How United Way Centraide Canada puts together the different pieces of the puzzle

Most Canadians have heard of United Way, but what about United Way Centraide Canada (UWCC)?

UWCC serves as a backbone for the network of 56 United Ways spread out across the country, including United Way Greater Toronto (UWGT). It also represents a network of local experts in more than 5,000 communities across Canada and an ecosystem of 3,800 community service organizations.

“We are a federation. All of these United Ways make up our movement, and we exist both to support this network, but to also play a leadership role at the national level in terms of program services and policy development,” said Dan Clement, president and CEO of United Way Centraide Canada.

“We’re very focused on federal public policy leadership, the issues that are affecting local communities and how we can support the federal government to understand public policy roles and interventions,” he said.

Here’s how it works: Each United Way is an independent organization with its own board of directors. While they all have an overarching mission, they adapt their approach based on context — such as homelessness in Fort McMurray, Alta., versus homelessness in downtown Toronto.

Each is respected in terms of its autonomy and in making decisions within the context of its own communities. UWCC, similarly, has its own board and its own agenda, but it operates more at a coordination level rather than service delivery.

“UWCC’s major aspiration is to ensure that the United Ways across the country are working with a unified voice around social issues, and they become the platform for that voice at a national level with the federal government,” said Nation Cheong, vice-president of community impact and mobilization with United Way Greater Toronto, who oversees UWGT’s annual investments in almost 300 community service organizations across Toronto and Peel and York regions.

For example, the tariff and trade wars impact all of Canada, but they may impact communities differently. “Our local nature allows us to understand what’s really taking place locally — maybe it’s the same issues, but there’s a unique context, and the national platform is really about us as a collective movement and how we respond together,” said Clement.

The COVID-19 pandemic was an example of how UWCC was able to leverage this local knowledge during a global health crisis.

Charities, not-for-profits and grassroots groups were at the front lines of the pandemic. Because of the nature of their work and commitment to their local communities, they “were just rolling up sleeves and getting out to understand what pockets within their local neighbourhoods were not getting the resources they need,” said Cheong.

Ottawa-based UWCC played a critical role in bringing this national picture to the federal government and working with other recognized entities, like the Red Cross. “UWCC’s got that commitment from the federal government, which enabled each province to utilize those resources in the way that made sense for their local context,” said Cheong.

For example, this led to the Emergency Community Support Fund, which was federally funded.

“What we were able to do is put those funds directly into the hands of local leaders who could make sure the funds were used directly and in the context of the local community,” Clement said. “You get the benefit of this collective knowledge that … can help a government identify policy problems and solutions.”

As a result of this approach, United Ways across the country were able to help local organizations adapt to the protocols at the time.

“UWCC’s negotiations with the federal government for these resources during a time of real fear and confusion across the country allowed the human services sector to really respond to those needs in the most effective and tangible way,” said Cheong.

“Information was being shared more effectively and decisions were being made more effectively to get things like food hampers out into remote places.”

And, for the first time, they could also directly fund grassroots organizations that didn’t necessarily have charitable status but were playing a vital role in meeting community needs.

Fast forward a few years later, and there’s a broader movement toward providing more sustainable, mission-based funding.

“If we want to meet the needs of Canadians in a way that addresses these big challenges we’re facing, the way we fund as donors, as philanthropists, as governments, as United Ways, as foundations is really important,” Clement said. “We’ve seen a trend towards more project-based funding, maybe shorter-term funding or funding a specific project.”

More recently, UWCC has secured a grant of $1,500,000 from the McConnell Foundation to develop a national labour force strategy to support a broad range of policy solutions to improve working conditions in the community services sector.

This will help to address the sector’s current talent recruitment, training and retention crisis, ensuring that United Ways across the country can continue providing critical community services for a long time to come.