Community Impact Vision Council Volunteers

Through the new Community Impact Model, United Way of Horry County (UWHC) is addressing the needs of today while diligently working on getting to the root causes of key issues. With the community’s support, we focus on four priority areas:  Health, Education, Self-Sufficiency, and Basic Needs. To see our bold community goals, please see our Community Game Plan.

UWHC depends on our community members to help make important funding decisions by volunteering to serve on one of the four Community Impact Vision Councils (VCs) (Health, Education, Self-Sufficiency, and Basic Needs). These volunteers help determine how undesignated UWHC annual campaign donations will be distributed to local agencies and services throughout Horry County. We will also have the opportunity for people to serve on our Finance VC, who is responsible for reviewing financial documentation turned in by the applicant agencies. Together, we are making a difference!

Who can serve on the Community Impact Vision Councils?

No experience is needed to participate! If you are a UWHC donor, someone who has extensive knowledge of the bold community goals we will be tackling, or a just community member that wants to get involved, you have the opportunity to serve on one of the five Vision Councils and help determine what programs will provide our community with the greatest impact. For the Finance VC, it is required that these volunteers have a financial background.

What is the time commitment?

The first step is to review the information included in this PowerPoint presentation. Choose which VC you would like to serve on (if you don’t have a preference on which VC you serve on, let us know, and we will assign you where it’s needed most).

Then, based on your availability and interest, you will be responsible for reviewing funding applications for the agencies that apply under that pillar. Each application will probably take you about 2-3 hours to read and score. Please review the 2025 UWHC Competitive Grant timeline below:

Monday, October 28 – Friday, December 13, 2024 – UWHC 2025 Competitive Grant Applications open: Applications for a one-year grant will be accepted beginning October 28 and ending December 13 at 11:59pm. Agencies must request an application by answering a few questions before they can receive the full application.

October 28 – applications open

November 8 – deadline to request access to the full application

December 13 – applications close

Between December 16 – December 20, 2024: Completed applications will be sent to Vision Councils for review

Agency Year-End Reports are due on Friday, January 17 for current 2024 grantee agencies. Reports will be sent to Vision Councils on Monday, January 20.

Between February 3 – 7, 2025 – Vision Councils will meet virtually to discuss the applications that were reviewed and scored (application scored based on preset scoring criteria)

Between February 10 –  28, 2025: Vision Councils will conduct one-hour site visits of applicant agencies that have been reviewed. Questions from the review of the application and report will be asked at site visits.

Between March 10 – 14, 2025: Vision Councils will meet in person with the UWHC Allocations Chair to make final funding recommendations to be brought to the UWHC Board of Directors meeting for final approval (2-hour meeting)

End of March 2025: Agencies are notified of 2025 grant award

April 2025: Agencies that are awarded funding will receive the first quarter’s payment from January – March and then will receive regular monthly allocation amounts for the rest of 2025.

When Are Volunteers Needed?

The 2025 Competitive Grant Funding Cycle will open in late October 2024. Volunteer registration will be available for the 2025 cycle which will require availability from December 2024 through April 2025.