Give. Advocate. Volunteer. Join. Attend.
LIVING UNITED in LaPorte County is about more than just giving, it’s about joining - joining the fight for our community. Our volunteers and partners are more than just fundraisers, they are game-changers and hand-raisers who are willing to stand up and fight for the health, education, and financial stability of every person in LaPorte County.
LAPORTE COUNTY NEEDS YOU!
Become a hand-raiser. Become a game- changer. Because your passion, expertise, and resources will help the fight become a win. A win that's not just a short-term contribution but a long-term solution. That's how we LIVE UNITED.
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The money we raise here,
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You shop, united way gets money for free!
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PLAN A GIFT
One of the many ways you can choose to express your commitment to our community's future is by including United Way of LaPorte County in your planned giving. This is an easy way to make a lasting impact without affecting your current financial security and freedom. Planned gifts offer you the flexibility to balance your personal financial goals with your interest in supporting the impact work of United Way in LaPorte County, and also may provide significant tax and income advantages. Donors are advised to consult with their attorneys or other professional advisers when considering a planned gift to United Way of LaPorte County.
If you have already included United Way in LaPorte County in your estate plans, please contact us to let us know so you can be recognized as a hand-raiser in our community.
Gifts of Cash
Investors wishing to make cash gifts to United Way of LaPorte County may make checks payable to “United Way of LaPorte County,” and mail or deliver them to 422 Franklin Street, Suite D, Michigan City, IN 46360.
Sustaining Pledge
Make your gift weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually using our online pledge form and a credit card or electronic funds transfer (EFT). This is a great way to make a significant gift and spread your contribution across the year. You can also contact our office in person or by phone to schedule a recurring gift.
Pledge with an Invoice
To request an invoice for your pledge, please contact our office.
Matching Gifts
If your employer offers a matching gift program, just provide us with your matching gift paperwork (generally available from your Human Resources Office) and we will do the rest.
Gifts of Stock
For information on how to make a gift of appreciated stock to United Way of LaPorte County, please consult your financial advisor to develop a plan best suited for you.
Bequests
Once you have made provisions for family in your wills, you may wish to leave a specific amount, a percentage of the estate, or the residuum of the estate to United Way. If you wish to make a bequest to United Way of LaPorte County, please consult your attorney for language best suited to your estate plan.
Life Insurance and Retirement Plans
Proceeds You may choose to make United Way of LaPorte County the designated beneficiary of life insurance or retirement plan proceeds. Life insurance polices with built-up cash value can make convenient tax-deductible gifts. Naming United Way of LaPorte County a beneficiary of a retirement plan can result in significant tax savings. For information on how to make a United Way of LaPorte County a designated beneficiary, please consult your financial advisor to develop a plan best suited for you.
Charitable Gift Annuities
Charitable Gift Annuities (CGA) are one of the most popular forms of planned giving and can offer tax advantages as well as life income for the donor or a named income beneficiary. A CGA is a contract between the investor and issuing charity, in which the investor makes an irrevocable gift to the charity, and in return the charity pays the investor a fixed income for life. Upon the death of the investor, the amount remaining (residuum) goes to the charity. For information on how to make a CGA to United Way of LaPorte County, please consult your financial advisor to develop a plan best suited for you.
UW freewill
As you take care of yourself, your loved ones, and your assets, consider including a gift to UWLPC in your plans. This contribution is a powerful way to join us in organizing and advocating to prevent and end homelessness for years to come.
Use our partnership with FreeWill to make your will in just 20 minutes for free. If you have an IRA, 401(k), life insurance policy, or any other non-probate assets not included in your will, you can also use FreeWill to designate beneficiaries for all of these.
Naming UWLPC as a beneficiary of one or more of these non-probate assets is another way to build a legacy supporting the programs that serve families, youth, and adults impacted.
United Way Worldwide is excited to collaborate with FreeWill to provide the U.S. network with three new digital gift channels. The three gift channels via FreeWill include Bequest Intents, QCDs or IRA Charitable Rollovers, and Stock Gifts. FreeWill is an independent social venture designed to increase your gifts, now and in the future. This service is free for you and for your donors.
thank you for your annual support of our laporte county community and our local united way.
We appreciate your commitment and your incredible generosity. Some of our donors also make a lasting gift in different (and simple) ways, especially in the future by leaving a bequest intent saying that a certain gift will come in the future to their United Way to support their community.
Leaving a legacy gift allows you to continue to have a positive impact on your community for generations to come.
You can do it simply via FreeWill.com/UnitedWay.
Advocate
Join the cause. Make your voice heard. Create real change.
