Why Give to United Way of Whitewater Valley?

As we enter campaign season – or as you’re looking for a new charitable cause to support in our community – you may find yourself asking, “Why give to United Way?” After all, there are plenty of causes and nearly unlimited need in Wayne and Union counties. What makes United Way the best option? Let’s dive into that… 

United Way supports programs that address early childhood education, youth success, economic mobility, and access to healthcare. These targeted areas are all equally important to us because all four must be lifted up and supported to build strong thriving communities. In other words, there’s no one good place to start in order to improve things. For example, people often have more economic mobility if they had access to quality early childhood education. Early childhood education can be negatively impacted if there is limited access to healthcare support, if a child’s parents’ economic mobility options are stunted, and so on.  

So what does that have to do with why you should give to United Way? We’ll break it down for you. 

Collective Impact 

Sometimes a person can feel really helpless when faced with the problems in Wayne County and Union County. Where do we start? How can one person get anywhere close to making an impact? That’s where United Way makes a difference – and helps YOU make a difference. Giving a donation to United Way is collaborative. Your ability to give is multiplied when your gift is combined with others. The donation becomes $200, or $2,000, or even $20,000 when it is combined with donations from likeminded individuals. The impact is greater because the financial pool is larger. Your gift goes further by Giving to United Way. 

Trust 

We’ve all heard those horror stories about popular charities where very little of the donated funds reach the intended recipients. While many charities do give most of their donated funds to the programs they promise to. The news that some charities aren’t as scrupulous as promised has made donors wary. According to Consumer Reports, there are some steps you can take to ensure your donation is going to a good charity.

1. They recommend verifying each organization’s tax exempt status by searching on the IRS website
2. Watching for credit card processing fees on online giving platforms
3. Be on guard for charity “soundalikes” or low-rated charities that have set up similar-sounding names.

That’s a lot of work – and you, as a donor, shouldn’t have to go through all of that. That’s why United Way does it differently. 

United Way of Whitewater Valley has marshalled the resources of our communities to identify what’s needed and vetted the charitable organizations best suited to address those needs. All of these organizations are vetted for their impact, outcomes, and effectiveness. Every program meets a need, addresses a root cause of a need, and creates outcomes of change in our four focus areas: early childhood education, youth success, economic mobility, and access to healthcare. When you give to United Way, you can be sure your gift stays local and goes to the people and programs that need it most – you don’t have to choose. 

Reach 

We discussed collective impact earlier and how your dollars do more when combined with all the donors who give to United Way of Whitewater Valley, but now we want to talk about the people whose lives you’re impacting. With the collective impact from all of our donors, YOU were able to improve the lives of over 21,000 people in our community. That means tens of thousands of people in Wayne and Union counties now have access to the resources they need to thrive. 21,000 people are doing better because of you – and, with numbers like that, the community as a whole starts to improve. Where else can you donate and say that you can improve the lives of thousands? 

If the reach of our campaigns, the trust in the programs we choose to support, and the force of our communities’ collective impact weren’t enough, we’ll give you three more reasons why you should give to United Way of Whitewater Valley. 

1. It’s easy. Speak to your Campaign Coordinator to make a one-time contribution or set up regular donations through payroll deduction. You can also go straight to our PayPal page and donate there. 
2. It’s tax deductible. Make sure you get a receipt and save it for tax season. 
3. It stay’s local. Your donation remains in Wayne and Union counties and supports our communities where its needed most.  

We hope your question of “Why give to United Way?” has been answered and that you will join us in our mission to fight for the health, education, and financial stability for everyone in every community. Each dollar you donate will make Wayne County and Union County better for thousands of people. Join us and encourage your friends and family to join us, too.