To adapt to changing donor expectations, improve their philanthropic efforts, and remain effective agents of positive change, United Way organizations are embracing new technologies and prioritizing cross-sector collaborations.
A growing number of donors are expressing a desire to have more control over the distribution of their donations. This desire to provide more direction is accompanied by the expectation that organizations will be transparent, flexible, and personalize their engagement with donors. These expectations have fueled the rise in popularity of "one-click giving" platforms and challenged the intermediary role traditionally played by United Ways.
"People no longer value or need the United Way to allocate their contribution to local nonprofit organizations." - Gary Goscenski, Focused Perspectives
To captivate and hold the shifting attention of donors, organizations are focusing their fundraising strategies on connecting donors directly with the causes they care about. In doing so, United Ways are placing more emphasis on their role as community change agents rather than fund distributors, acting as indispensable navigators and mobilizers of local solutions.
To be the most effective navigator and mobilizer of community change, United Ways are turning to technological advancements - such as the Cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) - to improve donor engagement and manage corporate partnerships. In some instances, United Way organizations are deploying AI-driven solutions and advanced analytics to better understand their community’s needs, predict donor trends, and streamline the delivery of support across programs and services. For example, Orange County United Way collaborated with AWS to update its crisis hotline infrastructure, which involved integrating data across agencies and providing holistic, connected care for clients.
"It empowers our team with smarter tools while allowing us to scale resources based on demand, optimizing both service quality and operational costs." - Chris Ticknor, Chief Transformation Officer, Orange County United Way
This innovative approach represents a shift from siloed data systems toward unified, real-time resource mapping that can be rapidly adapted as new needs emerge.
Changing donor expectations, increased competition from other nonprofits, economic restructuring, and demographic shifts have all pushed United Ways to rethink their business models and community roles. These changes are also affecting relationships between organizations.
Among nonprofits, there is growing consensus that to effectively enable collective action, address community priorities, and maximize impact, they must draw from a diverse group of stakeholders - public, private, and nonprofit. Through collaboration with community foundations, corporations, and governmental agencies, United Way organizations have an opportunity to gain a better understanding of complex, intersectional issues and, in doing so, can ensure a timely and more efficient delivery of resources. These strategic relationships are breaking down traditional silos and highlighting shared objectives.
The Orange County United Way’s adoption of cloud-based and AI-driven solutions provides a blueprint for other United Ways aiming to future-proof their impact.
When the Orange County United Way acquired the Orange County 211 (211OC) contact center in July of 2023, the center was struggling with outdated systems and facing challenges connecting people with services. To address the inefficiencies, the Orange County United Way migrated the crisis hotline to the Cloud and integrated all data. The result was an increase in efficiency, reduced staff burden, and a more seamless support for residents. This was most evident in the use of AI in analyzing data patterns to accurately predict call volumes, ensuring the 211OC team is properly staffed.
“At Orange County United Way, our mission is to improve lives in our community, and we are committed to strengthening 211OC well into the future.” - Susan B. Parks, President and CEO, Orange County United Way
The model established by the Orange County United Way demonstrates the value of investing in managed IT services.
As donor expectations shift and technology advances, leading United Way organizations are transforming themselves from intermediaries into drivers of community change. By prioritizing technological innovation, personalized donor engagement, and multi-sector collaboration, United Ways are positioning themselves to achieve a deeper, more sustainable impact in the communities they serve.
