PLATINUM2022

Valley of the Sun United Way

At United Way we are fighting to break the cycle of poverty for every child, individual, and family in Maricopa County.

Phoenix, AZ   |  http://www.vsuw.org

Mission

Valley of the Sun United Way envisions a community where every child, family and individual is healthy, has a safe place to live, and has every opportunity to succeed in school, in life and in work. As we work with our community, corporate and nonprofit partners to implement MC2026, our five-year plan for Mighty Change, we will put all of our efforts toward reaching bold goals for Maricopa County in Health, Housing and Homelessness, Education and Workforce Development. We invite you to join us. www.vsuw.org

Ruling year info

1954

President & CEO

Mrs. Carla Vargas Jasa

Main address

3200 E. Camelback Rd, Ste 375

Phoenix, AZ 85018 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

86-0104419

NTEE code info

Fund Raising Organizations That Cross Categories includes Community Funds/Trusts and Federated Giving Programs) e.g. United Way (T70)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Valley of the Sun United Way

Since 1925, Valley of the Sun United Way has unified diverse partners, donors, business supporters, nonprofits, government and faith-based communities to build a stronger Valley for us all. Because of our 90,000 donors, 400 business supporters and 5,000 volunteers we can help break the cycle of poverty together. No other organization unites as many people to fight poverty in as many ways.

There’s no one way to break the cycle of poverty. That is why United Way isn’t a single issue organization. We pull together the most promising organizations across Maricopa County that provide comprehensive support in three key portfolio areas: Fight for Kids, Fight for Families and Fight for Neighborhoods.

In partnership with 140 exceptional local programs, United Way invests your gift to address the multiple causes of poverty in the Valley with a track record of measurable success

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
At-risk youth

We close opportunity gaps to ensure children read at grade level by 3rd grade and youth are prepared for educational success and employment.

We support more than 50 programs and services provided by school, nonprofit and community partners who focus on building and strengthening literacy, increasing online learning and providing supportive services for families and teachers. The below Coalition members focus on our Mighty education goals and develop strategies to create impact. When informed by the Coalition and their Action Teams, we change course as needed to stay focused on the right programs and solutions to reach our bold goals for Maricopa County.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Students

Your support provides vital essentials such as masks, sanitizers and diapers, as well as emergency rent, utilities and other financial assistance that maintains family stability.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Ethnic and racial groups

We ensure all can have a safe home to call their own.

We are increasing investments in services and programs that not only address immediate needs, but also prioritize social determinants and wraparound services that prevent and assist those experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. The below Coalition members focus on our Mighty housing and homelessness goals and develop strategies to create impact. When informed by the Coalition and their Action Teams, we change course as needed to stay focused on the right programs and solutions to reach our bold goals for Maricopa County.

Population(s) Served

We remove barriers to ensure everyone in our community is healthy, with a focus on access to food and healthcare. Good health, including access to healthcare and nutritional food, is foundational to success in school, work and life. Yet, in Arizona, food insecurity increased since COVID-19, especially among children and senior adults. In fact, 1 in 5 children and 1 in 7 seniors don’t have enough to eat. Access to quality healthcare is also a barrier.

Population(s) Served
Children
Seniors

We will open pathways to better paying jobs.

Workforce Development means increasing resources to help individuals raise their income and create sustainable careers. It means connecting business and education to improve work-based learning opportunities, apprenticeship and mentoring. It also means working with Valley business associations, educational institutions, and other partners to develop long-term strategies to increase the number of workers with high-paying, in-demand jobs.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Economically disadvantaged people

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

School Readiness

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

# of parents and caregivers that complete education sessions =1935 in 2020. % of parents and caregivers that gain knowledge from School Readiness Kits =93% in 2020.

Rental Assistance - Ending Homlessness

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Low-income people, Homeless people, Extremely poor people, Working poor

Related Program

Housing & Homelessness

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Case managers helped families successfully fill out applications for rental assistance. Families were provided with financial assistance to pay overdue rent in Maricopa County, AZ.

Emergency Food Distribution - Ending Hunger

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Economically disadvantaged people

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Meals were distributed to families at food banks, to students at schools, and through delivery to homebound seniors in Maricopa County, AZ.

Job Training - Financial Stability

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Unemployed people, Working poor, Adults

Related Program

Arizona Charitable Tax Credit

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Provided access to credentials via work-based learning, apprenticeships, internships and career exploration in Maricopa County, AZ.

