History
The organization has roots in Denver, Colorado, where in 1887 church leaders began the Charity Organization Society, which coordinated services and fund raising for 22 agencies. Many Community Chest organizations, which were founded in the first half of the twentieth century to jointly collect and allocate money, joined the American Association for Community Organizations in 1918. The first Community Chest was founded in 1913 in Cleveland, Ohio, after the example of the Jewish Federation in Cleveland—which served as an exemplary model for "federated giving". The number of Community Chest organizations increased from 39 to 353 between 1919 and 1929, and surpassed 1,000 by 1948. In 1948, Walter C. Laidlaw merged the Community Chest and other Detroit charities to form the United Foundation. By 1963, and after several name changes, the term United Way was adopted, but not everyone chose to use it. After Walter C. Laidlaw fell ill, William Aramony became CEO of the national governing body which was known as the United Community Funds and Council of America (UCFCA) and in 1970 the organization was renamed United Way of America (UWA), and moved from New York City to Alexandria, Virginia in 1971. After Aramony's departure in 1992, Kenneth W. Dam was named interim CEO until Elaine Chao was selected as UWA's second President. Betty Stanley Beene took over in 1997 and stayed until 2001. Chris Amundsen, Chief Administrative Officer, served as interim president during a year-long search. Brian Gallagher, former head of United Way in Columbus, Ohio, accepted the job in 2002 and was still president and CEO at the end of 2011.
In the 2007 Philanthropy 400, United Way of America was again the largest charity in the United States, with 1,285 local United Ways reporting over $4.2 billion in contributions, a 2.2% increase over 2006.
In May 2009, United Way of America and United Way International were integrated as one global entity, United Way Worldwide.
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—Josephine K. Henry, U.S. suffragist. As quoted in History of Woman Suffrage, vol. 4, ch. 15, by Susan B. Anthony and Ida Husted Harper (1902)
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—Albert Camus (1913–1960)