Technical Definition

Resources include a United Way’s total annual investment in agencies, programs, services, and initiatives, and United Way staffing and administrative costs directly related to Childhood Success. All sources of revenue should be considered investment, excluding designations and transfers to other United Ways. Sources of revenue include, but are not limited to, funds raised through the annual campaign, grants received by United Way, funds under management by the United Way, and investment income.

Why Is This Indicator Important?

This number will help demonstrate to donors, companies and other external partners United Way’s value proposition. To help raise more resources and demonstrate the impact of the United Way system, it is critical to be able to communicate the total amount of resources invested locally and globally in Childhood Success.

Data Sources and Collection Methods

Investments should be reported in local currency for the year completed prior to the reporting year (e.g. in 2019, report investments paid out in 2018.) For those organizations that do not operate on a calendar year, please use the investment year that began in the previous year (e.g. in 2019, reports investments paid out in calendar year 2017-2018). 

How to calculate - Report the total local currency amount of investments in Childhood Success.  If you are reporting from a country that does not use the US dollar as the reporting currency, please report your total in local currency with 4 significant digits (e.g., so instead of 110,000, include figures to the 4^th significant digit as in 109,800). United Way Worldwide will handle the conversion to dollars.