Day of Action | Action

UNITED WAY DAY OF ACTION

It is a perfect day for United Ways across the country to lead a Day of Action, to mobilize people to help create a good life for all by focusing on education, income and health - the three building blocks for a quality life.

On Sunday, June 21, 2009, United Ways will employ a variety of engagement mechanisms - giving, advocating and volunteering - to launch, create or continue real, lasting change in communities and lives. Your United Way Day of Action efforts are tied to key impact areas in your community. United Way Day of Action will feature concentrated service and advocacy activities organized locally and occurring nationally on the same day - but the action is part of a greater whole. Action initiated on June 21 should lead to a greater change in society, creating impact beyond the day.

United Way Day of Action is:

A call to action for individuals to give, advocate and volunteer on issues relating to education, income and health.
An opportunity to send a clear message about United Way's work and its impact in the community.
A chance to recruit more champions to the work - beyond the workplace.
An opportunity to invite new partners - agencies, corporations, media.
An opportunity to work cross-functionally - impact, campaign, marketing and volunteer staff.
A chance to be part of something bigger - a nationwide movement for change.
An opportunity to position United Way outside of fundraising; to lead by example with opportunities to volunteer and to advocate.
A chance to show the world what it means to LIVE UNITED.

United Way Day of Action is not:

A traditional Day of Caring, i.e., a day for volunteers to help local nonprofits with their unmet infrastructure needs such as building upkeep, landscaping, office system reorganization or computer maintenance.

Know that the United Way Day of Action doesn't need to be a big event to be effective. Gather your colleagues and take a few moments to answer the questions in the assessment tool designed to help you find the right project or activity for your community.