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Your financial commitment and volunteer support is the heart of United Way, and is vital to help us " build a more caring community." Please take the time to learn how you can make a difference in the community by visiting with the United Way staff at 136 N. Third Street, or telephone
882-5558.

Mission statement  

To increase the organized capacity of people to care for one another by promoting volunteerism; identifying local health and human care needs; and raising and allocating funds to help people
throughout Klamath Country.

What we do

The United Way of the Klamath Basin is much more than a fund drive. It's a non-profit organization driven largely by volunteers who dedicate themselves to improve the lives of people of all ages living throughout the Klamath Basin.

United Way conducts a community fund raising campaign each fall, and distributes the majority of these funds among a variety of health and human care social service agencies. These member agencies provide help more than 20,000 people annually. Donors can also contribute to several local affiliate agencies.

United Way also operates a volunteer referral program for people who want to get involved (see the volunteer link for what's happening). Our local United Way also conducts annual needs assessments studies and program impact evaluations to determine how well programs are working to better help people. Every five years, our United Way conducts a comprehensive community needs assessment along with an environmental scan. This process involves most all of the community public and private non-profit organizations, and provides a demographic and economic profile of our community.

              History

Nationally, the United Way system of having one community fund drive to financially support a variety of local agency services started in 1887 in Denver, Colorado. Today, more than 1,400 independent United Way chapters operate in the United States; raise a collective annual total of $4.1 billion; and serve millions of Americans.

Every United Way chapter is locally governed by volunteers and exists only because of the financial contributions made by local citizens, businesses, and corporations. United Way of America, formed in 1970 and located in Alexandria, Virginia, is the national organization or federation. It provides a variety of benefits and services to its local affiliates. Each local United Way organization pays its national office an annual membership fee or dues amounting to one percent of the total dollars raised in their annual community fund drive.

In 1945 in Klamath County, the "Red Feather" Klamath County Community Chest and the War Chest campaigned simultaneously for community support. Chester H. Hamaker and a small group of community leaders started this tradition and developed the use of payroll deduction giving at the workplace. On May 26, 1953 the United Fund of Klamath County was formed to raise funds to support six local agencies (Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Camp Fire, the Salvation Army and the YMCA. The first United Way President was L. Ernest Taylor, and the 1953 campaign exceeded its goal raising $109,563. In the past, United Way has also been called United Good Neighbors.

"Guard we must the contributor's trust," initiated as a marketing theme in the early 70's, remains today as a guiding principle of the United Way. The United Way of the Klamath Basin is audited annually by the accounting firm of Tom Romig & Associates and maintains the highest standards of excellence and public accountability.

How to help

Make a contribution. All contributions to United Way are tax deductible and are accepted year-round. Acknowledgement letters are sent for cash gifts of $250 or more automatically, and/or upon request. Gifts of cash, stock, art, collectibles, working automobiles, or other appreciated assets are welcome. Gifts of real estate are subject to United Way board approval. Memorial gifts and planned gifts are also encouraged.

Volunteer

Volunteers are always welcome. Please refer to the Volunteer Center Community-wide listings for details on volunteer opportunities and click the contact link if you want to volunteer. According to the National Points of Light Foundation more than 56 percent of all Americans volunteer an average of 3.5 hours per week.

The United Way of the Klamath Basin Board of Directors consists of approximately 40 members of the community. The board meets eight times per year generally on the fourth Tuesday of the month at 12 noon at the Dynasty Restaurant. The current president is John T. Adkisson.

(Click here for a roster of board members and professional staff)