United Way ProposalJanuary 3, 1975
To: All City Commissioners
From: N. D. Olson, City Manager
Subject: Monday, January 6, 1975
The United Way correspondence was delivered by Ron Elwell Thursday.
It is enclosed for your leisure reading.
The transcript referred to in Stoke's letter will be available in
our office Monday for your review, if you so desire. You may want
to take it home and pass it among yourselves throughout the week.
After that time it will be in the City Clerk's files. You will
note that Stokes does not plan on being present at the meeting,
but wants it officially recorded in the minutes. All you will need
to do Monday is accept the letter and the transcript.
December 27, 1974
Mr. Ron Elwell
Salina United Way
115 West Iron Avenue
P. O. Box 355
Salina, Kansas 67401
Dear Ron:
Enclosed are three copies of a proposal for a study. You will note that
I have resolved the dilemma of finances beyond the $10,000 being offered
by the City by dividing the proposal into two parts. If the first part
is adceptable to the City, we could proceed with it without waiting for
a decision on financial participation by the United Way, the School Dis-
trict, or other parties. My own reading of the City Commiss~oner's atti-
tude is that "Phase 1" of the propsal would satisfy their imumdiate desires.
I hope I am not wrong in this assessment.
If there is any disposition on the part of your local leaders; to proceed
with a public opinion survey, MACSI would not be interested in such an
approach. Experiencd elsewhere has proved these to be non, productive.
Furthermore, such an approach would be too expensive for your community,
that is, if it were to be done by trained interviewers and not by use of
the mails. The latter is unquestionably a waste of time and money.
I hoPe the enclosed meets my commitment to your United Way. It is subject
to further negotiation on its provisions, if a few changes in scope and
method would more fully· satisfy the local leadership.
I am most grateful to you for your generous hospitality to ~ while in
Salina.
· Best of luck in your further efforts.
Sincerely,
Harold C. Edelston
DirecCor
Management and Community Studies Institute
801 N. Fair;ax Street, Alexandria. Virginia 22314, (TWX: 710-832-0617), 703-836-7100
James R. Kvtr. CI)air~;~,~n of the Board of Governors; Ch;Jrle$ [, S/one, [/ice Chairmart of the Board and Chairma~ of the Executive Committee;
Charles F. A(Ltms, '/~c,:. Ch~ir,~.~n, Bayard Ew~ng. Vice Chairman/ C~J~c..", E. Watts, Secretary; James L. Knight, Treasurer; William Aramon¥, National Executiv=
.-~r~ The Ut~tecl W(ty ot Arner~ca ~) 1972
December 27, 1974
UNITED WAY OF AMERICA
Management and Community Studies Institute (MACSI)
PROPOSAL FOR INVENTORY OF HU~N SERVICE PROGRAMS
IN SALINA, KANSAS
I. ORIGIN OF PROPOSAL
The Management and Community Studies Institute (MACSI) was invited by
the United Way of Salina to make a one-day visit to Salina for mutual exploration
of the feasibility of a community "needs" study. Such a visit was mmde on De-
cember 18, 1974 by the Director of MACSI, who interviewed United Way and government
officials in an attempt to clarify the purpose of the study. The following were
interviewed: the local United Way Executive Director; four volunteer leaders of
the United Way, including its current president and incoming president; members of
the City Commission; the Health Department Director; the local District Director
for the Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services; and the Superintendent of the
local school district. ~
The MaCSI Director learned that the City Commission was prepared to al-
locate $10,000 of city funds to the United Way to conduct a "needs" study. However,
it was also discovered that the definition of what should comprise such a study had
not been clearly done. The MACSI Director found almost unanimous agreement
among those interviewed that a study should at least produce a detailed picture of
existing resources to alleviate or solve human problems and enhance the quality of
life in the Salina area. The interviews evoked spontaneous observations that few
community leaders, if any, had a full picture of what is already available, nor was
there in existence centrally compiled information to satisfy this need.
Beyond the basic requirement, the interviewees voiced a variety of ex-
pectations to be derived from a "needs" study," including the following:
A} Identification of unneceasary duplication of services,
especially in the recreation-leisure time field. Two
im£erviewees went further to express a hope that
identified, such duplication could be corrected thro~Lgh
a process of convening the involved agencies to prod
~hem to corrective action.
B) Disclosure of programs needed by a significant number' of
people but unavailable, a siutation claimed by a few
"militants" but not conclusively disclosed by available
facts. One City Commissioner expressed a conviction that
~he present service systems already cover the gamut of
all possible needs; the problem is more knowledge of what
exists and collaborative planning among organizations and
government departments to make the most efficient use of
financial resources available.
