Build a Team

Thank you for your interest in participating in a United Way: Families challenge! In spreading awareness about the hardships of ALICE families in Erie County and encouraging your peers to support the United Way: Families solution, you’ll be making a quantifiable impact on our mission and the lives of your neighbors.

Here is a list of challenges you can initiate for yourself or for a team:

An Individual Challenge is perfect for a person who is passionate about United Way: Families, and raises funds from friends, family, and coworkers.
A Group Challenge is perfect for two or more people who raise funds as a team from their families, friends, and coworkers.
An Office Challenge is perfect for two or more people who work together and can support United Way: Families from their workplace.

CHALLENGES

Individual Challenges

Even one person can make a difference in our community! As an individual, you can support United Way: Families by asking your friends, family, and professional and social networks for donations on our behalf. One of the simplest and most effective techniques is Facebook donation campaign using the platform’s native fundraiser function or an email fundraising campaign. United Way: Families has tips and templates to help you easily pull off both! If you are especially committed, you can even consider hosting a fundraising event.

Group Challenges

Calling all family units, book and homebrew clubs, coffee klatches, and all other shared interest and social groups! If you’re looking for a way to work together to give back, organizing a group challenge to support United Way: Families is a fun and easy way to put your collective efforts to work for the community. A group challenge can take many forms, from a simple Facebook donation campaign to pledge-a-thon-style fundraisers to bake sales, beer and wine tastings, happy hours, speaker seminars, trivia nights, and meat raffles. You’re only limited by your own energy and creativity.

Office Challenges

Do you have a great group of coworkers and a supportive employer happy to let you use office time, resources, or space for a workplace fundraiser? Then an office challenge may the perfect opportunity for you to show your support to the 41% of families in Erie County struggling to make ends meet. By hosting a pledge-a-thon or fundraising event like a bowling night, pub crawl, 5k run, or 50/50 raffle—just to name a few ideas—you’ll not only be generating donations and raising awareness to further the United Way: Families cause, you’ll also be building camaraderie and boosting morale among your entire team.

Meet Our Ambassadors

Every month, we highlight an individual who has accepted the challenge and name them an United Way: Families Ambassador. Click on the names of each ambassador below to hear from them why they choose to support United Way: Families.