The Time Is Now
United Way of Western Connecticut has counted on our generous donors, volunteers and workplaces to help us raise the money needed to address crucial issues facing our community.
- You've listened to the stories we've shared about how your donations have changed lives in your community.
- You've given your time, your voice, your people power, and your financial contributions.
- And you've made an impact on the lives of your neighbors.
We know our 2020 fundraising campaign will look very different in the face of the pandemic and ongoing economic uncertainty. But we've got people like you on our side - we can do this!
What United Way Has Accomplished and Where We Go From Here
Your support for United Way of Western Connecticut powers local solutions to the problems facing our communities to raise up our neighbors in need. At no time did we feel the strength of this local connection more than the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year.
Our struggling neighbors are counting on United Way and our generous donors, volunteers, and workplaces to address the crucial issues facing our community. From thousands of dollars in cash and food assistance to mobilizing volunteers to deliver necessities to the homebound, donations and volunteers were put to work helping those affected by the crisis across our region.
While the immediate crisis from the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, we are working hard to REIMAGINE and REBUILD our community to be stronger and more RESILIENT. You can help United Way continue to be a beacon of hope and community strength for our region for the future.
Hard-working, low-wage ALICE families were hit very hard by the financial fall-out of the pandemic. 40% of people who make less than $40,000 per year lost their jobs in March.* By supporting United Way of Western Connecticut’s 2020 Campaign for the Community, you’ll be helping the people we count on every day—like child care providers and restaurant workers—get back on their feet.
*Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, on May 14, 2020
HERE’S WHAT UNITED WAY OF WESTERN CONNECTICUT HAS DONE SO FAR TO HELP OUR NEIGHBORS DURING THIS CRISIS:
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FOOD ASSISTANCE
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FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
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VOLUNTEERS MOBILIZED
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CHILD CARE SUPPORT
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INFORMATION PROVIDED
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When the pandemic first hit, we RESPONDED quickly, getting food and funds to people in need within the first few weeks. Now we’re inviting you to help us work with community partners to RECOVER from the financial after effects, REIMAGINE how we can come together in new ways to move forward, and REBUILD the lives of people who were financially devastated so we’ll all be more resilient in the future.
United Way is focused on three things for the future:
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FOOD SECURITY. |
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CHILD CARE, EDUCATION, AND YOUTH SUCCESS. |
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STABILIZING ALICE’S FINANCES. * 2018 Federal Reserve Report on Economic Well Being |
Let's Do This For Our Community
JUST $10 A MONTH HELPS!
Giving as little as $10 each month can help us get people back on their feet. You will make food and child care more affordable as people return to work after losing jobs and paychecks. And you'll support local agencies that keep your community strong by providing basic needs to those who need help right now.
United Way is the only organization focused exclusively on people hit hardest by this pandemic—the people working hard for low wages in essential jobs, like CNAs, child care providers, and maintenance workers. Your donation to United Way of Western Connecticut will help them weather the crises of 2020 and start to plan for a brighter future for their families.
Want to Level Up? Get Your Workplace Involved!
Workplace Giving and Volunteering in 2020 and Beyond: United Way Makes It Flexible, Meaningful, and Fun
This year, more than ever, we want to help local businesses and workplaces make a difference for the people who struggle in our corner of Connecticut. A new generation of workers are dedicated to supporting causes and their communities, and they want the flexibility to give from a variety of devices or via text. Social distancing means giving through technology is the new normal.
United Way of Western Connecticut offers workplace giving solutions that are as comprehensive or as simple as your needs. Whether you’re still working remotely or your colleagues are out in the field or at their desks, we have a solution that allow your company to make a difference for people who are struggling during these challenging times. See what we have to offer and we can work with you to create a custom solution that works best for you and your team.
Online giving is easy and straightforward using Frontstream technology to automate your workplace campaign. Employees can make their workplace donations, seamlessly, online, and company administrators can access rich reporting and data.
United Way has partnered with Salesforce to offer a comprehensive, full-featured online giving platform that lets your employees engage in philanthropy year-round. Philanthropy Cloud offers an easy-to-use, intuitive, and intelligent interface that allows you to run employee giving campaigns, while also offering volunteering opportunities and tracking participation.
We can also set up a single fundraiser for your employees through Mobile Cause. This is perfect for when you want to do a drive to support one of United Way’s community initiatives, like collecting donations for the Food Collaboratives or the ALICE Enrichment Fund, which pays for out-of-school activities for low-income children. Or you can set up campaigns for one-time giving events, like Giving Tuesday, or a special day of giving for your company, to celebrate a Founder's Day Anniversary, for example.
Social distancing requirements have made on-site volunteering a little challenging so far this year, but we’ve still been able to conduct food drives, coordinate meal deliveries, and put volunteers to work delivering necessities to the homebound while maintaining safe protocols.
As the requirements for social distancing ease, we’ll be back to running our usual events, such as creating Martin Luther King Day Literacy Kits for students in elementary schools and STEM Fairs. Let us know how we can customize an event for your workplace.