Nearly every United Way struggles to attract donors, recruit volunteers, and explain what they do in one sentence. Do you want the secret formula for doing it in one sentence? Here it is!

Engagement + Community Change

Engagement is simply how you want someone to engage or interact with your United Way. Common examples of engagement include give, volunteer, donate, contribute, and support. Engagement is nearly always a verb. Community change is what happens as a result of the engagement or how lives will be changed if someone engages with your United Way.  

Let’s look at some examples of calls to action using this formula. The engagement and community change are underlined in each example:

• When you donate [engagement] to United Way, you help end homelessness [community change]

• Volunteer [engagement] for VITA and you will be helping working individuals and families achieve economic success [community change].

• This Saturday, you can walk [engagement] with United Way to halt hunger [community change]

• Your contribution [engagement] to United Way makes it possible for working women to earn their GED [community change]

Community Change + Engagement

The formula works equally well in either direction: engagement + community change <OR> community change + engagement. Here are some examples of calls to action using the formula community change + engagement:

• You will increase kindergarten readiness [community change] when you support the Early Readers Program [engagement].

• Help reduce poverty in your community [community change] by serving on the board of your United Way [engagement]

• Keep every child warm [community change] this winter when you donate your gently used coats to Coats for Warmth [engagement]

• End veteran homelessness [community change] when you give or volunteer for United Way’s 100 Day Challenge [engagement]

Super Tip!

Be sure to include the word “you” or “your” in your call to action at least once. United Ways frequently fall into the trap of talking about themselves when they use words like “we” and “our.” If you want someone to engage with your United Way, using the word “you” or “your” draws them into your call to action. Check out our previous blog post Take the We/Our Versus You/Your Test to learn more.

Two Variations You Can Try

If you are able to quantify the community change, you can include it in your call to action. For example, if you know that you will be able to provide permanent housing for 18 families, your call to action could be:

• When you donate [engagement] to United Way, you will help provide permanent housing for 18 homeless families [community change]

Sometimes, it may be helpful or necessary to let people know where the community change will take place. For example, if your United Way serves multiple counties, you may want to include the county where the community change is taking place:

• You will increase kindergarten readiness in York County [community change] when you support the Early Readers Program [engagement]

Calls to Action

It is highly unlikely that your United Way would have only one call to action. At any given time, you will have a variety of calls to action for your workplace campaign, volunteering opportunities, United Way programs or initiatives, special events, planned giving, etc. Coordinate your communication so that everyone at your United Way is using the same call to action for each event, opportunity, request, etc.

Now, get out there and grow your United Way [community change] when you use your one sentence calls to action [engagement]!