United Way
<p class="default">United Way of America (UWA) is the national service and training center supporting member United Ways by helping them pursue dual strategies of adding value to the community and conducting cost-effective, donor oriented fund-raising to increase financial resources. In 1998, nearly 1,400 United Way organizations were members of UWA.
UWA is governed, as are local United Ways, by a volunteer board. A major bylaw change in 1992 expanded the board to 45 members, including 15 local United Way representatives. Five new board level committees were established and two restructured, with one-half of the members nominated by local United Ways. The committees are: Community Impact, Compensation and Human Resources, Diversity, Executive, Ethics, Finance and Audit, Marketing, Membership, Nominating, Public Policy, and Resource Development.
UWA's mission is to respond to, support and serve local United Way member organizations to help increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another.
UWA does not function as a fund-raiser, except in the federal government's fund-raising campaign when UWA is listed as a choice for contributors. Any money raised from federal employees, however, is distributed to the appropriate local United Way. UWA provides a range of assistance to United Ways that includes the following:
A national advertising and promotion program.
A partnership with the National Football League.
Training for United Way professionals and volunteers.
Support to national companies that want to cultivate a year-round relationship with United Ways.
A national database for several types of information, including fund-raising and fund-distribution statistics as well as measuring and demonstrating impact in all activities undertaken.
A national network allowing United Ways to share best practices and other information.
A unified voice in national government relations.
� While the first national service center was established in 1918, its present location opened August 13, 1982, in Alexandria, VA. The building was constructed at no cost to contributors of local United Ways, thanks to a national volunteer committee headed by John R. Opel, then president and chief executive officer of IBM. John V. James, then chairman of Dresser Industries, led the committee's capital fund-raising campaign, raising more than $4 million from major corporations, foundations and national labor unions.</p>
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These donors came forward with gifts in addition to their annual contributions to United Ways. UWA also sold its former office building and a piece of donated land adjacent to the site of the new building. Using the combined funds, the organization retired all existing mortgages and moved into a debt-free building with twice the space and energy efficiency.
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