Program areas at UWSD
United Way of San Diego County ensures children, individuals, and families have the resources they need to achieve educational success and financial security. Education: United Way of San Diego County is deeply committed to education, and the urgency of our work has never been more apparent as the educational achievement gaps within our community continue to widen. By listening to the people in our region's distinct, vibrant communities, we urgently address deeply rooted disparities in historically under-resourced communities where children are not reaching their full potential. We collaborate with these communities and leverage the strength of our partners countywide - businesses, government, schools, policymakers, and nonprofit organizations - to collectively achieve lasting change for children, young adults, and families. Our goal is to end disparities in these historically disadvantaged communities by 2030. To bridge these gaps across the region that typically fall along racial and socio-economic lines, we strategically focus on key areas such as early childhood literacy so children can reach milestones like reading proficiently by the end of third grade and career readiness so students are exposed to high-paying, in-demand steam careers in different industries. We engage over 12,150 donors, 367 community and corporate partners, 17 schools, and 776 volunteers to serve over 53,180 families and children throughout San Diego County. We know we are achieving our goals by tracking family engagement, developing literacy-rich environments, and measuring the number of students who see steam careers as a possibility through after-school programs and summer work-based learning opportunities.
Giving back: our corporate partners and their employees provide over $2.7m in funds for uwsd and designate over $920k back to other organizations throughout San Diego County and the country. We also partner with many corporate partners to provide volunteer opportunities for their employees as individuals and teams or as a whole company. To further support corporate volunteerism, we host a board service certification training program to develop strong board volunteers and match them with nonprofit organizations seeking their expertise. Uwsd also hosts an annual day of service that provides over 400 volunteers the opportunity to work with over 35 nonprofit organizations countywide to give back in support of everything from animal welfare to clothing closets, food distribution, classroom reading, and much more. For year-round volunteer opportunities, we host two web pages so people can search for service opportunities that meet their needs and interests through the San Diego homelessness volunteer network and the general volunteer page. In addition, we have started cause marketing efforts to promote businesses throughout the County with proceeds benefitting uwsd. Our growing and robust fundraising efforts bring in over $5.6m for programs and general operating support.
Economic mobility: in the face of the widening economic disparities in our region, United Way of San Diego County remains dedicated to providing essential financial resources and creating pathways for economic mobility that can profoundly impact the lives of those struggling to make ends meet. We improve the financial security of families through financial education and counseling, free tax filing assistance and earned income tax credit access, and access to safe and affordable financial services with trusted banks. Through the strength of our partnerships countywide, these programs support families in becoming financially secure, emotionally healthy, and engaged in the community. For over 20 years, our San Diego County earned income tax credit coalition has grown to over 45 partner organizations. In 2024, our combined efforts brought back over $39.7m in federal and state 2023 returns, which included the child tax credits. The coalition served over 48.8k families, saving them $9.2m in tax preparation fees.