United Way of Southwest Louisiana Inc
Live United
Mission
We fight for the health, education, and economic mobility of every person in every community. Our goal is to create long-lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place.
Notes from the nonprofit
United Way of Southwest Louisiana's Corporate Cornerstone Companies designate their gifts to underwrite the annual campaign, dues and administrative costs. This allows all funds raised to go directly to the programming needed in Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jefferson Davis Parishes each year. We operate in the top 9% of all United Ways in the U.S. (top 125 out of 1300) Please see our Community Impact Book from 2020 for all of the work we did following not only the pandemic, but a direct hit from two hurricanes in one season.
Ruling year
1954
President/CEO
Denise Durel
Main address
815 Ryan Street
LAKE CHARLES, LA 70601 USA
EIN
72-0456901
NTEE code
Human Service Organizations (P20)
Public, Society Benefit - Multipurpose and Other N.E.C. (W99)
Human Services - Multipurpose and Other N.E.C. (P99)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
United Way of Southwest Louisiana has strategically focused on the impact areas of Education, Economic Mobility, Health and Basic Needs. Through this approach, we ensure more individuals and families have access to quality education, health, a family-sustaining income and critical resources during times of crisis. In Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron and Jefferson Davis Parishes, 47% of the community members live below the ALICE Threshold. This means the basic household survival budget isn't attainable even with adults working. 20% of these community members are living below the Federal Poverty Level of $24,300 for a family of four. A few facts about Southwest Louisiana: - 1 in 4 children are food insecure - 53% of Southwest Louisiana pre-school age children are not receiving early childhood education - The full-time salary of a minimum wage earner is $14,500 - Since 2010, the number of low-income units per 100 has dropped to 46
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
ALICE Southwest Louisiana
By definition, ALICE families and individuals are those who make more than the federal poverty level but less than the ALICE Threshold, which is what is needed to afford the basic necessities of housing, childcare, food, transportation and healthcare.
Basic Needs
Whether someone is a victim of a disaster or other type of personal crisis, the existence of supportive services helps people’s basic needs to be met. Through United Way of Southwest Louisiana partnerships and funded programs, these services provide a crucial safety net for vulnerable populations to quickly access help and receive the support they need to have a better quality of life, both now and in the future.
Economic Mobility
As many as one-third of working Americans do not earn enough money to meet their basic needs. Wages have not kept pace with the rising cost of housing, healthcare, and education. Currently, 40 million Americans are working in low-paying jobs without basic health and retirement benefits. For families walking a financial tightrope, unable to save for college, a home, or retirement, United Way of Southwest Louisiana is here to help.
Education
Education is the cornerstone of individual and community success. But with more than 1.2 million children dropping out each year, America faces an education crisis. The cost? More than $312 billion in lost wages, taxes and productivity over their lifetimes. These trends are reversible, but only when communities and public, private and nonprofit sectors work together.
Helplines
211 resource line, 833.TXT.TEEN and Crisis Chat are all helplines run by United Way of Southwest Louisiana. They are free, confidential and operated by live professional counselors and specialists 24/7/365. 833.TXT.TEEN is a teen texting platform and Crisis Chat is online chat with a counselor for any age or problem. 211 is a resource hotline for anything someone is looking for.
FEMA Emergency Management
Congress appropriates the money to help expand the capacity of food and shelter programs in high-need areas. United Way provides the administrative staff and distributes the money. This grant is not in response to natural or national disasters.
Health
Whether it is a neighbor without health insurance, a victim of abuse, or someone struggling with mental illness or an addiction, United Way of Southwest Louisiana is working to ensure everyone has access to affordable and quality care.
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
This program provides preschoolers with 1 book a month from birth until age 5 at no cost to his or her family. The program is funded by businesses, corporate sponsors, service groups and individual donations to United Way of Southwest Louisiana.
Summer of Service
United Way of Southwest Louisiana's Summer of Service program is specifically designed for ages 12 to 18. The program has 5 human services projects to do from June through July. Forty youth volunteers will aid UWSWLA staff with projects in our community. The elderly, veterans and homeless will be the focus of projects because they have pressing needs that are not being addressed. While fostering a greater understanding and appreciation for the diversity in Southwest Louisiana, we will illustrate the value of serving those most in need.
VITA - Volunteer Income Tax Assistance
VITA sites offer free income tax preparation for individuals who, generally, make less than $54,000 annually, persons with disabilities, the elderly and limited English speaking taxpayers who are in need of assistance.
Where we work
Awards
Nominated for 2022 LEPA Award 2022
Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association
Affiliations & memberships
Partnership with The City of Lake Charles 2021
Partnership with Calcasieu Parish Police Jury 2021
Partnership with Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office 2021
Partnership with Lake Charles Police Department 2021
Fiscal agent for VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters) 2021
Fiscal agent for Local FEMA Board 2021
Recipient of Mackenzie Scott Gift 2020
Member, Southwest Louisiana Human Trafficking Task Force 2022
Member, United Against Human Trafficking 2023
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsTotal dollar amount of grants awarded
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families, Economically disadvantaged people, At-risk youth, Ex-offenders, Victims and oppressed people
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We fund human services nonprofits working in our four key areas: Education, Health, Basic Needs and Economic Mobility. We consider these four pillars the building blocks to a successful life.
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Victims of disaster, Ex-offenders, Veterans
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Southwest Louisiana has an average 50% of it's individuals living below the ALICE Threshold (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). Half of those actually live below the Federal Poverty line.
