When you make a donation, what happens next?
Have you ever wondered, “How does United Way make money?” or “Where does United Way money go?” You’re not alone.
Every year, thousands of people across Greater Atlanta choose to give through United Way — but it’s important to note that United Way does not make money off those donations. As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, a very limited portion of a donation go towards operating expenses. Those aren’t profits, they are the associated costs that make running our programs possible.
At United Way of Greater Atlanta, every donation starts a journey. Gifts from caring supporters start down a path to help local children, families, and the communities that surround them thrive. And every stop on this journey represents real people whose lives can change because someone chose to give.
Here’s how a single donation can become lasting community impact.
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You make your donation. There are plenty of ways people can give to United Way of Greater Atlanta. The easiest way is by giving online via credit card, simply by the “donate” button on our page. Some employees give through payroll deduction through a workplace giving campaign. Other options include legacy giving or donor-advised funds. Whatever way you make your first gift, your donation is always tax-deductible and has begun its journey to making a difference.
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Your gift becomes a part of something bigger. On its own, a single dollar can only go so far. But when your gift joins donations from neighbors, coworkers, and businesses across Greater Atlanta, it becomes part of something bigger. Together, those gifts create opportunities and solutions that no individual can achieve alone.
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Your donation goes to work where it’s needed most. When people wonder where does United Way money go in Greater Atlanta, or how does United Way make money, what they’re often really getting at is how donations are used to make the biggest difference.
The first step is to listen to the community. Through insights from our 211 Contact Center, neighborhood-level data from our Child Well-Being Index®, and ongoing conversations with residents, we identify where support can create the greatest impact for kids and families. Then, your gift goes to the next stop on its journey: programs and partners that tackle our community’s most pressing needs.
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Your donation creates immediate, local impact. Who does United Way give money to? To people you interact with every day — children learning to read, young adults preparing for college or careers after high school, families working to make ends meet, and neighbors building healthier and stronger communities.
Your donation could put literacy materials into a classroom, giving a student the tools they need to succeed. It could support apprenticeship opportunities that help young adults gain real-world job experience. It could fund health screenings in community health clinics. Or it could cover moving costs for a family experiencing homelessness, helping them regain the stability they need in a new home.
Thanks to our community of supporters, United Way of Greater Atlanta runs more than two dozen programs and invests in more than 100 nonprofit partners across our region, building a stronger region for us all.
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Impact ripples into lasting change. The direct result of your donation is powerful, but it’s not your gift’s final destination. The most meaningful change happens long after a gift is made.
That child who receives academic support today is more likely to stay on track in school and graduate tomorrow.
That young adult who found work through one of our apprenticeship programs can start their first full-time job, earn a paycheck, and may even choose to pay it forward themselves.
A family that finds stable housing now has the foundation to join our other financial literacy programs, and can start saving and planning for the future.
Our supporters’ collective impact creates benefits that continue long after any one gift is made. What starts as just individual donations can help countless people across Greater Atlanta live choice-filled lives.
After following the journey of a donation from a single gift to lasting community impact, we hope the answer to “how does United Way make money” is clear: we don’t! Instead, the more relevant question becomes, “how does United Way create change?” And the answer to that is through generous people like you, neighbors who believe in opportunities for children, stability for families, healthier communities, and locally-led solutions that create lasting change.
The first step is deciding to join us. Start your donation’s journey toward helping our community by giving online today.