Impact

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United Way’s mission is to leverage your donations in a manner that creates lasting change. We measure impact through our annual Citizen Review Process, which requires agencies to demonstrate tangible results when applying for funding.

Here are a few of the results demonstrated in recent funding applications:

Communities in Schools is a dropout prevention organization. In a sample of 3,000 local students served by this nonprofit:
- 85% had an average daily attendance of 90% or higher
- 80% earned promotion to the next grade level
- 85% of Communities in Schools seniors graduated from high school
At the Salvation Army’s Center of Hope, Charlotte’s only 24/7/365 emergency shelter:
- 60% of those served participate in the workforce and gain employment
- 40% who enter the shelter go on to secure permanent housing, while another
- 30% move into transitional living facilities
Via the MedAssist Community Pharmacy Program, which dispenses free prescription medication to uninsured individuals living in poverty:
- 98% of MedAssist clients are now taking all medications ordered by their doctor
- 93% report that their health has improved in the last year
- 95% had fewer emergency room visits for medication taken daily, freeing up ERs for true emergencies

The reason United Way works with 96 different agencies is that we must diversify our funding if impact is to be long-lasting. Look at the previous three agencies, for example: In the short term, transitioning a homeless family out of a shelter won’t last if a parent isn’t healthy. In the long term, breaking the cycle of homelessness is much more likely if the children stay in school and graduate.

We focus primarily on the Community Care Fund because the community’s needs are inextricably intertwined. Fortunately, so is your potential for community-wide impact – funding that is wisely applied across multiple fronts can produce exponential results.