United Way Blog

When you give to United Way of Whatcom County, one gift supports 24 local nonprofits, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and so much more! The...

“You can never get enough books into the hands of enough children.” – Dolly Parton Did you know that just having books in a home can factor into a...

Financial struggle is complex. Luckily, United Way provides a multi-faceted solution! United Way of Whatcom County partners with nonprofit...

Limited resources = tough choices Every day, folks in our community are faced with tough questions, like:   I don’t have the support or...

For many, the gap between financial struggle and stability can feel impossible to close. Often, households who are struggling in one area are...

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Program brings the magic of reading to children from birth to age five all around the United States. By managing...

Every year, United Way partners with workplaces, donors and sponsors from across the county to raise money to support critical services in our...

At United Way of Whatcom County, we talk a lot about ALICE data and what it means for our community. ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income...

It’s fund allocation season at United Way!   Ever wonder what goes into our grant making process? A whole lot of applications, reviews,...

As we go through our 2025 grant allocation process, we’ve heard from nearly 30 nonprofits requesting United Way funding to help them achieve their...

By Kristi Birkeland, President/CEO, United Way of Whatcom County As someone who has worked in the nonprofit sector off and on since 2009, I know the...

We recently received a beautiful, unexpected gift of $10,000. It came directly from an investment company, with instructions to use the funds “where...

You may have seen this super sweet video featuring a local family that receives books in the mail from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Not only...

Championing Critical Services and Advocating for ALICE  United Way of Whatcom County staff recently joined United Ways from around the state in...

This time of year, you may hear us talking a lot about fundraising campaign season. But what exactly is a United Way campaign, and what does it mean...

Click here to access the full Whatcom Report interview United Way of Whatcom County President/CEO Kristi Birkeland and Director of Development and...

United Way of Whatcom County has always helped fund solutions to our community’s toughest challenges. Currently, we fund 25 local nonprofit...

United Way of Whatcom County supports a variety of nonprofits throughout our community, all working to meet basic needs, increase economic mobility,...

Ever have one of those days when everything just feels like too much? Like you’ll never get where you want to go, accomplish the things you want to...

United Way of Whatcom County partners with local nonprofit organizations to help our struggling friends and neighbors find stability. This month we...

For some of us, memories of childhood are blissful and happy. For others, the things we experienced in childhood can be extremely traumatic and can...

Register here.  At United Way of Whatcom County, our main goal as an organization is to lift everyone in our community to a place of financial...

At United Way of Whatcom County, we love keeping our fantastic donors (that means you!) up to date with the latest available giving channels to...

United Way of Whatcom County supports a network of local agencies providing life changing services to over 50,000 people every year. From access to...

You see it on our t-shirts, our social media pages, flyers, and all over our campaign materials; but what does Live United actually mean? It’s a...

While children and teens remain less susceptible to the long-term physical effects of COVID-19, there’s no doubt that the impact of COVID on...

People have big hearts. In fact, we believe that if it were up to people's hearts, no child would go hungry, no family would live in poverty,...

We often think of teenage years as being a time of youthful exploration, lower responsibility, and the true start of lifelong emotional, social and...

We all know Dolly Parton for her big hair and her sweet voice, but there's a lot more to the award-winning country music singer and actress than...

Yes, you read that right! United Way of Whatcom County has recently signed on as the local affiliate for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a...

If you think our new CEO looks familiar, you’re not alone. A longtime donor and volunteer as well as a current staff member, Kristi Birkeland has...

One United Way donation helps fund more than 20 local nonprofit agencies providing critical services throughout Whatcom County. Want to learn more...

United For ALICE report data confirm stark disparities by income levels and race for job losses, health challenges, and child care struggles during...

You know Goodwill is a great place to donate used items and shop for bargains. But do you know what’s happening behind the retail business? It’s...

When you give to United Way, you support over 20 local nonprofits doing amazing work in Whatcom County. You may not be familiar with every program...

United Way works with local businesses, individuals, and volunteers to raise funds in our community, for our community. Why? Because we know that...

If you know Kara, you know she’s a whirl of positive energy. It’s quite possible that the phrase go-getter was invented specifically to describe...

A job does so much more than just provide a paycheck. Many people find that working brings purpose and meaning to their lives. Jobs teach us new...

Every day, our friends and neighbors in Whatcom County struggle with issues that may seem impossible to solve. Individuals who are working but still...

Imagine living without a place to call home. Now imagine doing it while also taking care of a child. Women and children can sometimes be the...

United Way raises money for local nonprofits doing amazing work in Whatcom County, but we don’t to it alone. We’ve got an entire community of...

With over 1,700 locations across the globe, United Way is one of the largest and most recognizable charitable organizations in the world. But the...

United Way is proud to fund 22 local nonprofit agencies doing amazing work in our community. We thought you might like to hear more about how your...

An advocate is someone who champions the unheard, the unseen, and the underrepresented. To advocate is to shine a light on specific struggles, such...

By supporting nonprofit organizations, we get to support the causes we care about while making the world a better place. It feels good-- and it does...

Big news! United Way of Whatcom County recently received a grant from the WA State Commerce Department to formalize a collaborative partnership to...

Your United Way donation supports a collaborative network of local nonprofits doing critical work in our community. We thought you might like to...

United Way is proud to fund 22 local nonprofit agencies doing amazing work in our community. We thought you might like to hear more about how your...

To LIVE UNITED is to bring people together. To recognize that we are more alike than different. To acknowledge that we all share the same hopes,...

We recently met with our partner agencies to talk about how they are adapting and adjusting to make their critical services available in our...