to explore possibilities as you contemplate and
create your personal legacy. Micheal is available at (612) 340-7403.
For more information about United Way Tocqueville Society, visit www.unitedwaytwincities.org/tocqueville or
contact Mary Whitenack at (612) 340-7570 or tocqueville@unitedwaytwincities.org.