For 25 years I have worked in the nonprofit community. During
that time, I have seen many changes in how people give to support
their favorite causes. When United Way was started in the late
1800s, it was a way for people to contribute to a community chest
to help their neighbors. Through direct mail, online giving and
now crowdfunding, people have more choices than ever when it
comes to how they give to the charities they want to support. So,
I am not surprised that people are wondering why give to
United Way when I can give directly to my favorite charitable
organization?
There a many reasons why giving to United Way is THE best way to
help those in need.
- When you give to United Way, you are helping to improve
literacy rates for children at risk of dropping out of school,
providing a safety net for foster youth who have no other
resources, and you are helping to provide healthy, nutritious
meals to children who often do not have enough to eat.
- United Way connects donors to nonprofit organizations that
would have a tough time doing it on their own. Most charitable
organizations have under $100,000 in assets which means that they
don’t have marketing budgets or even fundraising budgets. United
Way provides them with a way to get in front of people to tell
their story.
- United Way makes it easy for donors to support local
nonprofits. We ensure that those organizations are fiscally sound
so that donors don’t have to and we enable donors to give small
amounts over time that make a BIG impact in the community.
- We help companies that want to give back to the community by
matching them with nonprofits. Our annual Day of Caring is one
example of how we help business leaders and their employees
support their local communities. This year, more than 116
companies and groups participated in the day contributing more
than 4,206 volunteer hours!
Why do YOU give to United Way?