Meeting people’s basic needs, welcoming more people home, giving all kids an equal chance to succeed, helping our neighbors in need—it’s all because of generous people like YOU who give and volunteer. Thanks for your continued support of United Way of King County and best wishes for 2011!

10 Ways You Did More in 2010

10. You were one of the 32,000 people in King County who volunteered your time and talents to improve the community.

9. You helped 7,000 struggling people…

I have a friend who loves Halloween and carefully plans his costume months in advance. Some of his outfits have been very elaborate, but by far, one of his most well-received costumes was one of the simplest–UPS driver.

People love UPS drivers. When a UPS driver arrives, usually that means you’re getting something important or maybe a nice surprise–like an unexpected birthday gift from a far-off friend.

There’s another reason to love UPS drivers, their co-workers and the company itself–they are incredibly generous with…

Let the fist pumping and general merriment begin! We are proud to announce that our community raised $101.2 million for our annual fundraising campaign. This makes us the number-one United Way in the country!

$35.5 million of the total was given directly to United Way of King County and will be invested on behalf of our donors to build on the results of the past year, like providing an additional 6 million pounds of food to put on peoples tables and lifting 1,000…

Seattleites are constantly complaining about the city’s frustrating parking situation, and with good reason.  Not only is the closest available parking for Pioneer Square somewhere in Pullman, but the cost of parking downtown even for just a few hours ranges between mildly outrageous to “I wonder how much they want for the down payment?”

Unfortunately I don’t have the cure for Seattle’s parking woes, but I did stumble on something a few cities around the country are doing that makes parking your car a…

United Way of King County’s Spirit of Caring Celebration is a special evening dedicated to recognizing and thanking the extraordinary people in our community who are stepping up, standing out and giving back—including you!

Please join us March 3 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue for drinks, hors d’oeuvres and raucous rounds of applause for the winners of the Spirit of Caring Awards, United Way’s highest form of community recognition.

Notable nominees:

…

If you like photography and great causes, then I have a great deal for you.

As part of their giving campaign, over 200 Microsoft employees came together to create a fine art photography book where all the profits go to United Way of King County.  The book is offered for purchase at the cost of printing plus $25.00. This additional amount is contributed directly to United Way in your name and is fully tax deductible as a charitable contribution.

I highly recommend that you…

Who gives more to charity — the rich or the poor?  It’s obvious that by only counting dollar amounts, you would say the rich give more.  But what if you look at how much each group gives in proportion to their income?

According to data collected from the U.S.  Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest survey of consumer expenditure, the poorest fifth of American households give the most in proportion to how much they make.  On average, they give 4.3% of their income. …