Our Vision

We envision a future where all individuals have equitable access to the information and services they need to build a sustainable, healthy, and prosperous future for themselves and their communities.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As we approach our 70th Anniversary, we celebrate and thank all who have contributed to the development and sustainability of our organization over the years. We also pause to reflect and acknowledge some lessons learned during the Pandemic and internal leadership changes within the last year. 

When we engaged in the emergency response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, we were required to deeply understand and connect with many groups in the community heavily affected by the virus. We rethought and refined our approach to recruiting, orienting, and supporting diverse staff. We collaborated and co-created solutions to complex problems with different cultural communities and partners and revisited our institutional practices to ensure integrity, transparency, and accountability. 

Acknowledging and understanding the root of mistrust and injustice and our ability to do things differently will allow us to intentionally and meaningfully address challenges as we move forward. We honor the knowledge, strength, and leadership of people and groups who have been marginalized and denied fundamental access to the resources needed to thrive. We commit to leveraging and devoting resources to reduce inequity and exclusion of essential information and supports while recognizing that community leaders are the best positioned to identify barriers to access and their potential solutions. 

We start 2024 with new leadership and a refreshed vision for the future.  

We commit to sustaining and growing a healthy internal culture with solid relationships with the community, ensuring accountability in using our power, influence, and resources and building a workforce and programs that reflect our community’s needs.

We will continue identifying and nurturing the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to dismantle institutional and community barriers that impede our progress. We have evolved to explicitly focus on recognizing and supporting the strengths and gifts of working across differences. We strive to cultivate authentic collaboration with diverse groups and reaffirm our commitment to achieving language justice in our community. 

We will continue supporting and incubating successful projects and organizations working to develop innovative approaches to address the social determinants of health and promote health equity and language access to help our communities. 

As we achieve our mission to transform communities and ensure no one is left behind, we commit to working with our staff, residents, and partners to ensure everyone has the resources, support, opportunities, and networks they need to thrive.

We pledge to be an institution that embodies the following:

Diversity – acknowledging, valuing, and learning about differences and similarities to build compassion, trust, and solidarity across groups.

Equity – working towards creating a just, inclusive, and equitable community with access to resources for all.

Inclusion – cultivating cross-cultural communication and relational skills to work across differences, and all can join in embracing a community where all feel respected and valued.

Cultural humility –seeking new ways of knowledge, fostering curiosity, and recognizing that we are both teachers and learners. 

We are committed to advancing solutions to overcome barriers, helping communities demonstrate what works, and continuing the internal work to ensure we can fully partner in the challenging and critical work ahead. 

The Staff and Board of United Way of Merced County

3/19/2024


Our Values

AUTHENTIC COLLABORATION

We center and support the community as the driver for change, and are committed to working with and strengthening our partners for that change.

INTEGRITY:

We ensure transparency, accountability, and responsible use of our resources.

EQUITABLE ENGAGEMENT:

We engage the meaningful participation of partners and community members from diverse backgrounds, experiences, cultures, and languages.

INNOVATION

We embrace data, new technologies and forward-thinking approaches to enrich our human experience and augment our collective impact.

United Way of Merced County’s Position Opposing All Forms of Racism

  • We acknowledge that racism and other harmful forms of discrimination and oppression have contributed to the persistent barriers that United Way seeks to break down.

  • We condemn racism and other forms of discrimination because they undermine the well-being and vitality of all communities.

  • We recognize that racial, social, and economic disparities are the result of policies and practices that marginalize and exclude entire populations of people

  • We understand that these disparities have existed and persist in the present.

  • Our United Way network strives to advance equity for all and create opportunities to improve historically underserved communities.

  • We work with community, public, and private partners to co-create solutions that ensure everyone has the resources, support, opportunities, and networks they need to thrive.

  • As we work together to address critical issues in our communities and society, we can make a difference by engaging more equitably with staff, private and public partners, and community members.

  • Our success in this critical time can only come from the success of the communities we serve.