LIVE UNITED CAMPAIGN

"Advancing the common good" means creating opportunities for a better life for all. Advancing the common good, quite simply, is what United Way is all about. It's what we've always been about. And while the United Way brand has been viewed favorably for years, the public lacks understanding of our work and what United Way stands for.

So, after much research, thought, discussions and testing, United Way of America is re-positioning our work under one, overarching theme: Advancing the Common Good. It's a shift from being focused on raising money for the less fortunate, to being change agents for the benefit of all - through volunteering, advocacy and, yes, giving. It's less about charity and more about lasting, sustainable change.

To help bring this new framework to life, United Way will work to advance the common good by focusing on education, income and health. These are the building blocks for a good life - a quality education that leads to a stable job, enough income to support a family through retirement, and good health. Our goal is to create lasting changes that prevent problems from happening in the first place.

While Advancing the Common Good is the brand positioning that will drive our work, the way we'll talk about it with the rest of the world will be as a call to action to LIVE UNITED. Through advertising and other outreach, the rest of the country will soon receive this invitation to join us. The LIVE UNITED manifesto states:

The LIVE UNITED campaign is about the power of unity. LIVE UNITED is a credo, a mission, a goal. It's a constant reminder that when we as individuals think outside ourselves, we have the power to facilitate change. When we think of others' lives as linked to our own, our compassion grows. When we reach out a hand to one, we influence the condition of all. We build the strength of our neighborhoods. We bolster the health of our communities. And we change the lives of those who walk by us every day. More, it's a command TO GIVE; TO ADVOCATE; TO VOLUNTEER. LIVE UNITED is a new direction. It conveys a new image of United Way. Together, united, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow. Living united means being a part of the change.