The impact of a gift to United Way
When you give to United Way of Greater St. Louis, you support a strong network of local nonprofit agencies and help build a community of which we can all be proud. As a United Way supporter, you raise your hand every day to answer the call to help your neighbors in need.
Whether someone needs a little help or a lot of help, United Way and its partners are standing ready to extend a helping hand. We bring people together to tackle our region’s most pressing issues and to strengthen our community so everyone has the ability to reach their full potential.
So, how does your support of United Way help our community?
Getting help is one phone call away
For some, it means a full belly, a place to call home, or an ear to listen, but for many, United Way 2-1-1 can be life-saving.
“I’ll never forget that first phone call to 2-1-1,” caller Je’Ree said. “I stayed on the phone for 1.5 hours with them.”
Calling 2-1-1 helped Je’Ree start a new path in her life. She was connected with agencies that helped her overcome addiction, ensured she and her daughter had their basic needs met, and encouraged Je’Ree to go back to college.
In 2018, United Way 2-1-1 received over 120,000 requests for assistance in the St. Louis region, ranging from help paying rent and utility bills to looking for nearby childcare programs. 2-1-1 is an easy-to-use, one-stop place for individuals and families looking for connection to nearby agencies and resources.
United Way 2-1-1 is staffed by trained specialists who offer information and referrals to community-based organizations and government agencies that provide services and programs such as mental and physical health resources, transportation assistance, respite care, afterschool programs, and basic human needs resources like food, clothing, and shelter. Your support of United Way of Greater St. Louis allows us to provide this free and confidential resource to our community to help people like Je’Ree.
Building strategic partnerships
Your generosity supports a network of nonprofit agencies in our region, each held to rigorous standards evaluated by a team of volunteer representatives. The programs and services provided by these agencies help position more than one million local individuals and families for success.
“The support of United Way helps us fill the gaps where some of our other funders and other efforts just don’t quite cover,” explains Nichole Dawsey, executive director of NCADA. “Our United Way dollars allow us to serve the entirety of our seven-county eastern region.” With United Way’s support, the agency is able to reach people they wouldn’t otherwise have the resources or capacity to serve.
United Way allocates donations to more than 160 member agencies that serve the needs of the St. Louis region. The dollars invested into these agencies are critical for the infrastructure of services people need. “Our community support also helps us kind of pay for those invisible things,” said Dawsey. “Things like the lights, the air conditioning, the person at the front desk who answers the phone and will talk to somebody at their time of most critical need. Those are gaps that really and truthfully the community support helps us fill and for that we are entirely grateful.”
Strengthening our community through volunteerism
United Way manages our region’s Volunteer Center, which supports the volunteer efforts of hundreds of local nonprofit agencies, as well as provides emergency volunteer assistance in Missouri and Illinois during times of disaster and crisis.
In our community, United Way of Greater St. Louis has a long history of fostering and encouraging volunteerism in the community.
The Volunteer Center’s sweeping support brings people and communities together, builds the capacity for effective volunteering, promotes quality opportunities to serve, and participates in strategic partnerships to mobilize volunteers in the community. On September 11 this year, the Volunteer Center helped to organize an event that brought nearly 1,000 volunteers together to pack 287,064 meals for those in need.
As public and private funding declines for many social, educational and community programs, the need increases for volunteers to fill the gaps in meeting basic community needs. The Volunteer Center is a vital resource for agencies in our community to recruit volunteers to help support their missions and work.
Impact by the numbers
United Way brings the community together to address the needs of our region and help our neighbors live their best possible lives. When you give to United Way, you support more than 160 nonprofit organizations, serving one out of every three people in our region. These agencies provide basic needs, foster learning, improve health, establish financial security and strengthen neighborhoods.
Here are some highlights of what we accomplished together in 2018:
- 175,734 clients received support through mental health programs offered by United Way member agencies
- 14,633 children attended high quality early education programs supported by United Way
- 34 member agencies served 28,316 clients experiencing or at risk of homelessness
- Over 37,115,986 meals were provided by United Way member agency food bank/pantry programs
- 43,528 children were free from child abuse and neglect
- 26,730 people obtained job readiness skills
- 3,472 people successfully managed their chronic health conditions
- 8,962 people increased their income, savings, and assets
- 15,032 community service providers enhanced their knowledge, capacity, and performance
Take action now:
Discover the perfect opportunity for you with United Way’s Volunteer Center.
Learn more about the nonprofit agencies we support.
Learn more about services offered by United Way 2-1-1.
