United Way of Regina

About United Way of Regina:

Founded in 1967, United Way of Regina (UWR) is dedicated to improving lives and building its community by engaging individuals and mobilizing collective action. The organization funds services and programs dealing with issues related to children, poverty and health in Regina. Its current focus is the promotion of learning and development opportunities for children.

United Way of Regina raises funds primarily through the annual Community Campaign, which includes donations from company payrolls, corporations and individuals. It funds a hotline, 211-Saskatchewan, in collaboration with the United Way of Saskatoon and Area to provide information on over 5,000 community, health, and government services in the area.

United Way of Regina provided grants to 20 agencies in F2016. The top five grantees were Family Services Regina ($183k), YWCA and Big Sisters ($168k), Catholic Family Services Society ($161k), Regina Open Door Society ($138k) and the Regina Early Learning Centre ($138k).

In F2016, United Way of Regina reported that through its funded programs, 109 children improved their grades and 39 teen parents graduated high school. Through funded programs focusing on poverty alleviation, 455 mothers and 217 children found emergency shelter and 11,500 food boxes were served. Programs focusing on health and communities saw 145 newcomers gain better access to community services and 1,141 Reginans use UWR programs to build life skills and improve personal security. Lastly, UWR’s Summer Success program helping at-risk kids with literacy skills saw 91% of students maintain reading levels and 44% of students improve their reading levels.

Financial Review:

United Way of Regina is considered a medium-cap charity with donations of $4.0m in F2016. Its administrative costs are 3% of revenues and fundraising costs are 14% of donations. For every dollar donated, 83 cents goes to the cause, falling within Ci’s reasonable range. The organization has funding reserves of $3m, which cover just under a year of program costs. The F2014 numbers are for a six-month period as the charity changed its fiscal year-end from December 31 to June 30.

This report is an update that is being reviewed by the charity. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated June 23, 2017 by Josh Lam.