Introduction to Tulsa Area United Way

LIVE UNITED

HOPE IN ACTION Tulsa Area United Way envisions a community working together to ensure that all of its members flourish and thrive. That’s why we unite donors, advocates, volunteers and partners to advance the health, education, and financial stability of every person in our community.

Our mission is to unite people and resources to improve lives and strengthen our communities. Tulsa Area United Way mobilizes comunities so that everyone, everywhere has a pathway to opportunities and impact.

Will you join us?

OUR PLEDGE TO YOU By partnering with Tulsa Area United Way, you are improving the lives of thousands of people across Eastern Oklahoma. Thanks to you, our friends and neighbors in Tulsa, Creek, Rogers, Okmulgee, Osage, and Wagoner counties and across 211 Eastern Oklahoma’s 37 county service area get the help and referrals they need.

Your contributions will be invested wisely and locally – with a direct and immediate impact on your community.

More than 180 highly-trained, dedicated volunteers determine how and where your dollars will be invested in the community. This system provides assurance and confidence that your contribution will make a difference.

WHY TULSA AREA UNITED WAY? 1. We annually raise millions of dollars through a diversified donor base of individuals, businesses and foundations throughout our six-county region.

2. We are stewards of a trusted, robust volunteer-led process to assess and invest in community needs for equitable and accountable distribution of funds.

3. We leverage an expansive network to bring people together and solve complex problems grounded in innovation and hope.

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INVEST IN THE BEST

Tulsa Area United Way raises more than $25 million each year to support 160 programs within Tulsa, Creek Rogers, Okmulgee, Osage, and Wagoner counties.

“My giving increases every year because I know my dollars are being put to the best use possible.”

Lauren Sherry – Community Investments Panel Volunteer

SUSTAINABILITY

Funding through nonprofit partners providing programs serving in the areas of education, financial stability and health and safety.

COLLABORATION

Grants through partnerships across nonprofits and municipalities to address entrenched social problems.

INNOVATION

Grants that test creative new approaches to make a significant difference.

THE TAUW PROCESS 4

Review partner funding applications.

Campaign volunteers visit top companies for economic insight to set annual fundraising goal.

2 Assess partner performance and financial condition; conduct site visits.

Community Investments Cabinet finalizes partner funding amounts.

Dollars are raised and invested in the next calendar year.

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Donors and volunteers attend events and participate in food drives, resource fairs, and Days of Caring.

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800 companies and organizations run campaigns, representing 20,000+ donors.

Process repeats for the following year.

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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Days of Caring Tulsa Area United Way mobilizes thousands of volunteers throughout the year to meet the community’s most pressing needs and give our nonprofit organizations a helping hand with a variety of projects. We’d love for your organization to participate in a Day of Caring experience! Develop teamwork and build morale among employees while they give back to the community.

Expand Employee Engagement Research shows customers support businesses that support their community. Running a Tulsa Area United Way campaign provides opportunities for your company to build employee morale and enhance the reputation and visibility of your business. Engage your young professionals, women and soon-to-be-retirees through our NextGen United, Women United and Always United affinity groups.

A Tradition of Giving A group of local businessmen founded Tulsa Area United Way in 1924, known back then as the Tulsa Community Fund. Chartering the funds were 11 health and human service organizations. Their inaugural campaign lasted only five days, and the very first goal of $238,895 was exceeded by $9,000.

Today, Tulsa Area United Way has invested over $900 million into our community. Our focus in three action areas is intended to see the community flourish and thrive through the work of our nonprofit partners and numerous community collaborations and social innovations: we expand education, we improve health and safety, and we strengthen financial stability.

How will supporting Tulsa Area United Way benefit your company?

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Invest efficiently in the region’s most effective nonprofit programs for education, financial stability and health and safety Educate your employees about the needs in the community and services available to their families Grow company pride and team spirit – feel good helping people and making your community a better place to live

Giving is easy! We provide everything you and your staff need to conduct a timely, convenient and successful United Way campaign.

Call 918.583.7171 or email campaign@tauw.org to start making a lasting impact.

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YOUR DONATIONS STAY LOCAL Raising millions of dollars each year for communities in our six-county area - Creek, Okmulgee, Osage, Rogers, Tulsa and Wagoner Counties - is an enormous undertaking made possible by the collective effort of individuals and organizations. Partner with Tulsa Area United Way through: Employee workplace campaigns Corporate donations Foundation gifts Individual gifts Planned giving Sponsorships and volunteerism The needs in our community continue to increase. These contributions help support vital programs that keep families fed, ensure disadvantaged children have the educational opportunities to succeed, provide job training and more.

Recent Outcomes: 309 Goodwill Industries of Tulsa’s TulsaWORKS & Job Connection program graduates filled jobs in the community, earning wages of more than $3.5 million, and generating an economic and fiscal impact of more than $20.5 million to the economy.

1,259 individuals receievd homeless prevention services and emergency medical services from Tulsa Day Center, enabling them to avoid the trauma of becoming unhoused.

To date, 212 Street School students have been given a second chance to change the trajectory of their lives with a path to earning their high school diploma.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY Tulsa Area United Way became the first nonprofit in Oklahoma to receive the Seal of Excellence from the Standards of Excellence: An Ethics and Accountability Code for the Nonprofit Sector through the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. Additionally, we continue to receive a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator by demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. This is the highest ranking a nonprofit can receive from them.

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BEHIND THE SCENES SUPPORT: COMMUNITY OUTREACH & CAPACITY BUILDING Tulsa Area United Way is more than a funding source. It’s a catalyst in solving some of our communities’ most pressing issues. Below are just a few of the ways Tulsa Area United Way has recently mobilized the community to ensure its resilience.

211 Eastern Oklahoma

Tulsa Area United Way took over operations of 211 Eastern Oklahoma (211EOK) on June 1, 2023, avoiding major disruptions, expanding service hours, and enabling Eastern Oklahomans to continue to receive valuable care and connections they need.

211 is a critical social service program and a centralized front door that connects Oklahomans to services provided by many organizations across 211EOK’s 37-county impact area. Highly trained Community Resource Specialists make in-depth assessments and referral plans for people needing assistance with food, housing, utility assistance: physical and mental health resources; employment assistance; and links to crisis interventions. The service is available in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week, allowing those in need of help to access information and obtain referrals to a wide array of services.

2023 Wind Storm Relief After a crisis like Eastern Oklahoma’s historic storms, knowing where and how to access available information and services is important to ensure that all members of our communities can recover.

211EOK activated an updated database of government and nonprofit resources to provide clients with storm-specific referrals. Specialists provided information about cooling stations, food pantries, congregate meals, debris removal, and PSO outages.

In addition, Tulsa Area United Way reached out to partners to assess their emergency need for volunteers and donations and used communications resources to broadcast these needs to the wider community. Strong relationships with community leaders allowed TAUW to be on the forefront on the creation of the Windstorm Relief Fund, a partnership with Tulsa Community Foundation.

Addressing Critical Needs Each year, the Day of Caring Regional Food Drive brings in tens of thousands of pounds of food for local food pantries to provide life-saving assistance to hundreds of patients.

Tulsa Area United Way also invests in capacity building for its sustainability partners. The stronger the nonprofit’s operations, the more effective it will be in meeting the needs of our community.

Examples of capacity building include the NTech Collaborative, which provides technology consulting and equipment, low or no-cost training, and technical services to member agencies.

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The New Voices internship program is a partnership between Leadership Tulsa and Tulsa Area United Way and is designed to increase diversity on partner agency boards.

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1430 S Boulder Ave, Tulsa, OK 74119 918.583.7171 | TAUW.org