Do more than donate: connect, invest, and empower our community

We are better together. United Way’s donor networks connect like-minded people to impact the community’s toughest issues.

The connections we make, with others and with our community, give life richness and meaning. But it can be hard to know where to start when looking to expand our networks, cultivate our interests, and make a meaningful difference. 

At United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, we are guided by the motto “alone we can do a lot; united, we can change the world.” The challenges facing our community — structural racism and inequity, unemployment, barriers to educational achievement, lack of access to basic needs – can only be solved by joining forces and moving forward together. 

United Way’s donor networks are the perfect opportunity for local people to meet like-minded community members, build their personal and professional networks, and give back together. Donors who contribute $1,200 or more annually, either individually or combined with a partner, are automatically included in United Way’s Leadership Society and eligible to join the following donor networks: 

The Diversity Leadership Society is comprised of leaders working together to close gaps for our community’s diverse populations, particularly around the issue of barriers to employment.

• Reasons to join: engage with a prominent and diverse pool of professionals and collectively work to close systemic opportunity gaps in our community. 

• Get excited about: increased momentum and growth in 2021 means increased funding to local partners that are working to reduce barriers to employment and advancement.

Emerging Leaders are passionate individuals in their 20s, 30s, and 40s changing the lives of local youth by giving, advocating, and volunteering around United Way’s education initiatives.

• Reasons to join: foster relationships with other philanthropically engaged, ambitious, and passionate professionals while making a lasting difference in our community

• Get excited about: taking part in “Emerging Readers,” the Emerging Leaders-led program that promotes early literacy and connects community members with local children through fun book drives.

Pride United, United Way’s newest donor network, brings together local leaders committed to building knowledge and capacity around issues disproportionately impacting members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

• Reasons to join: meet and work with influential LGBTQ+ leaders, allies, and advocates on key issues impacting the local Queer community.

• Get excited about: Pride United is currently examining the inequities that exist in the LGBTQ+ community to determine which issue area these passionate leaders will focus on.

Technology United is a groundbreaking collaboration of technology professionals who give, advocate, and volunteer to empower students interested in technology careers and close the digital divide through their signature initiative, Techquity. 

• Reasons to join: Technology United offers a unique opportunity to work with other community-minded technology professionals to empower young people and enrich the talent pipeline. The annual CIO Forum event brings together hundreds of tech professionals for  one-of-a-kind networking and learning opportunities. 

• Get excited about: continued momentum around Techquity, which has already connected local people in need with more than $100,000 worth of computers, laptops, smartphones, and other technology devices. 

Women United mobilizes a powerful network of women who strengthen our community by moving the needle on issues impacting women and girls, like teen pregnancy prevention and the financial stability of women-led households. 

• Reasons to join: as the largest Women United network in the world, the local Women United chapter raises over $20 million annually and uses their tremendous influence to drive lasting community change. 

• Get excited about: Women United’s ongoing advocacy for Wisconsin Safe Harbor laws, which ensure minors who are victims of human trafficking get the support they need.

Learn more about United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County’s donor networks and other networking opportunities by visiting UnitedWayGMWC.org/Donor-Networks today.