Tutoring/Academic Assistance

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adolescents, Children, Preteens

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

One-to-one and small group tutoring was provided to improve reading scores and study habits of students struggling academically in Maricopa County, AZ.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Valley of the Sun United Way (VSUW) works with key partners to help us reach our MC2026 Goals

Goals within these areas of focus include:

-Decrease food insecurity by 50%
-Increase the number of individuals with access to affordable healthcare by 100,000
-Reduce homelessness by 50%
-Increase 3rd grade reading proficiency by 25%
-Increase youth age 16-24 engaged in education and employment opportunities by 38%
-Increase preparation of individuals for a living wage job by 33%
-Increase achievement of higher paying employment by 20%

VSUW employs many strategies, such as:

Tutoring/Academic Assistance: improving child care by training educators and parents; providing early grade literacy support; embedding literacy activities in summer youth programs; and creating a robust cradle to career pipeline so students succeed in school and life.

Homelessness: supporting emergency shelter and diversion efforts; providing housing stability and support to families; providing permanent supportive housing to those experiencing chronic homelessness; and providing events to connect individuals to vital resources.

Hunger: supporting emergency food efforts; providing support to schools to run breakfast programs and provide weekend meals to students in need.

Financial Stability: providing financial coach training to individuals working with clients struggling with poverty.

Community Empowerment: working with communities on solutions that best fit their needs, like school beautification projects, food literacy workshops, and community gardens.

VSUW has a talented pool of experts in early childhood education, youth development, financial stability, and hunger and homeless services. These experts lead “Community Impact" staff teams that collaborate with partner agencies and initiate and direct VSUW-driven programs to serve the health and human service needs of people across the region.

VSUW's strength is in its collaborative approach. By working in collaboration with more than 400 local organizations, 5,000 volunteers, and tens of thousands of individual donors, VSUW is able to make tremendous strides in its efforts to break the cycle of poverty for our most vulnerable neighbors.

VSUW’s recent accomplishments include:

1- Tutoring - 15,764 beneficiaries of One-to-one and small group tutoring was provided to improve reading scores and study habits of students.
2-Mentoring - Trained and screened adults provide one-to-one mentoring to support youth academically, socially, and/or personally to 5,084 youths.
3- Developmental Screenings - Screenings assessed physical, cognitive and social benchmarks. Referrals were provided as appropriate, based on results to 2,639 children.
4- Job Training - Provided access to credentials via work-based learning, apprenticeships, internships and career exploration to 370 adults.
5- Emergency Shelter - Emergency shelter was provided to 16,756 persons in need of safe place to sleep.
6- Utility assistance was provided to 11,088 families pay overdue utility bills.
7- Rental assistance was provided to 8,633 families in danger of eviction.
8- Emergency Food was distributed to 1,081,692 families at food banks, to students at schools and through delivery to homebound seniors.

Financials

Valley of the Sun United Way
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build 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.

Valley of the Sun United Way

Board of directors
as of 03/15/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Mr. John Graham

Sunbelt Holdings

Term: 2021 - 2022


Board co-chair

Ms. Maria Harper-Marinick, Ph.D.

Hope Levin (H)

Johnson Bank

Jeff Barton (H)

City Of Phoenix

Todd Sanders

Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce

Brad Smith

Deloitte

Don Smith

Mike Tully

Horizon Strategic Advisors

Christine Wilkinson

Arizona State University, ASU Alumni Association

Chris Camacho

Greater Phoenix Economic Council

Steve Evans

Chad Geston, Ed.D.

Phoenix Union High School District

Neil Giuliano

Greater Phoenix Leadership

Maria Harper-Marinick, PH.D.

Ken Levine

Laura LoBianco

Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie, LLP

Nina Mullins

Salt River Project

Avein Saaty-Tafoya

AST Consulting LLC

Ed Zuercher

City of Phoenix

Robyn Arnell Brenden

Ruben Alvarez

Molera Alvarez, LLC

Kevin Cooper

Enterprise Holdings

Tracy Bame

Freeport-McMoRan Foundation

Lee Ann Bohn

Maricopa County

Geoffrey Burbridge

USAA

Lisa D. Cagnolatti

ASU, W.P. Carey School of Business

Matt Feeney

Snell & Wilmer

Daniel Froetscher

Arizona Public Service Company (APS)

Latasha Causey

Bell Bank

Lisa Riley

Wells Fargo

Elissa Kelly

Nationwide E & S/Speciality

Drena Kusari

Lyft

Waring Lester

UPS

Patrick Strieck

BMO Harris Bank

Dave Long

Edward Jones

Chris McCurdy

PetSmart

Monica Villalobos

Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Jeff Meshey

Desert Financial Credit Union

Robin S. Reed

Black Chamber of Arizona

Daniel G. Wani

US Bank Private Wealth Management

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 3/14/2021

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

No data

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data