C) Lack of control over private solicitations in the commu-
nity, which should be corrected by ordinance. According
to this view, data are needed to disclose the extent of
solicitations for the same general purposes; organiza-
tions should be required to open to public scrutiny the
cost of raising the money and the uses which are made 'of
contributions; and there should be a means of controlling
public appeals which do not merit community support.
II. PROPOSED SCOPE OF STUDY
It was not made clear to the MACSI Director at the time of his visit
whether the $I0,000 figure offered by the City represents the limit of funding for
a study, or whether other sources of income, particularly the United Wav itself
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and perhaps the School District, would contribute to an endeavor larger than that
possible within the limits of the City funds. Therefore, this proposal presents a
two-phased study, the first assuming a $10,000 cost and the second requesting an
elaboration of the first phase if so desired by local leaders.
A) Phase 1
It is proposed that this phase be a detailed, system-
atic compilation of program services already available in
the Salina area, as well as those services located ir.t Kan-
sas outside of Salin~ County but available to residents of
Salina and the County.
The subject matter to be covered would generally' fol-
low the scope of the United Way of America's Services
Identification System (L~ASIS) which defines a broad scope
of voluntary and governmental service systems. These.. are
generally conceived of as the primary local means of deal-
ing with human problems, as well as with local aspirations
to improve the quality of life. An outline of the subject
matter encompassed by Dq~ASIS is attached.
Phase 1 would also entail the development of a system
to retrieve needed information quickly and conveniently,
and a system to maintain the currency of the information
on a periodic basis.
Each program pertaining to a particular need or prob-
lem would be classified under a single category, regard-
less of auspices or the name by which the program is
called by its sponsor. This would provide evidence of the
existence of duplication, but such evidence would not be
conclusive in t~he absence of the process embodied in Phase 2.
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Phase 1 would, in summary, provide a systematic and
detailed inventory of existing programs and the elements
(or specific activities) which comprise the programs
available to people living in the Salina area. The infor-
mation system would delineate eligibility requirements,
fees charged (if any), hours and days of week service is
available, sources of program subsidies, and any impor-
tant information unique to particular programs. Any ob-
servations or unmet needs made by ~CSf in the coursE: of
~he above-described compilation would be reported in
appropriate fashion in the final document for Phase 1.
Such observation would be incidental to the purpose of
Phase 1 and would not represent an in-depth effort.
Phase 2
Phase 2 is presented as optional, in the event that
the United Way wishes to exert leadership in pursuing the
questions of duplicating programs and existence of needs
which are entirely unmet by any existing program.
Phase 2 would utilize the information collected in
Phase 1 as a data base to indentify what appears to be
duplication of effort among programs under various spon-
sorships. The apparent duplication would be explored in-
depth by outside consultants familiar with the service
systems under which the apparently identical or similar
programs are categorized. They would engage in inter-
views with agency administrators, and, if necessary,
collect additional information to verify duplication,
and, if it is found to be a reality, provide more detail
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III.
om its mature and extent. The.end result would be a
written report to a community committee with sufficient
influence to bring about change.'
The aforementioned consultants would also provide a
picture to such a study committee of the extent of "~mmet
needs" in the Salina area.
PROPOSED STUDY METHOD
A) Phase 1
Phase 1 would be conducted by the Director of MACSI
and a special consultant experienced in the collection,
storage, retrieval, updating, and use of human services
resource information. The consultant is likely to be
Mrs. Frances Gilbert, Director, Information Center of
Hampton Roads, Health, Welfare & Recreation Planning Coun-
cil, Norfolk, Virginia. Mrs. Gilbert has gained national
prominence for her outstanding work in information systems
such as is contemplated in this proposal.
This MACSI team will use a combination of mailed
questionnaires and personal .interview schedules to compile
the needed information. Consultation with major service
vendors will be conducted prior to designing the question-
naire and schedule forms in order to insure their su~[ta-
bility to local circumstances.
Interviews with selected workers in established
agencies who are well-acquainted with the local community's
resources also will be conducted in order to identify
program sponsors which may not be well-known, such as
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churches, civic and fraternal organizations, etc. T%lese,
too, will subsequently be contacted for information.
Information will be sought from state-wide agencies,
voluntary and governmental, which may not have a local
office in Salina or environs, but whose programs are
available to the people in the Salina area.
