Q. What is River Cities United Way?
A. Since 1974, River Cities United Way has unified diverse partners, donors, business supporters, nonprofits, government, and faith-based communities to build a stronger community for us all. No other organization unites as many people to fight poverty in as many ways.
We fight poverty by connecting volunteers to their passions, uniting donors who want to create solutions, and working with select communities, empowering them to develop their own action plans. We use every dollar, every volunteer hour and every bit of your support to ensure kids succeed in school, end hunger, end homelessness, and increase financial stability of families.
Q. How are you fighting poverty in our community?
A. We fight to break the cycle of poverty by:
- Preparing kindergartners with proper oral health training.
- Helping with classroom fees and tutoring for struggling 3-6 grade math & reading students.
- Helping homeless and low income children to receive medical, dental, and vision care.
- Providing free tax assistance to increase the financial stability for families.
Q. What does it mean to advocate?
A. To advocate means to champion a cause. We invite you to become an advocate in our community. We advocate for:
- Policies that support quality early learning opportunities, provide access to quality child care, and increase parent involvement opportunities to ensure school readiness for young children.
- Beast practices and research-based policies focused on improving elementary school graduation rates and high school readiness.
- Policies that help families achieve financial security through financial education and asset-building.
- Policies allowing families to easily navigate assistance programs, eliminating barriers and unnecessary bureaucracy.
- Policies that protect and strengthen the human service safety net for the growing number of families in need of assistance.
You can speak out to improve our community, share information and social issues with friends or family, or wear our LIVE UNITED shirts to show your support for United Way. Your voice drives the fight to break the cycle of poverty in Mohave and La Paz County, Laughlin Nevada, and Needles California. Stay current with the latest issues we care about at rcuw.org.
Q. Why should I donate to River Cities United Way?
A. No other organization units as many people to fight poverty in as many ways. United Way does what no one single organization can do alone - guide local community members to achieve their potential through education and become self-sufficient by earning a stable income. Plus, with the simplicity of payroll deduction, you can help break the cycle of poverty with ease.
When you choose to donate directly to River Cities United Way you joint he fight for local kids, families, and neighborhoods.
Q. Is United Way a national or local organization?
A. River Cities United Way is a local, autonomous non-profit organization. Like the 1,800 United Ways across the country, we are governed by a local Board of Directors. River Cities United Way pays nominal dues to United Way Worldwide in exchange for important cost-saving services such as staff training, community research information, campaign materials, national marketing partnerships and ongoing consultation.
Q. What does River Cities United Way do in addition to raising money?
A. Since inception, United Way has been mobilizing the caring power of individuals and organizations to improve lives. River Cities United Way has served the needs of individuals and families in Mohave and La Paz Counties, Laughlin Nevada and Needles California since 1974 and is the largest non-profit investor of health and human service programs in Maricopa County. No other organization unites as many people to fight poverty in as many ways. We bring partners from every sector - public, private, non-profit - to do what no single organization can do alone: create solutions that transform individual lives and drive systemic change that impacts entire communities.
Q. What is River Cities United Way's overhead costs?
A. River Cities United Way incurs costs for fundraising, marketing and common business operations such as accounting, grant writing, human resources and overall operational management. As careful stewards of our donors' contributions, River Cities United Way operates with utmost efficiency and effectiveness. Less than 10 percent is spent on administrative cost and approximately 90 cents of every dollar goes back into our local community to improve lives.
Q. How do I know that my donation will help those who need it most?
A. Local human care programs that receive United Way funding go through rigorous review and evaluation by River Cities United Way. This is a competitive process, and programs are selected based on their performance against specific measures that demonstrate