United Way: How It Started. How It’s Going.

By Ann Murtlow, President & CEO of United Way of Central Indiana 

I love these memes on social media. “How it started. How it’s going.” places two images side-by-side, simply showing the passage of time (or sometimes, the lack thereof). Many times, these images poke fun at a before-and-after moment.  Some are poignant, charting the course of a relationship. My favorites are the pet memes – cute puppies come home (how it started) and then puppies doing not-so-cute things like getting in the garbage (how it’s going).  

How it started. How it’s going. It’s also the perfect concept to use when I speak about United Way. 

Crisis then. Crisis now.  

How it started. United Way began as an innovative idea to unite a community’s philanthropy to support relief agencies, especially those serving the basic needs of adults and children who were stricken with and affected by tuberculosis – the major health emergency during the late 19th century.  By 1918, the United Way movement spread to Indianapolis, and the city’s civic and corporate leaders raised millions of dollars in one campaign on the steps of Monument Circle to support those vulnerable to crisis – especially in the height of a world war and the deadly flu epidemic.  

How it’s going. Today, United Way is proud to play a pivotal role in our community’s emergency response to the health and economic effects of COVID-19. In partnership with trusted funding partners Lilly Endowment, Central Indiana Community Foundation, Richard M Fairbanks Foundation, Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust and Lilly Corporate Foundation, we raised money for the first-of-its-kind economic relief fund to provide food, housing supports, childcare and mental health services in our community. United Way convened direct service organizations all across our region to problem solve in the face of emerging and unpredictable challenges, make safety improvements to facilities during the pandemic, and to upgrade technology for our “new virtual normal.”  

Back then, United Way was made to respond to crisis, and today, it still rings true.  

Community Chest then. Community Partner now. 

How it started. Did you know the Community Chest on your Monopoly board game is the idea behind United Way? More times than not, landing on community chest gave you money when you needed it or put you in a better position on the board. For decades, United Way has been the efficient fundraising mechanism and trusted leader to bring all the elements of community together to meet the most urgent human needs.  

How it’s going. United Way’s vision has remained unchanged for decades. We envision a community where children, individuals, and families thrive; neighbors care for one another; and we are proud of our residents’ quality of life. But what has changed is the “how” – and for good reason. The community’s data paints a shocking picture of financial instability in too many family households. Poverty can perpetuate from generation to generation, and there’s no such thing as a hopeful community chest card to quickly fix it. Addressing poverty at its core takes time, persistence, and partnership. And that’s precisely where United Way is today – acting as our community’s partner. And with that partnership comes a new mission to design, support and grow systems that accelerate financial stability and upward mobility for individuals and families living in or near poverty and striving for a brighter future.  

An inspiration then. My inspiration now.  

How it started. One of many unsung heroes in United Way history is its one female founder among a group of four clergymen. Frances Wisebart Jacobs and her husband settled in Denver in 1872 and recognized the significant need of Denver’s growing Jewish population as well as the community at large. She worked tirelessly to bring hope and resources to those who suffered; but she realized the burden was too great for one person to shoulder. As the “mother of charities,” Frances cared deeply for the health and well-being of every person and valued the hard work it took to bring people together to achieve a greater good.  

How it’s going. I believe Frances would be amazed at the longevity of her dream to unify philanthropy around a common cause. The United Way founders would marvel at how it started with the simple concept of bringing relief to as many people as possible to today, building an equitable future for children, adults and families. And, they would applaud the thousands of people willing to give their time and treasure to United Way.  

Frances once commented, “children come into the world, and conditions and surroundings make them either princes or paupers.” This sentiment inspires me and my colleagues every day as we fight to break generational poverty in our region. To do this, we can’t just be fund raisers. We are using data to identify needs in real time, making investments in programs, organizations, people, and innovative ideas, advocating for good public policies that advance our cause, strengthening the human services sector, convening organizations to help us find new solutions to tough issues, and perhaps most importantly, standing at the ready for any crisis that might befall us.  

How it started? We are united.  

How’s it going? We are United Way.