Hot Takes with Tom Bernard
Photo Courtesy of Tom Bernard
Tom Bernard joined Berkshire United Way as President and CEO in January 2022. He previously served two terms as mayor of the City of North Adams, Massachusetts, and as chair of the school committee of the North Adams Public Schools. Earlier in his career Tom served as director of special projects at Smith College; in various administrative roles at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA); and as a development officer at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA).
The son of public school teachers, Tom learned by example about service to the community and the importance of civic engagement and giving back. In addition to his leadership role with Berkshire United Way, Tom is co-chair of the Council of Massachusetts United Ways (COMUW) and a member of the United Way Worldwide Council of States. Locally, Tom serves as a member and vice chair of the Berkshire Arts and Technology (BART) Charter Public School Board of Trustees; as president of the Rotary Club of Pittsfield, and as a member of the advisory board of EforAll Berkshires. Prior volunteer experience includes service as a member and chair of the City of North Adams Human Services Commission. He was a founding board member of Develop North Adams and the North Adams Chamber of Commerce and previously served on the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition board of directors.
Tom is a graduate of Williams College and Westfield State University as well as of the Berkshire Leadership Program.
1. Do you see the needs for the community changing or shifting in any way with this new year and new administration? If so, how?
It’s too early to say what 2025 will bring. I know that the changing political and policy landscape in Washington is already creating a great deal of uncertainty and added concern about the wellbeing of the most vulnerable people in our community. I also know that our response to whatever comes our way will focus on what we can achieve locally. At Berkshire United Way (BUW) we’ll continue to do what we’ve done for 100 years and counting: be a trusted partner with our donors, invest responsibly in the community, build coalitions, and listen to the voices and perspectives of the people whom we serve and with whom we collaborate.
2. For folks who feel overwhelmed by all of the organizations and causes they want to support, do you have any suggestions of how they might be able to prioritize their time and resources?
Obviously my first, self-interested, answer is to give to and through Berkshire United Way. A donation to us supports worthy local organizations and causes. It also enables us to invest in helping our nonprofit partners to be stronger and more effective in their work.
That being said, however and wherever you choose to give, I really like the guidance a good friend of mine from another United Way in Massachusetts shared recently:
Give LOCAL.
Give to what interests you and moves your heart and your soul.
Look for authentic voices – support people who are trusted and trusting partners in the community.
Maximize the collective impact of your contributions. Pool your dollars with your family, your friends, your coworkers. (This last part is the essence of BUW’s employee and workplace giving model).
Give to organizations (like BUW) that focus on serving and supporting our partners today as well as on advocacy to change policies and systems over the long term.
Give back. If you can’t contribute resources to the causes and organizations you believe in, share your time and talent – volunteering is a great way to support the community, and it creates positive connections and pride for individuals as well.
3. With everyone feeling the economic pinch of rising prices and stagnant incomes, are there other ways for folks to get involved that don’t require monetary donations?
Volunteer! At BUW we make it easy by hosting the Berkshire United Way Volunteer Center. The Center is an online platform where organizations in need of support can post volunteer opportunities and where people looking to give back to the community can match with organizations and opportunities that align with their needs and interests. With over 100 organizations and counting using the center, anyone can find a way to give back!
Volunteering builds connections, it adds needed capacity to local organizations, and it has a clear and measurable economic impact on the community.
4. What are some of your key priorities for the Berkshire United Way in 2025?
Our work centers on our vision that when you have access to the services and support you need to be safe, healthy, and financially secure, you can achieve your goals, as well as on our strategic priorities of School and Career Readiness, Household Stability (and mobility!), and Mental Health. We’ll be opening up applications for our next, two-year funding cycle in February, so we’ll be engaging volunteers to review proposals and make funding recommendations to our board; I’m really proud and grateful for the volunteer support we receive from community members to give generously of their time to read applications, get to know the organizations, people, and work behind the proposal, and to recommend funding. This is challenging because there is so much good and important work happening in the community, and always more need than we have funds to support.
In addition to our application process, this spring will see the continuation of our annual volunteer month from mid-April to mid-May. We also will continue to support and promote the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) initiative which provides free tax preparation services and helps put dollars right back into people’s pockets.
I’m also excited that we will continue to strengthen and deepen our collaborative and convening work with our nonprofit partners and with individuals and organizations across the community. In addition to our existing efforts, we’re planning to refocus our attention on supporting the early childhood education system as well as on bringing together community partners to imagine solutions to the economic vulnerabilities that leave so many people in our community struggling to make ends meet.
Even at this summary level this is an ambitious agenda, which means we’ll also be asking people to invest in this work and focusing on raising funds to do this work!
5. How can the community best support those goals?
Here are three simple and direct ways:
Make a donation at https://www.berkshireunitedway.org/donate
Volunteer at https://www.volunteerberkshireuw.org/
Be a champion for the community and help where you can. Very few – if any – of us got where we are in this world without some help along the way. Sometimes the best way to pay it back is to pay it forward!