Your United Way

United Hands

The United Way of Lincoln County connects people, resources and ideas to create a thriving community characterized by stability, educational success, and healthy members of our community. We believe that everyone has a role in building a better future for all. We inspire bold goals, bring together broad coalitions, and make game-changing choices to accelerate progress in Lincoln County.

We are community. We Live United!

  • We convene and partner with local businesses, government, and community-based nonprofits to solve problems in a holistic and sustainable manner.
  • We begin by building on strategies that are known to be effective.  To those strategies we add innovations that launch our community in a forward motion.
  • We provide assistance, oversight, and leadership development to strengthen the capacity of our nonprofit partners.
  • We rigorously evaluate our programs and make course-corrections when necessary.
  • We work with policy makers to advance county-wide changes that support Lincoln County citizens in overcoming poverty and achieving their potential.

United Way strives to be a model of diversity and inclusion. Our Board of Trustees, staff and volunteers reflect the many faces, cultures and walks of life that proudly make up our world.

We respect, value and celebrate the unique attributes, characteristics and perspectives that make each person who they are. We also believe that bringing diverse individuals together allows us to collectively and more effectively address the issues that face our communities. It is our aim, therefore, that our partners, strategies and investments reflect these core values.

Definitions:

di·ver·si·ty (də-ˈvər-sə-tē) n.: the quality of being different or unique at the individual or group level. This includes age; ethnicity; gender; gender identity; language differences; nationality; parental status; physical, mental and developmental abilities; race; religion; sexual orientation; skin color; socio-economic status; work and behavioral styles; the perspectives of each individual shaped by their nation, experiences and culture—and more. Even when people appear the same on the outside, they are different!

in·clu·sion (in-ˈklü-zhən) n.: a strategy to leverage diversity. Diversity always exists in social systems. Inclusion, on the other hand, must be created. In order to leverage diversity, an environment must be created where people feel supported, listened to and able to do their personal best.

Statement of Principle

More than 125 years ago, the diverse community leaders who founded United Way crossed cultural, religious and economic boundaries to make a difference through collective action. Today, diversity and inclusion remain vital to achieving our mission, living our values and advancing the common good.

United Way fosters and promotes an inclusive environment that leverages the unique contributions of diverse individuals and organizations so that we can collectively and effectively create opportunities for a better life for all.

United Way takes the broadest possible view of diversity, going beyond visible differences to affirm the essence of all individuals including the realities, background, experiences, skills and perspectives that make each person who they are.  Engaging the power of diverse talent and partners results in innovative solutions and the community ownership necessary to address complex community issues.

Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of what it means to LIVE UNITED.