The MACSI team would not in Phase 1 offer opinions or
professional judgments on "duplication," extent of "unmet
meed," or other matters. The end product of Phase 1 would
be a written inventory of programs without editorializing,
and recommendation of a system for periodically up-dating
the system, including suggested report forms to be sub-
mitred by program sponsors. This material should be of
particular value to the projected Information and Referral
service to be established by the Salina United Way, and
should enable that service to be initiated at an earlier
date than would otherwise be possible.
Phase 2
Phase 2 envisages an evaluation of the data gathered
in Phase 1 by a citizens committee with the aid of o,tside
specialists. The committee would be organized under
United Way auspices and composed of local lay leaders,
particularly those with an influence on the decisions of
funding bodies, both governmental and non-governmentlml.
Consequently, the committee's membership should include
representation from the City Commission, the School Dis-
trict, and County government.
A team of consultants would be organized by
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to advise the citizens committee on the extent of duplica-
tion and gaps in the service systems encompassed in Phase
1. The consultant team would include a sPecialist from
the health field, employment and manpower, social adjust-
ment, and leisure time/recreation.
The consultants would not evaluate the quality and
effectiveness of ongoing programs. Their task would be
to determine whether there is unnecesSary duplication of
programs, whether there are programs lacking in the Salina
area for w~ich there is obvious need, and whether the. re
are any existing programs which Iow extent of current: need
renders outmoded.
A combined report of the consultants which prese, nts
their opinions would be presented to the citizens co~mtit-
tee. The committee would review the report to determine
those opinions with which it agrees or disagrees and
would present its own report to the bodies which fund pro-
grams for the Salina area. The committee report may or
may not be identical to the consultant's report; at any
rate, the consultant's report would be confidential for
committee use only, and its recommendations would not be
obligatory upon the committee to accept.
It would be the committee's reponsibility to imple-
ment the report after its adoption by convening agencies
which need to make changes and prodding funding bodies to
finance new programs as indicated are needed by the report.
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IV. TIMING AND COST
Phase 1 could be undertaken with or without a prior commitment to Phase
2, since the former can stand alone as a complete project.
United Way of America can begin work on Phase 1 in March 1975. Esti-
mated duration would be six months. This time schedule cannot be g~,aranteed, be-
cause it is dependent upon the promptness of response of organizatic, ns from which
information is requested. It would be expected that the United Way staff would
assist in follow-up of those organizations delinquent in their response to MACSI
requests.
The cost of Phase 1 would be $10,000. This is a fixed fee. It carries
with it a guarantee that, if costs exceed the amount quoted, the excess will be ab-
sorbed by United Way of America.
The publication to be produced in Phase 1 will be an easily comprehen-
sible inventory of existing services, classified by service systems and cross-
indexed by specific programs, by problems to which the programs are addressed, and
geographic location of office facilities. MACSI would provide one reproduceable
copy of such document with rights granted to the Salina United Way to reproduce
such additional copies as it desires.
Phase 2 would, if a decision is made to proceed with it, begin upon com-
pletion of Phase 1, and would be of another six months' duration. Completion is
to be defined as transmittal of a consultant's report to the proposed citizens'
committee.
fixed fee.
United Way.
The cost of Phase 2 would also be $10,000. This is also a guaranteed
MACSI would provide 200 copies of the Phase 2 report to the Salina
If this proposal is accepted in whole or in part, it would be understood
that MACSI's client is the United Way of Salina, and that all billing and other
transactions would be conducted by United Way of America with the United Way of
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Salina.
Payment for either proposed phase would be due from the Salina United
Way within 30 days after receipt of each document pertaining to the respective
study phase.
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APPENDIX D AI'PENDI~ A
UW'ASIS CHAleT
~OAI. I ADEQUATE INCOME AND CeOAL I'l, OPTIMAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOAL IlL OPTIMAL HEALTH GOAL IV. ADEQUATE KNOWLEDGE GOAL V. OPTIMAL PERSONAL AND GOAL VI. ADEQUATELY ORGANIZED
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY CONDITIONS AND PROVISION OF BASIC AND eKILL$ SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT AND ~:)CIAL INSTRUMENTALITIES
MATERIAL NEEDS DEVELOPMENT
EMPLOYMENT SERVICES ~fSTE~M FOOD AND NUTRITION SERVICES SYS~M HEALTH {PHYSICALI MAINTENANCE AND FORMAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICES SYSTEM INDIVIDUAL AND F&MILY LIFE SERVICES MOBILIZATION Of PEOPLE SERVICES SYSTEM
I