Boiling Point Podcast

The Business Approach to Giving Introducing Wendy McDermott and The United Way of Greater Saint John We all know that there are tremendous social challenges in our communities no matter where you come from. For those of us who seek to be change-makers, it is often be difficult to sift through all of our giving opportunities to see where our greatest impact would be. This challenge can be even more difficult if you are a non-profit organization who funds other non-profits. Amy McDermott is the executive director of the United Way in Greater Saint John. When she took her post a few years ago, the United Way was going through some changes to make their charity more impactful. Wendy was instrumental in shaking up the United Way so that it was more results driven and donation friendly. She did this by making organizations seeking United Way funding to take a business approach. Each organization would have to write a “business plan” outlining their challenge, the solution, its value proposition, and the risks as