community economic needs

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Background

GOALS

The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh was founded in 1918 as an affiliate of the National Urban League (ULGP). Today, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh has become one of the most accomplished affiliates in the country, leading by example with a perfect 5 out of 5 on a recent national performance review. The rating assessed three key criteria: organizational 1. Build capacity to more effectively and powerfully advocate for the soundness, organizational vitality, and implementation of mission.

3. Continue to provide culturally relevant and measurably effective The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh has bold ambition, broad shoulders and a big heart. programs and services to those in Its leadership responds with courage in the face of unceasing inequity and injustice. Its need. intention is to serve whole people and whole families with services that address the needs of

Intentions & Aspirations

those facing foreclosure and unemployment, lack of educational opportunity and for those who suffer from economic and racial injustice in its many forms. 4. Continue to model financial The aspirations of the people it serves form its agenda, both programmatic and in public policy. ULGP seeks a more just world, one with more equal access to the things that make life good in a community where the statistics consistently demonstrate the opposite is true for African Americans in Southwest Pennsylvania. Its keenest aspiration is to build political will for real, positive changes for equity in education, employment and health for all people, especially those in the regional African American community. 5.

Mission The mission of the Urban League movement is to enable Africans Americans to secure economic self-reliance, parity and power, and civil rights.

needs

goals support Advocacy

community

economic

equity

families leadership

positive

mission

Active engagement by board members in advocacy work Re-ignite all our allies’ passion for justice – recognize possibilities and constraints Involve all the ULGP family – board, staff and two auxiliaries Regular contact with local, state, regional, national elected officials Other means to educate, advocate and motivate change???

responsibility when making program choices, always seeking to retain a strong fiscal core for the ULGP. Be bolder and more resourceful in seeking the necessary financial support to fully achieve all the goals.

1. A. Strengthen internal capacity for advocacy by hiring the necessary staff to support increased research, develop additional revenues and powerful partnerships. B. ULGP will think, work and advocate from a systems perspective. C. Aggressively build the brand of the Urban League through a variety of increased visibility and marketing strategies. D. Staff and board leadership succession plans will be implemented to protect the effectiveness of advocacy efforts. 2. A. Tie staff compensation to ULGP’s goal of economic self-reliance and assure that plan is attuned to ULGP’s brand and values. B. Assure all client experiences are of the highest quality by strict attention to customer service and clarity of needs to be addressed. 3. Implement The Rensselaerville Institute’s work with ULGP on programmatic results and outcomes by providing staff training and on-going support for effective evaluation of the current program portfolio as well as being attuned to evolving community needs. 4. Working in a roiling economic environment, the Urban League is challenged to maintain its positive financial position. It will continue to be financially viable by continued careful attention to the financial drivers, making adjustments whenever necessary and by maintaining positive funder and donor relationships. 5. A. Working in partnership with its powerful Board of Directors, ULGP will pursue new donors, new contracts and new possibilities as well as continuing to work to maintain its strong relationships with the government and other key funders. B. As part of its increased focus on advocacy and strengthening its voice, ULGP will implement a broad effort to raise new dollars by using its assets of reputation and leadership. C. ULGP will build a reserve fund for capital and technology needs.

CRITICAL ISSUES

A Stronger Voice for the ULGP

education

Strategic Directions 2012-2015

legitimate needs of the African

The Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh is focused on serving African-American constituents, American community. but no one is ever turned away. The Pittsburgh affiliate offers education, health advocacy, housing, early childhood and youth development, hunger services, employment and career training and counseling, and economic empowerment programs. Services are extended to 2. Strengthen a culture of dignity and respect throughout the agency by more than 28,000 individuals each year. Programs are tailored to specific needs such as planning for increased staff helping formerly incarcerated parents find jobs, encouraging African American adolescent men to set high standards and challenging goals for themselves, preparing prospective compensation and strict attention buyers for homeownership, getting families with pre-schoolers ready for school success, and to the quality of client experiences. others as community needs demand.

STRATEGIES

Deep cuts to public education from early childhood to post-graduate studies are accelerating. In this environment of scarcity, opportunities for equitable education for African American children are ever more challenged. This Achievement Gap, now better titled the Opportunity Gap, must be acknowledged and closed. There are continued threats to the public transportation system, making employment, medical appointments and other necessities of life much more difficult for many poorer people. 220,000 people in our region depend on public transportation every day. Deep racial segregation continues. In the Pittsburgh-metro area, 72.5% of white people would have to move in order to have complete racial integration. Local African American male unemployment is three times the rate of white male unemployment and exceeds the national rate of unemployment for African American males. The Pittsburgh region has the highest rate of poverty among working-age African Americans of any of the 40 largest metropolitan regions in the U.S. Nearly 1/3 of female-headed households earn less than $17,000 a year. The costs associated with childhood poverty are estimated to be more than $500 billion dollars annually or the equivalent of 4% of the GDP. Our local population of African American children under 5 has the highest rate of poverty in the 40 largest metropolitan regions in the U.S. The effects of the current economic climate are disproportionate. In southwestern Pennsylvania, black family median incomes fell to 43.2% of whites’ incomes in 2009. 50% of all local black wage earners earned less than $25,000.

OUTCOMES Significantly increased community awareness of racial disparities, African American contributions and successes and increased insistence on fairness in our community life. Being a positive role model for all nonprofit organizations and their employees and clients. Increased internal capacity for achieving the mission & setting an example of fiscal health for the region and the nation. More African American people and families living lives of financial stability, educational opportunity and physical well-being.