Frequently Asked Questions

United Way works to ensure every individual in every community has the opportunity to thrive.

United Way does this in three ways:

1. Inspires collective community giving.
2. Supports nonprofits from volunteer connection to technical support.
3. Convenes, studies, and acts on our communities’ most profound challenges.

United Way mobilizes the resources and relationships of thousands of business organizations, nonprofit agencies, community leaders, volunteers, and donors to address community impact at scale.

Want to know more? Read more about United Way’s work.

Want to see United Way’s impact in action? Read their impact report and/or subscribe to their newsletter.

100% of your donation stays local and supports the causes, organizations, and communities you are passionate about.

Every United Way is a stand-alone entity locally governed with missions that are locally identified and directed; they are one of the most local national charities in terms of governing body and operations. United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes does pay United Way Worldwide around a 1% annual fee out of their operating budget, which in turn provides staff with support and training, branding and marketing resources, group rates on technology and services, and more—all resources that help better support the needs of our communities.

100% of your donation goes back to the community. 92% of your donation goes directly to your choice agency or program, and 8% supports all the backend services the nonprofit agency or program needs to continue its critical work.

The 8% United Way fee supports their work of collective giving, convening regional partners, crisis response coordination, and developing and expanding services available for local communities, including Volunteer United, Leadership Development Programs, and nonprofit resources.

United Way’s average donor is $2 a week. That $2 a week gives a local child one week of after-school learning and provides two older adults with round-trip transportation to get safely to medical appointments, grocery shopping, social events, and more. There is power in individual action and collective giving. Your gift, combined with others, significantly impacts our community.

Your gift to United Way touches 1 in 3 of our neighbors each year. Giving to United Way and United Way’s Community Impact Fund means that your gift will have the greatest local impact, combining with contributions from across our six-county region to support over 183 programs developing holistic, integrated solutions that address the complexities of people’s lives.

The entire team at United Way is deeply committed to their mission, to mobilize the goodwill and resources of the community so everyone can thrive. United Way believes that working to eradicate systemic and structural racism is a key part of this role. Learn more about United Way’s commitment to equity.

United Way helps mobilize 15,000 volunteers each year. Learn more about United Way’s volunteer opportunities.

Visit our ePledge page to learn how you can donate.

Learn if the item(s) you would like to donate are needed on the Community Wishbook.

Yes, visit our Volunteer Resources page for helpful downloadable materials.

Every dollar invested in United Way goes directly toward supporting your local community. We believe in taking care of our own and we want to build a thriving community where we all live, work, and raise our families.

Your investment in United Way makes a huge difference for our community. Thousands of our neighbors don’t know where their next meal is coming from and don’t have a safe place to sleep. Domestic violence and child protective calls continue to grow. That’s why your donations are so vital—they provide essential and sustaining support our nonprofit partners can depend on—supporting thousands of people in need to help change their lives for the better.

92 cents of every donated dollar goes back into the community to support critical programs and services. Charity Navigator awards the highest score for fundraising costs if they are 10% or less and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance indicates that a charity should spend no more than 35% of related contributions on fundraising. United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes operates below both of these guidelines. With that 8% fee, United Way:

• Integrates our community’s systems so that nonprofits, healthcare, and social services can better align to help those in need.
• Convenes and participates in many community coalitions, initiatives, and collaborates to address challenges facing the Greater Rochester and Finger Lakes region and build a stronger community.
• United Way support allows nonprofits to multiply their public and private donations. We collect, process, and transfer donations on behalf of hundreds of health and human services agencies in the region (many indicate that participating in the United Way campaign is an effective, efficient way for them to fundraise).

The only band-aids we hand out are to kids getting in their health and fitness requirements in our after-school and summer learning programs. United Way is an innovative change-maker, implicitly focused on equity and inclusion. We are uniquely positioned to understand community needs, identify disparities, and improve lives through direct service, collaborations, volunteerism, and advocacy. We are dedicated to identifying the greatest needs in the community and investing Community Impact Fund dollars in evidence-based and preventative programs. All United Way partner programs and initiatives are monitored, measured, and evaluated regularly.

We invest in a network of partner programs that help people all across our entire 6-county region. Whether it’s a multipurpose aging resource center, summer enrichment programs for kids, Lifeline, or domestic violence hotlines, our programs connect resources all across the region to help people in need.

When our community thrives, we all thrive.

• One more local kid in after-school means one more high school graduate ready to take on the world.
• One more local family with stable housing means one less zombie house causing property values to decline.
• One more local elder with safe transportation means one less emergency hospital visit driving up healthcare costs.

For starters, we’re sorry you feel that way. We would never want anyone to feel forced to support to something they don’t believe in. United Way does not encourage companies to coerce employees to give. We offer United Way as a simple, convenient way for their employees to invest in our community.

Our Volunteer United platform supports nonprofits and mobilizes volunteers to assist with urgent community needs. We currently have 11,000 volunteers matched with meaningful opportunities to help local nonprofits. The portal is continually updated and offers virtual and in-person volunteer opportunities that match volunteers’ time and talents. Visit unitedwayrocflx.org/volunteer for more information.

In Monroe County, we’re 800 companies and more than 1,000 employee campaign coordinators strong! We are fortunate to have the support of so many companies and employees in our 6-county region and feel honored they connect with us for their philanthropic giving. From the largest companies in Rochester to the smallest startups in Perry – thank you to everyone who has been a part of our story, and our workplace campaign, for the past 100 years!

Both groups prove themselves to be powerhouse supporters year after year after year. United Way’s Emerging Leaders Society is a group of more than 600 local people under the age of 40 giving $500 or more each year, and hundreds more donate to United Way and volunteer through our Day of Caring. And our retirees (and others that aren’t connected to a workplace) give nearly $1 million annually. Thank you to the Emerging Leaders and retirees (and everyone in between!) for supporting United Way.