BANGOR – After studying national trends and looking at the needs of the communities it serves, the United Way of Eastern Maine has decided to make a change in its funding formula.

The nonprofit organization that provides monetary assistance for programs in Penobscot, Hancock, Washington, Piscataquis and Waldo counties has made a shift for the coming fiscal year from a one-year funding cycle to a three-year cycle.

United Way officials recently announced that 66 three-year grants totaling more than $3.6 million have been awarded to organizations throughout the five counties it serves.

Although the organization still will hold an annual campaign drive, programs will be provided with a more long-term funding commitment, Jeff Wahlstrom, president of United Way of Eastern Maine, explained recently.

“This is the first time that we’ve gone to a three-year cycle,” Wahlstrom said.

He noted that there hasn’t been a decrease in donations, but that United Way is trying to focus on programs that address specific problems facing its communities to produce effective results.

The shift means that while some programs that previously received funding no longer will receive money, some new programs are being added to the list of recipients and the funding commitment will be extended.

United Way’s mission is to bring together human, financial and strategic resources to strengthen children and families, support seniors, meet people’s basic needs and promote self-sufficiency for individuals.

A one-year funding cycle doesn’t give organizations enough time to measure accurately whether their programs are working, Wahlstrom said.

“Our partners are excited about this because it gives them a level of stability that they don’t get in any of their other funding sources,” the organization president said.

The funding, however, isn’t 100 percent guaranteed, he said.

A disclaimer in the agreement states that the three-year funding is dependent on the United Way’s campaign success and the program’s level of measurable success.

“If something happened and our annual campaign dropped dramatically, then we’d have to adjust,” Wahlstrom said.

“We do think donors will respond to this,” said Nancy Roberts, vice president of community impact. She added that people likely will be more willing to give if they can see measurable results.

“I think this approach makes a lot of sense,” Bill Imes, United Way of Eastern Maine board member and chairman of the community impact committee, said Friday.

Changes in the funding process have occurred at United Way organizations all over the country in the last several years, Wahlstrom said.

“We saw models in other parts of the country where they were dealing with some of the same kinds of things we are and started looking at other models,” Wahlstrom said. “We’re really looking at what worked in other areas.”

By learning from other programs and then narrowing the focus while addressing geographic and transportation issues that are unique to Maine, United Way officials said, they feel they have created a funding system that will work well here.

“The question for us is: How do we build upon the money we’ve been distributing to these programs and do even more?” Wahlstrom said.

About four years ago, the organization conducted a regional assessment of about 20 communities in the five counties it serves.

Using the results, the organization selected three broad areas to address:

. Senior citizens.

. Children and families.

. Basic needs and self-sufficiency.

From there, United Way created impact councils with members from each of the five counties helped by the United Way. Each council was assigned to explore one of the focuses and develop goals that could result from programs addressing a specific concern or desire in a community.

“It’s a very diverse group of people who bring a variety of experiences,” Wahlstrom said.

Traditionally, United Way would fund a program it felt was good for the community.

Now, United Way officials say they hope to expand on that and begin to “surround” issues by involving the whole community, Wahlstrom said, rather than simply providing monetary support.

“We’ve moved from saying ‘Does it sound like a good program?’ to ‘Does it sound like it will produce good results?'” Wahlstrom said.

With an annual funding process, programs can be penalized for not producing the results they thought they could. With a three-year funding program, United Way officials said they can work with programs to help them achieve positive results.

“Ideally, we’ll be able to work with them as partners not only to measure results, but to work with them to achieve those results over a period of time,” Wahlstrom said.

In this way, Wahlstrom said, he hopes that communities can learn from each other by sharing information about programs that work.

“It doesn’t have a lot of market appeal, but it sure has, to me, a lot of mission appeal,” Imes said. “It’s a good thing to be trying to do. It’s just going to take a lot of adjusting.”

When applying for funding, programs first have to show that they need the money. In addition, they must align with the community outcomes defined by the impact committees, be able to measure results, prove that they are willing to collaborate with others, and show that they are fiscally responsible.

Wahlstrom noted that core issues facing a community often can’t be solved by funding a single organization.

“It takes a community working together to create that change,” Wahlstrom said. “It’s a broader community approach than we’ve traditionally taken.”

Last year, the United Way funded 72 programs. This year, 66 programs will receive money, 51 of which previously were funded by the organization as well as 15 new programs. In all, nine programs that applied to the organization didn’t receive funding.

Wahlstrom pledged that United Way will continue to support programs that aren’t being directly funded by providing other types of resources.

Directing programs to other potential funding sources as well as providing a support network are just some of the things United Way officials said they hope to be able to offer.

“One of the things that we heard over and over in our assessment sessions is that transportation is a key issue, especially in rural areas,” Wahlstrom said.

United Way officials contacted about 20 nonprofit transportation providers, almost all of whom are responsible for a unique geographic area, to discuss transportation for elderly residents who have medical needs.

“It’s different from what United Way donors know us as,” Wahlstrom said. “It’s really bringing people together that don’t normally work together on issues.”

The United Way isn’t providing funding for the transportation service, but did give the providers a forum and place to meet.

“It didn’t take any United Way dollars, just time,” Wahlstrom said. “We’re excited about where that goes.”