MEASURINGUP

Your Return on Investment with United Way

United Way is a proud leader, convenor, funder and collaborator in making Greater Victoria a great place to live, learn, work and play. For over 77 years, United Way has held the interests of the community first and foremost in its mandate, raising and investing over $144 million in essential social services. United Way is committed to developing real and lasting change close to home. We believe that we must demonstrate to our donors, community partners and thousands of volunteers that work with us, the positive changes we are making in people’s lives and in creating strong and caring communities.

We target our investments to achieve maximum impact at a grassroots level. We know that by focusing our efforts into the priority areas of poverty, kids and community, we are able to create the type of changes our region requires to ensure everyone has the essentials to lead happy and healthy lives.

We also believe that our changes must not only be measureable they must be sustainable. We support programs that build the capacity of individuals, families and communities. Our investments make a profound difference and move beyond a single crisis response. We want to make our region vibrant by fostering self-sufficient and resilient citizens.

When you invest with United Way, you become part of a movement to create hope and opportunity for every person in our community from Victoria to Sooke to Sidney and the Southern Gulf Islands.

Thanks to your support, United Way funded more than 90 community programs and served 39,435 individuals, 16,643 families and 7,827 children and youth in 2013. We couldn’t do it without you!

Making a Difference - Reporting Results for 2013

TRENDHealthy individuals and families are the backbone of strong communities. When people have the opportunity to

connect with others and access services in their neighbourhoods they are more likely to overcome life’s challenges. However, there are a growing number of people across the region who suffer from social isolation and don’t have access to the vital services they need.

GOALTo build the overall health and well-being of our communities by ensuring that people have access to

the resources they need to lead healthier lives. United Way works to create lasting change by addressing the social conditions that leave people vulnerable.

$OUR INVESTMENTSUnited Way invested $2,201,000 to improve the quality of life for 24,433 individuals and 1,815 families facing challenges of isolation and personal crisis.

We fund programs and services that:• Support individuals to overcome mental

health and addiction challenges• Address the negative aspects of family

violence• Provide isolated seniors and people with

disabilities with community connections• Support people to become active in their

neighbourhoods

Connection to SupportsPersonal Well-being

& Safety

Neighbourhood & Community Engagement

57%31%

12%

Strong communities

LIVES CHANGEDThanks to the impactful work of our community partners, here are some examples of the life changing results we achieved together:

• 7,184 persons with disabilities and seniors were supported to live independently

• 3,664 individuals and families increased their mental health and coping skills

• 1,375 isolated individuals developed supportive relationships

ggSTRATEGYUnited Way supports critical social programs that improve people’s lives - like mental health and addiction

services, programs that address domestic violence, supports for people who face isolation especially people with disabilities and seniors, and initiatives that help newcomers settle into their new lives.

Photo courtesy: Young Women of Spirit Program

1144 Fort StreetVictoria, BC V8V 3K8(250) 385-6708 uwgv.ca

Please note in addition to investments in our three priority areas of poverty, kids and community, United Way directed $926,690 to a variety of non-profit organizations as per our donors’ wishes.