Local generosity. Shared possibility.
Why Give to United Way of Northwest Illinois?
Why give to United Way? Your generosity helps children, families and neighbors thrive across Stephenson, Jo Daviess and Carroll counties.
Your reason to give may begin with something personal: a child’s future, a family’s stability, or the memory of someone who helped you through a difficult time. Through United Way of Northwest Illinois, that reason can become support for the communities you care about.
Together, we can help meet immediate needs while strengthening the opportunities and connections that help people move forward.
In a local parent’s words
The excitement of a new book. The joy of reading together.
In UWNI’s 2024–2025 Annual Report, a parent shared how Imagination Library deliveries encouraged their son’s interest in reading and helped create a monthly family reading tradition.
“Each month, our son gets excited to see his new book in the mail.”
— Anonymous Imagination Library parent
UWNI 2024–2025 Annual Report
Behind a program name is an experience that matters to a family. Your generosity helps sustain the local connections that make moments like these possible.
Read the full parent testimonial in our 2024–2025 Annual Report (PDF)
The community you help build
What your local giving makes possible
A family’s needs rarely fit into one category. A child’s learning, a parent’s financial stability, access to health resources, and a safe place to live can all affect one another. Our work brings people and organizations together around these connected needs.
Help children begin with possibility
Early learning experiences give children opportunities to explore, ask questions, and build confidence. UWNI supports youth opportunities and early literacy, including the local Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program.
Your support helps strengthen the community around young learners and the families encouraging them.
Support healthier lives
Well-being includes physical health, mental health, and meaningful connections with others. UWNI works with local partners to support programs that respond to these needs.
Giving helps sustain a community where seeking support is met with resources, understanding, and a path forward.
Strengthen financial security
Financial stability gives people more room to plan, respond to setbacks, and work toward their goals. UWNI supports efforts that help individuals and families access resources and reduce barriers to economic independence.
Your generosity can become part of the support that helps a neighbor regain their footing.
Keep help within reach
When someone needs food, shelter, or other essential assistance, knowing where to turn matters. UWNI’s work includes support for basic needs and 211 information and referral services.
Together, these connections help neighbors find resources during difficult moments.
Local generosity at work
A book in the mailbox can open a world of possibility
Through the local Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program, enrolled children receive an age-appropriate book at home each month, free to their families, from birth until their fifth birthday.
Think about what that delivery makes possible: a child choosing a new favorite story, a caregiver pausing to read aloud, or a familiar book becoming part of bedtime. Access to books creates opportunities for families to make reading part of everyday life.
Local donors and community partners help sustain this connection for families in Stephenson, Jo Daviess and Carroll counties. It is one example of how generosity can become something tangible, personal, and close to home.
Stronger connections across our region
Why give to United Way? Bring local care together.
You do not have to address every community challenge on your own. United Way brings donors, nonprofit organizations, businesses, volunteers, and community leaders together. That collaboration helps connect generosity with local knowledge and shared priorities.
- Begin with local needs. Our work focuses on the children, families, and communities of our three-county region. Understanding those needs helps guide the priorities we pursue with our partners.
- Bring people and resources together. Contributions join a larger community effort involving local organizations, businesses, and individuals who care about this region’s future.
- Support thoughtful community investment. Local volunteers review funding requests and help guide investments with attention to community needs, measurable outcomes, and responsible use of funds.
- Keep building beyond the immediate moment. Meeting urgent needs matters. So does supporting the opportunities and resources that help people build stability over time.
Feel connected to the work you support
Your generosity deserves a clear connection to our mission. We invite you to explore our initiatives, learn about our partner agencies, and read our annual reports to better understand UWNI’s work.
If a particular issue matters deeply to you, start a conversation with us. We can discuss current opportunities and how your giving interests connect with local needs.
Your participation matters
Choose a way to give that feels right for you
Giving is personal. Your contribution may reflect a cause you care about, gratitude for your community, or a desire to help the next generation. Choose an amount and an approach that fit your circumstances.
$25 Begin with a gift
Add your support to the collective generosity helping sustain UWNI’s local work.
$100 Build on your commitment
Support the programs, partnerships, and community connections that matter to our region.
Your choice Make it personal
Give an amount that is meaningful to you, or talk with us about supporting a particular area of work.
Suggested amounts do not represent the cost of a specific service. Contact UWNI to discuss supporting a particular program.
There is more than one way to be part of this work
Give as an individual
Make a personal contribution and connect your generosity with local opportunities and needs.
Bring your workplace together
Ask about workplace giving or speak with UWNI about involving your team in a shared community effort.
Plan a lasting contribution
Explore giving through a donor-advised fund, stock, an IRA, or your legacy plans.