Q: What is United Way of Greater Los Angeles?
A: United Way of Greater Los Angeles (UWGLA) is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways out of poverty in Los Angeles County by meeting basic needs for families and individuals like housing and health care, improving the educational achievement of youth and helping families become financially stable.
UWGLA is part of a national movement that includes over 1,300 community-based United Way organizations. Each is independent, separately incorporated, and governed by local volunteers.
Q: Why is UWGLA focusing on poverty?
A: Because Los Angeles County is facing a social and economic crisis that affects us all. Decades of growth and economic prosperity have made Los Angeles County into a dynamic and diverse community. However, within the last decade our economy has slowed tremendously resulting in a population of “haves” and “have nots.” We are faced with:
- A tremendous lack of affordable/workforce housing and no health insurance
Los Angeles is the homeless capital of the nation. 73, 000 people are homeless every night. 40% of them are women and children. 1.6 million people have no health insurance. 200,000 of them are children.
- A crisis in education and graduation rates – our future workforce is in jeopardy
Nearly 50% of our students don’t graduate from high school. Nationally, the probability of students graduating is 70%. Only 40% of our students have taken the classes they need to prepare for our public universities. Over 50% of our middle schools are failing federal education standards.
- An explosion in the number of working people who live in poverty
Over 200,000 households in Los Angeles County live on less than $10,000 per year. 1 in 4 children live in poverty ($30,000 for a family of 4). One third of full-time workers earn less than $25,000 per year.
Q: Why should I be concerned about the poverty crisis?
A: Because poverty threatens the success of our businesses, our economy and the future of our community. Young people are trapped in low-wage jobs, leading to a lower tax and revenue base. Businesses struggle to find qualified workers and the growth in homelessness and working poverty leads to community instability and a diminished quality of life for all of us
Q: How is UWGLA addressing the root causes of poverty?
To keep up with a changing environment, UWGLA has chosen to focus our 10-year goals in the three interconnected areas that can best bring about the change we need:
- Ensure that everyone has access to the tools they need to succeed: housing, health and family safety
Example: Ensure 100% of children have health insurance by working at the state and federal levels to leverage funding and support
- To help all young people graduate from high school prepared for college and the workforce
Example: Increase high school graduation rate to 75%
- To make economic and employment opportunities accessible, so it’s easier for people to financially provide for their families and give them sustained financial independence
Example: Increase income levels of 10,000 people by training and placing them in living-wage jobs with career paths
Q: Why is UWGLA uniquely qualified to lead the movement to end poverty in Los Angeles County?
A: Because we have decades of experience, building community and business relationships all across the county – from the grassroots to the treetops. And we have the long-term vision and the strategic focus to make change happen.
Q: Does UWGLA do anything else besides fundraising?
A: Our new mission goes way beyond fundraising.
- We’re providing expert research on this ever changing community.
Our recent social report, Seizing the Middle Ground, Why Middle School Creates the Pathway to College and the Workforce focused on our failing middle school system. Based on the findings, we successfully advocated for a resolution to create smaller classes and schools in Los Angeles Unified School District.
- We’re changing the systems that keep people in poverty by advocating for effective local and state public policy.
We advocated for health care coverage for all children and moved the initiative forward in Sacramento with business, community leaders and health experts.
- We’re bringing together the public, private and nonprofit sectors.
We led a united coalition of parents, teachers, students and business organizations to advocate for college prep courses, benefiting almost 800,000 students at two major school districts.
- We’re investing in programs that are focused on results.
We invested in programs that are focused on results to meet our strategic goals.
Q: Why is UWGLA getting involved in advocacy?
By focusing our efforts on local and state public policy, we’re treating many of the root causes of poverty by changing the systems behind them. For example; a solid high school education will lead to better jobs and college which means higher wages.
- We advocated for a resolution that passed at LAUSD to create smaller classes and smaller schools, impacting almost 700,000 students.
- In partnership with parents, teachers, students and elected officials, we successfully advocated for access to college prep classes (A-G) at two major school districts, benefiting almost 800,000 students
Q: Our employees and their families are struggling. How can we ask them to give?
A: Time and again, some of the most generous givers are those who themselves have struggled and needed a helping hand from our community. Everyone should be given an opportunity to express caring through charitable giving, to enjoy the emotional reward that comes from knowing he or she has helped solve our community’s biggest issues and helping those most in need.
Q: How much of the money raised by United Way is used for administrative purposes?
A: Sixteen cents of every dollar raised is used for fundraising and administration, making us a leader in low-cost community impact.
Q: How does that compare to other similar organizations?
A: According to the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, a nonprofit’s overhead should not exceed 35%. Other similar nonprofits average approximately 18%.
Q: How do the troubles at other United Ways affect our United Way?
A: Each one of the more than1,300 United Ways in the country is autonomous and managed by local volunteers. United Way of Greater Los Angeles is audited annually by Ernst & Young to ensure that it is adhering to all established accounting practices and standards.
Q: You don’t fund any charities with locations in my area. Why should I give?
A: We serve all five regions of Greater Los Angeles including Antelope Valley, Harbor/Southwest, Los Angeles, San Fernando and San Gabriel. In addition to funding nonprofits located in these areas, through our advocacy efforts, we are also making sure that all children have access to health care and that all youth have the college prep classes they need to qualify for California’s public universities. We have also launched a countywide effort to reduce homelessness through our annual HomeWalk event.
Q: How does United Way operate?
A: United Way is led by a volunteer board chair who oversees a volunteer board of directors. This board is responsible for setting and approving policy and expenditures by United Way. United Way also has regional boards of directors, who pay special attention to raising funds and identifying issues in their geographic regions. Thousands of other volunteers work in local companies and organizations to run fundraising campaigns.
Q: Isn’t it cheaper for me to just give directly to the charity of my choice? That way I avoid your overhead.
A: If you want to give a one-time gift directly to one charity, it might be easier for you to do so – United Way supports your desire for charitable giving no matter how you choose to make it. However, through payroll deduction, United Way provides you with a convenient service by directing your gifts to a number of charities and deducting a small amount of money from your paycheck at a time – allowing you to possibly contribute more than you might be able to in a one-time gift and giving you a chance to make a bigger difference for people in need.