get involved

Join a Steering Committee

October 2024 Update: Our Steering Committees are currently fully staffed. We will be accepting Statements of Interest for future openings on a rolling basis. Additionally, we are collecting Statements of Interest from people who would be interested in future service on a Grant Review Panel. See below for more information about each of these opportunities, and how to submit a Statement of Interest. All submissions will go into a pool that will be used to recruit for upcoming review panel opportunities and Steering Committee openings.

Are you interested in:

  1. helping decide how to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants in your community to support kids and advance racial justice?  

  2. bringing your personal and professional experiences to ensure community resources reach those who need them most?   

  3. deepening your knowledge and skills around grant-making, and weighing day-to-day interventions with preventative, systemic change?  

If yes, then consider expressing interest in joining a Steering Committee or Review Panel!

“Serving on the Racial Justice Advisory Council engages me in the UWLC’s amazing work. It provides a space to connect and work collectively with other members dedicated to advancing equity in our county. I am grateful for this opportunity to gather with diverse perspectives and contribute to our local community as an AAPI community member!”
— Shayna Higashi, Racial Justice Advisory Council member

Who We Are Looking For

Committee members and community members at a 2021 Racial Justice Community Listening Session.

We are seeking community volunteers to guide United Way’s investments and impact strategy aimed at helping children in Lane County succeed in school and life. We know that solutions to current community challenges (food insecurity, unaffordable childcare, low literacy and graduation rates, and more) are best known by those most impacted by these challenges. United Way is committed to centering these voices and experiences in decision-making processes. 

Professional and lived experiences are essential perspectives in our organization’s efforts. With that in mind, we are seeking volunteers with: 

  • diverse elements of identity and lived experience including but not limited to:  

    • People with experience living in poverty, and / or accessing services provided by local service providers 

    • People of color 

    • People representing diverse gender and sexual identity  

    • People representing diverse language and national origin  

    • People representing a diverse age range (18+)  

    • People living in rural areas of Lane County 

    • People living with disabilities  

  • diverse sector representation including but not limited to:  

    • Early Learning 

    • K-12 

    • Higher Education 

    • Public Sector / Local Government 

    • Private Sector / Local Business 

    • Nonprofit Human Service Sector  

    • Health Care 

About the Opportunities

Community Investment Steering Committee (CISC) 

The CISC is currently fully staffed. If you are interested in being considered for future openings, please submit a Statement of Interest (instructions below) and you may be contacted when a committee position becomes available.

The CISC recommends strategies to United Way of Lane County's Board of Directors on making grant investments in the community; creates an equitable and efficient grant-making process; and evaluates how well United Way is advancing its vision through investments. The committee also helps remove barriers for grant applicants and collaborates with the Racial Justice Advisory Council to ensure racial equity is central to investment conversations.

A few of United Way’s RJAC members at a March 2024 meeting

For more information, see the CISC Charter.

Racial Justice Advisory Committee (RJAC)  

The RJAC is currently fully staffed. If you are interested in being considered for future openings, please submit a Statement of Interest (instructions below) and you may be contacted when a committee position becomes available.

The RJAC advises United Way of Lane County's Board of Directors on intersectional racial equity best practices; ensures the needs and priorities of communities most impacted by racial inequity are centered in United Way policies and programming; evaluates how well United Way enacts its commitment to racial justice; and collaborates with the Community Investment Steering Committee to recommend strategies for equitable grant-making processes.

For more information, see the RJAC Charter. 

Grant Review Panelist

If you would be interested in serving on a grant review panel during a future grant cycle, please submit a Statement of Interest (instructions below). We anticipate that our next grant cycle will happen in mid-2025.

All requests for funding through United Way’s Live United Fund are reviewed and scored by a panel of community volunteers.

Estimated Commitment

Racial Justice Advisory Council and Community Investment Steering Committee

Each committee meets 6-8 times per year (approximately every other month) for 1.5 hours, and requests a three-year commitment. We estimate that committee members will spend another 1-2 hours per month reviewing notes and materials, serving on small work groups, or doing light research to inform decision-making processes. In total, we expect volunteers will spend approximately 26-32 hours per year on committee work. 

Grant Review Panels

The number and length of grant applications we receive can vary from cycle to cycle, and between grant programs (Support Award, Transformation Award, Racial Justice Award, etc.). The information below is intended to be a general estimate of the time that panelists can expect to commit to review process. If you are invited to join a review panel, a more specific estimated commitment will be provided.

If a grant review process consists of two reviews (a Letter of Inquiry phase and a Full Proposal phase), we generally ask that reviewers commit to both rounds of review.

