Lasting, meaningful community change isn’t something that any one organization can accomplish alone. It takes a shared vision and buy-in from nonprofits, government, schools, individuals, and businesses – large AND small.

Now there’s a way for local small businesses to get involved in a powerful way.

Small Business United is a new corporate partnership program designed with small business owners in mind. Our aim is to help them impact a community issue that they care about, access exclusive employee or customer engagement opportunities, and get the word out about their business.

“It’s a win all the way around,” said State Farm Insurance Agent Tim Harvey, one of the first small business owners to sign on with the program. “My business is nothing without the community. I can’t know their needs and how best to serve them if I’m not involved.”

Other founding members include Rick Chambers & Associates, Humanergy, and Jacob Miller, an Edward Jones Financial Advisor.

“I chose to be involved in the community to connect with others, improve lives and strengthen communities, but just as important are the intangible benefits of pride, satisfaction and accomplishment,” Miller said. “It warms my heart knowing I’m giving back to an organization that is helping to achieve people’s full potential through education, financial stability and healthy lives. It all wraps back to my practice’s mission: to help leave legacies, not messes.”

“Small-business owners are just like big-business owners: We both want to make our community better,” Chambers said. “Maybe I can’t make the same dollar-for-dollar investment as a big company, but I can make a bigger impact through Small Business United. My investment in United Way gets turbo-charged as they leverage my support and invest strategically to help more people in more ways. That’s the real, lasting value of Small Business United.”

THE DETAILS

To join, small businesses invest $199 per month with United Way, with no other upfront costs.

With membership, business owners will receive the following partnership perks:

• Pick Your Impact. Everyone has different passions. We can help direct gifts to one of four major areas of – Education, Financial Stability, Health, or Basic Needs.
• Community Recognition. Each Small Business partner receives their own window decal, plus recognition in United Way’s Corporate Partner E-Newsletter, website and social media.
• Employee/Customer Engagement. Members receive unique perks like tickets to United Way’s popular Pop Up Giving events, access to the exclusive annual CEO Forum, and access to local volunteer experiences.
• Philanthropic Counsel & Support. It’s tough to manage hundreds of requests from so many nonprofits, but you don’t want to ignore them, either. We’ll help handle these requests efficiently – plus act as a nonprofit agency referral resource.