What We Believe
Our Mission
United Way of Clallam County's mission is to strengthen our community by helping people live safe, healthy, and productive lives.
Our Vision
We envision a place where everyone is supported socially, economically, and fully in their physical and mental health. We do this by:
- Being a productive voice for human service need in Clallam County.
- Providing a way for people to get involved, give back, and take action in our community.
- Leading collaborative, community-wide efforts to obtain and provide resources to enhance community wellbeing.
Our Values
Respect • Inclusion • Collaboration • Flexibility • Trust & Support • Transparency • Teamwork •Equity
What We Do
Annual Campaign
The annual United Way Campaign is dedicated to raising funds to support United Way programs and local nonprofit partner agencies. These local non-profits provide wrap-around services to more than 46,600 individuals and families in Clallam County in the areas of Healthy Community, Youth Opportunity, and Financial Security. Giving to United Way is the best way to ensure your gift has the greatest local impact. From early childhood education, to safe and affordable housing, to job training and career readiness, United Way of Clallam County is a one-stop-shop for people who want to do the most good for the most people right here at home.
Collaboration
United Way is much more than a fundraising and funds-distributing organization. Our work is largely collaborative. We partner with local health and human service agencies, nonprofit organization, municipalities, school districts, and more, to help create solutions to systemic problems affecting our communities like the affordable housing crisis, lack of available and affordable childcare, high cost of food, increasing cost of living, barriers to higher education, and more. Currently, United Way staff sit on the following committees and collaborative groups: Homelessness Task Force, Housing Solutions Committee, Olympic Peninsula Resource Co-op, Sequim Cares, Sequim Chamber of Commerce, and the Sequim Health & Housing Collaborative.
"United Way [is] a critical convener, you're at every table. When the community is coming together, you're that glue. For me, the strength of United Way is a mirror of the strength of this community." -Wendy Bart, CEO, Olympic Peninsula YMCA
Impact
Our mission is to strengthen our community by helping people live safe, healthy, and productive lives.
- Healthy Community: We improve access to nutritious food and quality health services so people have the resources they need to lead healthy lives.
- Youth Opportunity: We create pathways for young people to reach their goals, from early childhood education to college and career success.
- Financial Security: We connect people to education, tools, and job training so they have financial freedom and peach of mind.
Volunteerism
Hundreds of volunteers county-wide give their time and financial support to United Way and our Partner Agencies. Looking for a way to give back to your community? Many volunteer opportunities are available through the United Way of Clallam County and the agencies, nonprofits and community groups we partner with. United Way can customize volunteer opportunities for staff teams, and organize volunteers for community projects.
Who We Are
History
United Way is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. First formed as United Good Neighbors of Clallam County in 1952 by local businessmen, it's purpose was to avoid duplicate fundraising efforts for local human services, to work with agencies to coordinate services, and to work together building collaborations. In 1974, its name was changed to United Way of Clallam County (UWCC). UWCC raised $47,643 in its first year. Three of its original agencies included Girl Scouts, Red Cross, and Forks Community Food Bank.
Self-Governance
We are totally self-governed:
- United Way Worldwide (UWW) is not a governing board for local United Ways, but serves as a resource organization.
- We send approximately 1.5% of campaign proceeds to UWW annually.
- We receive training, publications, and discounts on supplies.
- UWW also serves as a resource for national trends, campaign and marketing support, and more.
- Local United Ways are located in more than 1,800 communities in 41 communities and territories.
United Way is run by volunteers:
We rely on the experience of local people to help us raise funds and address our communities’ most pressing issues.
Leadership
United Way's Board of Directors is responsible for maintaining the corporate entity of United Way of Clallam County and for preserving and interpreting the organization's role in the community. It exercises, conducts and controls the power, property and affairs of United Way. In addition, the Board of Directors makes decisions, approves policies, and directs, through the employment of the Chief Executive Officer, the operations of United Way of Clallam County.
Meet our Board of Directors.
Meet our Staff.
Partnerships
We empower donors, volunteers, businesses, nonprofits, and community groups to invest in neighbors to improve quality of life for everyone in Clallam County. Working together, we identify the community’s most critical needs in the following focus areas and implement collaborative, innovative solutions to improve lives in our region. Impact partners work directly within our three impact areas of Healthy Community, Financial Security, and Youth Opportunity. Each of these organizations has been carefully vetted and chosen because their work aligns with our mission to help everyone live safe, healthy, and productive lives. We support these organizations because we know that through them, our donors' dollars are making the biggest possible impact here in Clallam County.
Our Guiding Principals
United Way of Clallam County acknowledges that the communities we work in are the homelands and territories of the chalá·at (Hoh), qʷidiččaʔa·tx̌ (Makah), kʷoʔlí·yot’ (Quileute), t͡ʃə́mqəm (Chimacum), stətíɬəm (Jamestown S'Klallam), and ʔéʔɬx̣ʷaʔ (Lower Elwha Klallam) peoples. We express our deepest respect and gratitude for our Indigenous neighbors and leaders for their enduring care and protection of our shared lands and waterways.
We acknowledge our responsibility to include tribal voices in our programs and services. We support tribal sovereignty and seek to establish and maintain relationships with the tribes and Native peoples of our region.
We condemn racism in all facets of our organization. We pledge to intentionally dismantle and disrupt all forms of discrimination and oppression, and work to create spaces where our staff, board, and partners feel comfortable being their authentic selves.
We must all do our part, working united, to make our communities equitable, respectful and opportunity-filled. Equity is achieved when systemic, institutional and historic barriers based on race, gender, sexual orientation and other identities are dismantled and no longer predict socioeconomic, education, and health outcomes.
We commit to leveraging all of our assets (convening, strategic investments, awareness building, advocacy) to create more equitable communities. We, as a society, can and must do better to guarantee that the basic human rights and freedoms of every person in every community are protected.
Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of what it means to LIVE UNITED. Effectively and authentically addressing our community’s most pressing needs requires an intentional inward and outward commitment to inclusion across all dimensions (race, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, physical or mental ability). The Board of Directors of United Way of Clallam County consist of at least 15 members who represent the diversity of Clallam County, ethnically, economically and geographically.
Equity is the intentional inclusion of everyone in society. Equity is achieved when systemic, institutional, and historical barriers based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and other identities are dismantled and no longer predict socioeconomic, education and health outcomes.
We recognize structural racism and other forms of oppression have contributed to persistent disparities which United Way seeks to dismantle. Our United Way network strives to engage community members, especially those whose voices have traditionally been marginalized. We work with residents and public and private partners to co-create solutions that ensure everyone has the resources, supports, opportunities and networks they need to thrive. We commit to leveraging all our assets (convening, strategic investments, awareness building, advocacy) to create more equitable communities.
We are strong only when we are respectful of others and inclusive in our actions.
- We aspire to involve every segment of the community in every aspect of our work.
- We act in ways that respect the dignity, uniqueness, and intrinsic worth of every person within our community: the donors, our own staff and family, board members, volunteers and beneficiaries.
- We believe in a movement built from the rich diversity and gifts of all people in all systems.
- We strive to respect and include all human service organization in the work of United Way.