10 Facts About United Way – Will You Donate Today?

1. What does United Way do? United Way leads the fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in central Iowa. We go beyond temporary fixes to tackle the underlying causes of critical issues. 

2. For 100 years, United Way of Central Iowa has brought people together to tackle our community’s toughest challenges. Because if there are people who are hungry, families who live in poverty, or children who are not succeeding in school and therefore may not succeed in life—the status quo is never good enough. 

3. United Way and our community have set bold Goals for 2020 in the areas of Education, Income, and Health. 

• In Education, we will increase the percentage of central Iowa students who graduate from high school to 95%. 
• In Income, we will increase the percentage of central Iowans who are financially stable to 75%. 
• In Health, we will increase central Iowa’s Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index score, a comprehensive measure of health, to 64.5. 

These goals are destinations, not aspirations. To see the progress we’re making toward these goals, visit the Community Impact Report on United Way’s website. 

4. United Way invests in 136 community impact programs representing 77 partner agencies, in the areas of education, income and health—the building blocks for a good quality of life. 

5. United Way does much more than programs. We pull together experts from all segments of central Iowa to seek out our community’s toughest challenges, set strategies and goals, and then tackle these challenges at their roots... fighting together, in a UNITED Way. 

6. United Way of Central Iowa is the number one per capita giving United Way in the country among United Ways raising more than $25 million. More than 40,000 donors give to United Way each year so that all central Iowans have a chance at a better life. 

7. Dollars invested in United Way stay local. They go to programs and initiatives that expert volunteers determine will have the most impact in meeting our community’s Goals for 2020 in education, income and health. 

8. Today, nearly 1 in 4 central Iowa third-graders do not read proficiently. They are FOUR TIMES more likely to eventually drop out of school. United Way’s READ to SUCCEED initiative is a groundbreaking, community-wide call-to-action to help kids get the skills they need to read proficiently so they succeed in school and beyond. 

9. United Way’s Graduation Walk is held one Saturday morning each year, when hundreds of volunteers hit the streets to call on the homes of students to help them make the best decision of their life: to graduate from high school. Graduation Walk volunteers deliver a powerful message to the students and their families: “We care about you and your success!” 

10. Did you know that 34,000 central Iowa adults do not have a high school diploma? A high school dropout earns an average of $700,000 less throughout their lifetime than a high school graduate. United Way’s Bridges to Success initiative will help 10,000 adults earn their high school equivalency degree so they can go on to gain the skills, training, and confidence to get a better job and achieve financial stability.

If you haven’t donated yet, please consider doing so. This simple act can make a big difference for so many people in our communities. Contact Courtney Croatt or Whitney Anderson for your pledge form.