Advocacy means shining a light on the issues that affect LaPorte County and lending our voice to ensure children, adults, and families have opportunities to thrive. It is crucial to our success as a community. United Way engages in public policy advocacy because – as a nearly 100-year-old institution – we have the longstanding community connections and firsthand experience to help guide policy makers as they tackle the problems that face LaPorte County and the region.
Policy change can be big or small. It can be advocating for healthier cafeteria meals. It can be urging your government to invest more in schools, or make child tax credits permanent, or make more children eligible for health insurance. Or it can be mobilizing your contacts to speak out on a critical cause, in person, or online.
United Way galvanizes people to speak out for change. We're amplifying individuals’ voices on important community issues. As a part of United Way Worldwide, the largest privately-funded nonprofit in the world, we provide a platform for people to take meaningful action that makes a difference.
United Way of LaPorte County advocates at the state, county, and municipal level for the appropriate funding and policies that protect the non-profit sector’s capacity to advance the common good. Along with our sister offices across the state, United Way of LaPorte County has established engagement strategies that reflect our work within the areas of education, income and health. United Way’s public policy agenda is focused on building the state’s vital public infrastructure in order to support stronger, more vital communities.
United Way's National Policy Work
United Way’s Policy Agenda for the 115th Congress helps fulfill our obligation to assist policy-makers in crafting the best possible governmental policies in the areas of education, financial stability and health, while also tackling important policies that strengthen communities at-large.
TAX REFORM
The recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will drastically impact charitable giving for 21 million Americans and damage the very fabric of the charitable sector and our communities. Fewer charitable donations means fewer resources to fund private food banks, homeless or domestic violence shelters, provide day care, or job training. United Way is continuing to weigh in to on solutions that support American values of giving by expanding charitable giving tax benefits. Join us in asking Congress to protect charitable giving and fight for charities.
VOLUNTEER INCOME TAX ASSISTANCE (VITA)
VITA leverages volunteer power so that millions of Americans can access free quality tax preparation, asset-building resources and financial education services. We’re asking Congress to shore up support for this vital public-private partnership to build financial stability in communities around the country. Check out how our sister United Ways are leveraging VITA volunteers to support millions of Americans and return millions of dollars to communities.
SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (SNAP)
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) is the nation’s largest anti-hunger program. The program provides timely, targeted and temporary support to low-income households for the purchase of food. As Congress debates the Farm Bill, United Way is committed to protecting and strengthening SNAP to maintain its responsiveness to combat hunger and provide financial stability for families, the elderly, and workers. Join us in protecting SNAP—enabling seniors living on a fixed income, working moms earning $10 an hour, or a vets struggling to get by to continue to put food on the table.
vounteer
join
When people engage with United Way, they bring their passion, skills, and vision to our efforts, focusing their sights on the greater good. Together, we can accomplish more. Each of us brings our unique perspective, experience, and enthusiasm to the cause, and that diversity is the cornerstone of the collaborative innovation needed to affect lasting positive in LaPorte County.
Our United Way Affinity Groups are comprised of passionate and dedicated volunteers who form strong professional networks, raise money, and create positive change in targeted areas of our community.
We are a diverse group of women and men who unite together to fight for a stronger LaPorte County — extending the reach of United Way’s impact through volunteer opportunities, fundraising events, and networking.
To join the United Way of LaPorte County's Leadership Circle, Women United, and/or the Tocqueville Society, make a Leadership Gift today.
The Leadership Circle
The Leadership Circle is a group of generous donors and supporters who give $1,000 or more annually to support the most effective programs and provide lasting solutions for everyone in our LaPorte County.
Individuals under 35 or retired individuals may join The Leadership Circle with an annual gift of $500 or more.
Tocqueville Society
The Tocqueville Society is a powerful group of local business, civic, and philanthropic leaders who share a passion for positive community change and making a difference with their annual gifts of $10,000 or more.
Women United
Women United is an ambitious, grassroots model grounded in the belief that addressing the most critical local needs lifts the community as a whole. Members speak up, unite, and take action on issues that hit closest to home.
There are over 70,000 members across the United States in 163 local United Ways. Inception-to-date fundraising totals over $1 billion!
Membership in Women United is open to all women who make a gift of $1,000 or more annually to support financial stability and independence in LaPorte County.
Women under 35 and retired individuals may join Women United with an annual gift of $500 or more.
Student United Way
You can change your community and the world through Student United Way. If you’re a high school or college student, we’ll help you organize your peers to tackle pressing social problems in your own backyard.
Student United Way is a group of caring and committed young people on a mission to encourage philanthropy and volunteerism among their peers. Student United Way represents the next generation of community leaders focused on education, financial stability, and health, because those are the things everyone needs to thrive.
for more information on joining or starting a Student United Way group in LaPorte County.
attend
Support the United Way of LaPorte County by attending one of our signature fundraising events or a community workshop.