UNITED WAY

United Way



Abstract

The United Way of America, based in Alexandria, Virginia, is a non-profit organization that works with nearly 1,300 local United Way offices throughout the country in a coalition of charitable organizations to pool efforts in fundraising and support. The focus of United Way is identifying and resolving pressing community issues, as well as making measurable changes in the communities through partnerships with schools, government agencies, businesses, organized labor, financial institutions, community development corporations, voluntary and neighborhood associations, the faith community, and others. The issues United Way offices focus on are determined locally because of the diversity of the communities served. However, the main focus areas include education, income and health.

United Way

Company History

United Way of America (UWA) is a charitable organization with the simple goal of enabling people to help one another in any and all circumstances. Operating over 1,400 individual United Way chapters throughout the United States, UWA also works with more than 45,000 humanitarian groups, setting standards for fund collection, coordinating activities, and making recommendations for disbursal of donations. Through its innovative use of corporate payroll deductions (collected by the local chapters), United Way keeps operating expenses to a minimum, well below the usual administrative costs allowed for charitable organizations. Though plagued by a management scandal in 1992, UWA has remained at the forefront of emergency relief services for more than 100 years.

In the Beginning: 1887--1949

Charity has always begun in the hearts of the well-intentioned; the origins of the United Way of America chapters throughout the United States were no exception. This particular organization can be traced back to several disparate societies, the earliest of which was the Charity Organizations Society, founded in Denver, Colorado, in 1887. Several related groups began distributing goodwill both nearby and in other cities and states, operating under various names yet with the same goals. By 1888 the Denver outfit had organized its first campaign and raised $21,700 for its causes, an impressive amount of money at the time.

In 1894 when a federal act decreed that for-profit companies must pay taxes, charitable groups or nonprofit agencies received a major coup--tax exemption. With relief from any tax burden, nonprofit groups flourished; however, the tax-free status attracted a number of unsavory characters, who had no intentions of dispersing their funds for altruistic purposes. These imitators led to the creation of the Committee on Benevolent Associations, formed by the Chamber of Commerce in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1900. This committee was the earliest attempt to regulate charitable and philanthropic endeavors, to set clear guidelines, and to safeguard the interests of both those contributing and those receiving funds.

A Larger Focus: 1950--89

As the 1950s ended and the 1960s began, charitable agencies continued to evolve on local, state, and national levels. More service organizations were created to safeguard the altruistic from the malevolent, including the National Council on Community Foundations (later renamed the Council on Foundations in 1964), the Institute of Community Studies (which evolved into the Management and Community Studies Institute), the ...