What We Do

Simply put, United Way of East Central Alabama provides a comprehensive network of health and human service programs for residents in Calhoun, Cleburne, and Randolph counties. These programs are vital to the well-being of our local residents and our community, working daily to help local individuals and families live the best life possible!

We Are Local
Everything about your United Way is local. Contrary to what some may believe, United Way organizations are not chapters of United Way Worldwide. What does that mean for United Way of East Central Alabama? It means that your United Way is governed by local volunteers just like you! Every decision, including how every penny is spent and invested, is made by people who live and work right here in our community. Our Community Partners are unique to our area. Since every community is different, this ensures that local United Ways are not only a reflection of their community, but also able to meet the most pressing needs of their specific community. 99% of everything given here, stays here. The remaining 1% goes to United Way Worldwide in order for us to remain a United Way in good standing. Please note that United Way Worldwide holds us accountable each year, just as we do our Community Partners, and ensures that we are meeting the highest standards in financial accountability and transparency.

Why United Way
We all have a stake in the condition of our fellow man. We all benefit when a child succeeds in school, when someone finds a job that will help them provide for their family, or when more people are safe and healthy.

Remember, there is strength in numbers. When you get involved with United Way, you are joining others in our community to focus efforts on creating brighter opportunities for our residents and lasting change for our community. When you give, no matter how big or small, your gift is combined with that of other donors to make a greater impact and ensure good things are happening right here! Being a part of United Way is about being a part of something that is bigger than ourselves. We can make a huge difference when we join hands and LIVE UNITED.

Why Give To United Way?
There are several reasons to consider giving to United Way of East Central Alabama. Of course, there are the obvious reasons. We do great things, your donation is tax-deductible, and you can designate to your favorite Community Partner. But, let’s go a little deeper at some of the other reasons to give to United Way.

We’ve done your homework for you! When you give to United Way, you can rest assured that your charitable dollars are being spent efficiently, services are truly being provided, and people’s lives are being impacted.

Your gift will help many! Sometimes, it can be overwhelming to choose just one agency to give to. When you give to United Way, you are supporting many agencies meeting many different needs. Why is this important? Most residents who need assistance have multiple needs. For instance, a woman fleeing domestic violence in the middle of the night doesn’t just need shelter. She is probably leaving with nothing but the clothes she is wearing. She will need many different things to re-establish her life, so it’s important to offer a network of programs who can partner to ensure her outcome is a successful one. When you give to United Way, you really are doing the most good in our community.

Your Gift Leverages More Dollars For Our Community! Of course, our Community Partners use United Way funds to deliver services to our community. But, did you know that many of them use those same dollars to leverage even more funds for their programs and services? Many of the federal, state, and private foundation grants that our partners apply for each year require them to list matching funds on their applications. United Way funding supplies them with the matching funds needed to leverage these grant dollars to help build agency capacity to do even more good things for our community. It’s a WIN-WIN for us all!

Our Future
While United Way continues to provide support for basic needs and safety net organizations in our community, our work goes beyond short-term charity. We feel that it is important to support programs and services that will gain long-term outcomes and solutions for individuals and families across our community.

Our Board of Directors and committees are currently working to identify the important issues facing our community and our residents. Our long-range goal is to invest in programs and initiatives that will be outcome driven, that will move the needle for positive, long-lasting change, and will impact our region for many years to come.