General Estimates:

First review (Letter of Inquiry Phase): We anticipate that grant review panelists will spend 8 to 15 hours reviewing and scoring 10 to 12 grants over a two-week time frame. Panelists will also be required to attend a 90-minute orientation prior to scoring, and a 60 to 120-minute panel discussion after scoring to discuss the applications with other panelists.

Second review (Full Proposal Phase): We anticipate that review panelists will spend 4 to 10 hours reviewing and scoring 4 to 8 grants over a one-week time frame. Panelists will also be required to attend a 90-minute orientation prior to scoring (if they did not score in the first review), and a 60 to 90-minute panel discussion after scoring to discuss the applications with other panelists.

I'm Interested! Now what?

Please submit a “statement of interest” via email to community@unitedwaylane.org. Your statement can take the form of a written email/letter, a video, or an audio recording. Please address the following questions in your statement:  

  1. What opportunity or opportunities are you interested in?

  2. How did you find out about this opportunity?

  3. Why are you interested in volunteering with United Way of Lane County in this capacity?

  4. What professional, volunteer, and/or lived experience and perspective will you bring to this experience?

If you have questions about the positions or process before applying, please reach out to Emily Dale, United Way’s Director of Community Impact, at edale@unitedwaylane.org.   

What Happens After I Apply?

You will receive an email that your Statement of Interest has been received. When an opportunity you expressed interest in becomes available, your statement will be reviewed by a small, diverse group of United Way staff and current steering committee members. If we'd like to learn more about you, a United Way staff person will reach out to set up a meeting (online or in-person) to get to know you better, share more information about the opportunity, answer any of your questions, and work with you to determine if it is the right opportunity for you.

If you are not selected right away, don’t worry! Your statement of interest will remain in our pool of available volunteers so we can contact you with other chances to get involved with related opportunities, such as volunteering or attending engagement opportunities to provide feedback about United Way of Lane County’s work in other ways.

“Serving with the Community Investment Steering Committee is a truly rewarding experience because of the real difference it makes in the lives of so many children and families. The work is humbling with its unique perspective to witness and to guide the efforts that improve lives and make better outcomes.”
— Stuart Ramsing, CISC member

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes! We value the perspective of our partners, both as service providers working closely with individuals in our community and as active participants in our grant-making processes. We require that all committee members declare conflicts of interest and recuse themselves from any discussions that may benefit their specific organization.

  • We aim for diverse representation on our committees and will prioritize membership based on existing gaps in perspective. Currently, individuals who represent the following sector and demographic perspectives will be prioritized for both the CISC and RJAC:

    • People living in rural communities, especially in East or South Lane County

    • People of color

    • People who are bilingual (particularly in English and Spanish, as well as English and other languages)

    • People working in the public/local government sector

    • People with experience in Early Learning or K-12 education

  • Whichever makes you feel the most comfortable and confident! We are providing multiple methods for submissions to allow people to select the option that works best for them. If access to technology is a barrier to submitting your statement of interest, please reach out to Emily Dale at edale@unitedwaylane.org.

  • We are not concerned about the length of your statement and will be most interested in the perspective you bring and your reasons for wanting to join this committee. Please take only as much time as you need to authentically answer the questions listed above.

    If you are looking for a guide, we estimate that written statements would likely be at least one paragraph, no more than two pages; recorded (video or audio) statements would likely be one to five minutes. However, if you feel inclined to share more or less than those guides allow, please feel free to do so!

  • An estimated one to three times per year. All regular meetings will be hybrid, so if you live outside the area, you can attend virtually. We encourage in-person attendance at select events when possible. This could include our annual Community Breakfast, special board meetings, or the committee’s bi-annual retreat. Hybrid options for these events will still be available if traveling to Springfield is not an option.

  • Yes! We welcome people who have lived or professional experience to lend to our processes, even if those experiences come from outside the nonprofit and/or grant-making world. New members will go through an onboarding process with the committee’s staff support person to learn about United Way of Lane County and how committee processes work in our organization.

    Additionally, you will be paired with a “Buddy” upon joining the committee — a more experienced committee member who can be a familiar face from the start and serve as a second point of connection as questions come up.

  • A deeper understanding of challenges facing the Lane County community and people/organizations working to address them; new connections with like-minded people; skills related to problem-solving, communication, critical thinking, and strategic planning; the knowledge that you’ve helped make a lasting impact on your community; and more!

  • Please reach out to Emily Dale, Director of Community Impact, at edale@unitedwaylane.org.

If you have questions about the positions or process before applying, please reach out to Emily Dale, United Way’s Director of Community Impact, at edale@unitedwaylane.org. We look forward to connecting with you!