Number of people given basic needs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Internally displaced people, Victims of disaster, Unemployed people, Emergency responders
Related Program
Basic Needs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
Basic needs include shelter, helplines, legal help following domestic abuse, natural disaster resources and recovery
Number of people given education
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Unemployed people, Ex-offenders, Victims and oppressed people
Related Program
Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Education services include United Way SWLA Literacy Kits, children's summer programs, after-school tutors, autism programs, school supplies
Number of people given economic mobility
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families, Economically disadvantaged people, Unemployed people, At-risk youth, Ex-offenders
Related Program
Economic Mobility
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Economic Mobility services include job training, GED programs, financial assistance, increasing credit scores, budgeting, free tax prep, banking literacy, certifications
Number of people given health/dental services
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Seniors, Families, Economically disadvantaged people, Children and youth, At-risk youth
Related Program
Health
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Health services include prescription assistance, homemaker services for seniors and disabled, counseling, meals
Number of meals served or provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Victims of disaster, Emergency responders, Unemployed people
Related Program
Health
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
Meals provided by food pantry, congregate meals, Weekend Food Packs for children, and delivery
Number of therapy hours provided to clients
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people, Victims and oppressed people, People with psychosocial disabilities
Related Program
Health
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of hours of counseling and therapy
Number of crisis hotline calls answered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Social and economic status, Work status and occupations, Health, Children and youth
Related Program
Basic Needs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
211 is a resource line for our five parish area. The top three needs for two years in a row are 1. Housing 2. Utilities assistance 3. Food
Number of educational hours provided to adults/children
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Educational services are for all ages and can be related to financial, health, literacy, legal, jobs, etc.
Number of bed nights (nights spent in shelter)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Homeless people, Victims and oppressed people
Related Program
Basic Needs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
Nights of shelter funded by United Way for families, domestic abuse victims, homeless, natural disaster victims
Number of books given to pre-school children
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers, At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
United Way of SWLA funds the Imagination Library in four parishes. Each child registered received one free book per month for their first four years of life.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
United Way of SWLA tackles the issues in our four focus areas because they keep individuals and families from having a level playing field for a successful life.
Our goals for each pillar:
Education - Early Childhood Success and Youth Success
Health - Families/individuals access healthcare and improve their health
Basic Needs - Decreasing the number of individuals/families dependent on assistance and assisting people in times of need
Economic Mobility - Individuals obtain good jobs and effectively manage their finances
Our mission is to unite Southwest Louisiana to address our human needs. In doing so, we will identify important issues while continuing to fund local organizations that improve community conditions.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
United Way of Southwest Louisiana is dedicated to improving community conditions by targeting and investing resources in at-risk populations.
- We fund local organizations that improve community conditions in the four focus areas.
- When a need is not being filled by another organization, we fill the need with our own initiatives:
VITA's Free Tax Prep, WriteStart, Summer of Service, 833.TXT.TEEN hotline, CrisisChat online, 211 emergency resource number, Literacy Kits for pre-school, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, The Path Home homelessness RFP, United Against Child Hunger summer feeding program, VOAD's Volunteers in Disasters, ALICE for working poor, FEMA emergency management, Disaster Fund and FamilyWize Prescription Discounts.
- We partner with City of Lake Charles, Lake Charles Police Department, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office
- We chair the Calcasieu Prisoner Reentry Coalition to ensure a successful future for formerly incarcerated persons
- We are a founding member of the Southwest Louisiana Human Trafficking Task Force
- We hold a seat on the Governor's Office of Emergency Preparedness
- We are a member of SWLA Opioid, SWLA Suicide Coalition and the Education & Workforce Committee
- Chamber SWLA Quality of Life Committee member
- Louisiana Partnership for Children and Families member
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
For over 82 years, United Way of Southwest Louisiana has been committed to building strong, successful families and strengthening our community.
We understand the complexity of social issues and we integrate solutions that improve lives with sustainable results.
We are on the ground in five parishes, focusing on what’s most needed and what works locally.
We gather leaders and organizations to work together on shared goals.
We democratize philanthropy by engaging thousands under a recognizable brand.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
United Way of Southwest Louisiana's own initiatives served close to 40,000 individuals in the last fiscal year.
United Way of Southwest Louisiana's funded partners provided services to more than 57,000 individuals in that same period.
United Way of Southwest Louisiana funded programs and initiatives that resulted in:
- Over 8,000 individuals received either mental health or financial counseling = 99,776 hours of mental health counseling alone
- 1,650 individuals received free legal help after being the victim of a crime or abuse
- 11,859 individuals received some type of educational service = 216,815 education services
- 52,769 meals were served
- 6,228 children were off the street after school attending an activity
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is hard to come up with good questions to ask people, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
United Way of Southwest Louisiana Inc
Board of directorsas of 08/31/2023
Leona Fletcher
Rain Carbon
Term: 2023 - 2022
Barry Brown
Red River Bank
Keith Faul
LyondellBasell
James McGee
Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Department
Kirk Pellerin
Sabine State Bank
Leona Fletcher
Rain Carbon, Inc.
Paula Gaspard
Firestone Polymers
Tonya Griffith
Wells Fargo
Debra Lastrapes
Retired
Floyd Mitchell
Chemical Waste Management
Patricia Prebula
Prebula Public Relations, Inc.
Claiborne Self
CC's Pawn Superstore
Mike Solari
Mike Solari Company
Greg Thibodeaux
Turner Industries Group
Boyd Boudreaux
Evangeline Bank & Trust Company
Stephen Dwight
Calcasieu Parish District Attorney
Wendy Aguillard
Calcasieu Parish Assessor
Tanya Gaudet
Jefferson Davis Parish School System
Missy Amidon
CITGO Petroleum Corporation
Devon Hyde
Lake Charles Memorial Hospital
Tony Wood
LyondellBasell
Marcie Michalko
Westlake Corporation
Boyd Boudreaux
The Evangeline Bank & Trust Company
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/22/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
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