United Way of Greater Fort Dodge harnesses the collective compassion and resources of the community to improve lives.
United Way of Greater Fort Dodge has a rich tradition in Fort Dodge and Webster County. In 1928, a group of generous and committed Fort Dodge area residents established the Fort Dodge Community Chest. Twenty-eight years later, Fort Dodge’s Community Chest became a United Way organization and incorporated as United Way of Greater Fort Dodge in 1956, joining 1,000 other communities around the nation. Since that time, more than $14 million has been raised in the greater Fort Dodge area.
United Way is all about community, bringing people together to address important community needs and challenges. United Way provides the resources to help catalyze community action targeted at helping the most vulnerable in our community. United Way is focused on long-term solutions by supporting disadvantaged youth and helping struggling families become more stable and self-sufficient. Our success ultimately comes from the caring spirit across our community and a rich tradition of neighbors helping neighbors.
United Way funds stay in the local community and region helping families and youth that aren’t looking for a handout but just need a helping hand. An important part of United Way’s mission is to help our youth reach their full potential so they can thrive and become productive future citizens, parents and employees. Many of these youth will become an important part of our labor force in the next five, ten and fifteen years. A small investment in their well-being today can make a real difference for them tomorrow and for the long-term success of our community.
Providing positive leadership, collaborating with community partners, and effectively leveraging our resources, United Way of Greater Fort Dodge is advancing projects and programs that impact youth and families. Preventing homelessness, supporting basic living needs, fostering family self-sufficiency and enriching the lives of children and adolescents are just a few of the many ways that United Way funds are making a difference in our community and region.
Our Mission:
To serve as a catalyst for building stronger youth, stronger families and a stronger community. We strive to enrich people’s lives by working to address our community’s most pressing needs. We develop charitable resources and use them efficiently to help our youth thrive, to help families become more stable, and to improve the well-being of our senior citizens. A foundational goal is to help the less fortunate and in turn strengthen our community.
Our Vision:
To help make our community and region a great place to live, work and raise our families by connecting all sectors of our community around a shared vision to help our youth and families thrive, to enrich lives, and advance the well-being and quality of for all people while facilitating lasting, positive change.
“When we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all. When we build the strength of our neighbors, our youth, and our families, we bolster the health and vitality of our community.”
The United Way Movement
The United Way of Greater Fort Dodge is a locally governed, volunteer driven organization dedicated to strategically advancing our community's human services agenda in order to build a stronger and more vital community. We are part of a national movement operating under the umbrella of the United Way Worldwide.
As the nation's leading community solutions provider, the United Way Worldwide invests in and activates the resources necessary to make the greatest possible positive impact in communities across America. The United Way movement includes more than 1,000 community-based United Way organizations. Each is independent, separately incorporated, and governed by local volunteers.
United Ways bring communities together to focus on the most important needs in the community - building partnerships, forging consensus and leveraging resources to make a measurable difference.
United Way Worldwide’s mission is to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities. Over 1,000 local United Ways raise and invest significant resources to build strong, vibrant communities. United Way Worldwide is our nation’s largest private charity. In Iowa, there are 17 local United Way organizations.
Apart from government, United Ways are the largest single supporter of health and human services in the country, funding programs in more than 45,000 agencies or chapters across the country.