United Way of St. Johns County

What United Way of St. Johns County does

United Way of St. Johns County Inc. (operating as United Way of St. Johns & Putnam Counties) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1957 and headquartered at 117 Bridge Street, St. Augustine, Florida. The organization mobilizes community resources across two counties in Northeast and Southeast Florida, delivering programs in educational opportunity, financial security, healthy community, and community resiliency. Core services include the VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) free tax preparation program, which has returned more than $6 million in refunds to residents since 2020; the 211 Helpline community resource referral service; the Student Mental Health Grant Fund providing up to $10,000 per organization to local nonprofits; the ALICE initiative serving Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed households; the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive coordinated with the National Association of Letter Carriers; and Workplace Giving campaigns running employee payroll deduction programs at major regional employers.

The organization's revenue model is donation-based, comprising individual community donations, recurring workplace giving via payroll deduction, event fundraising (notably the annual Givers Gala), and strategic grants from foundations including the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund, which has committed $150,000 since 2024 for youth mental health programs with an additional $40,000 planned. Since 2020, the organization reports investing more than $10.8 million in critical community needs and serving over 160,000 people. It operates as an independent United Way affiliate under the national United Way worldwide network while being locally governed, with no parent company or external equity ownership. The organization holds a Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating, Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency (2025), and annual certification from the national body.

The current executive team consists of Carl F. Cricco III (President & CEO, joined November 2025) and Anna Boykin (Director of Marketing & Communications). The organization partners with major regional employers for workplace giving (Ameris Bank, Costco, Florida Power & Light, Publix, St. Johns County School District), maintains a network of vetted local partner nonprofit agencies, and uses third-party platforms GiveSmart for donation processing and E-C Impact for grant management. No proprietary technology platform, API, or AI capability is offered; service delivery is community-based rather than technology-driven.

Name

United Way of St. Johns County

Legal name

United Way of St. Johns County Inc.

Website

https://unitedway-sjc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community fundraising
• Social services
• Workplace giving
• Nonprofit programs
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Augustine

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Direct donations from community members to support local programs and services in St. Johns and Putnam Counties.
2. Workplace Giving: Employee giving programs where donations are collected through payroll deductions, staying local to support St. Johns and Putnam Counties programs.
3. Event Fundraising: Annual Givers Gala events raising funds (over $270K raised at 9th Annual Givers Gala) through ticket sales, sponsorships, and donations.
4. Grant Funding: Strategic grants from foundations like the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund to support specific initiatives including youth mental health programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

United Way of St. Johns and Putnam Counties is a community services nonprofit that mobilizes donations, volunteers, and partner agencies to deliver health, education, financial stability, and crisis recovery programs across St. Johns and Putnam Counties in Florida. Its core offerings include free tax preparation through the VITA program, youth mental health grant funding, workplace giving campaigns, the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, and resource navigation via the 211 Helpline and ALICE financial stability initiative.

Product overview

United Way of St. Johns and Putnam Counties operates as a nonprofit community services organization offering a portfolio of social impact programs rather than a commercial technology product. The organization's services include free tax preparation through its VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) program, mental health grant funding for youth, community resource navigation via the 211 Helpline, workplace giving campaigns, volunteer coordination, and partner agency grant funding. These programs are delivered through direct service delivery and partnerships with local nonprofits, rather than through a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance): Free tax preparation program for qualifying individuals and families
• PACT (Partners Advancing Community Together)
• ALICE

Products and services

• VITA Free Tax Preparation Program Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program providing free tax preparation for qualifying individuals and families in St. Johns and Putnam Counties, with the organization reporting over $5 million in refunds returned to residents since 2020.
• Student Mental Health Grant Fund Grant program funded by the Delores Barr Weaver Legacy Fund providing funding of up to $10,000 per organization to nonprofits improving student mental health in St. Johns and Putnam Counties, including crisis intervention, counseling, and prevention programs.
• Workplace Giving Campaign Employee payroll deduction giving program enabling workplace fundraising campaigns with local employers such as Ameris Bank, Costco, Florida Power & Light, Publix, and the St. Johns County School District, channeling funds to local community programs.
• Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive Annual community-wide food collection initiative coordinated with the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 689, gathering non-perishable food for distribution to local food pantries across St. Johns and Putnam Counties.
• ALICE Program Initiative providing resources, advocacy, and programming for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) households who work but struggle to make ends meet in St. Johns and Putnam Counties.
• Community Resource Directory Online directory and referral service connecting community members to local nonprofit programs and social services, complementing the 211 Helpline resource navigation.
• 211 Community Helpline Community resource helpline connecting St. Johns and Putnam County residents to local services and support resources through the national 211 network operated by United Way Worldwide.
• Partner Agency Grant Funding Funding and coordination support program delivering grants to a network of vetted local 501(c)(3) nonprofit partner agencies that run community programs across St. Johns and Putnam Counties.

Quantifiable outcome

• 160,000+ people helped since 2020
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) Branch 689coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Local union partnership coordinating the annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive, the nation's largest single-day food collection event. Served as local coordinating partner collecting 25 tons of food in 2026.
• Ameris BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate workplace giving partner supporting community investment programs.
• CostcominorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate workplace giving partner supporting community investment programs.
• Florida Power & Light (FPL)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate workplace giving partner supporting community investment programs.
• PublixminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate workplace giving partner supporting community investment programs.
• St. Johns County School DistrictminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEducational partner supporting workplace giving campaigns and community programs.
• 211 HelplinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral service connecting community members to local resources and services, operated through the national 211 network.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United Way of Northeast Florida: Direct peer; another regional United Way affiliate serving contiguous Northeast Florida counties with the same workplace giving, VITA, and partner-agency funding model. Highly comparable in product, target market, and revenue model.
• Community Foundation for Northeast Florida: A Jacksonville-based community foundation raising and deploying philanthropic capital across Northeast Florida, including St. Johns County. Overlaps directly with UWSJC on community grantmaking and donor cultivation in the same geography.
• Volunteers of America Florida: A national social services nonprofit providing housing, workforce, and family support programs in Florida. Comparable on direct-service delivery and federal/state funding mix that complements private donations.
• Feeding Northeast Florida (food bank): Regional food bank distributing food through partner pantries across the same Northeast Florida counties, directly overlapping with UWSJC's Stamp Out Hunger food distribution channel and food security focus area.

Regional players

• United Way of Central Florida: Another Florida-based United Way affiliate operating the same community fundraising, grantmaking, and direct-service portfolio but in a different (Central Florida) geography, providing a useful regional benchmark.
• Habitat for Humanity of St. Johns County: Local housing-focused nonprofit active in the same county with similar donor base and volunteer channels, partially overlapping with the financial stability and community resilience programs UWSJC funds.

Broad incumbents

• United Way Worldwide: The umbrella network under which UWSJC operates as an independent local affiliate; comparable on mission, brand, and shared workplace giving infrastructure but operates at national scale rather than at a two-county community level.
• American Red Cross Northeast Florida Chapter: Major national social services nonprofit with local disaster response and emergency relief operations in Northeast Florida. Overlaps with UWSJC's disaster recovery and community resilience focus areas.
• The Salvation Army of Northeast Florida: Major social services and emergency relief organization with operations across Northeast Florida including St. Johns County. Comparable on emergency assistance, food programs, and donor-funded direct services.

Emerging players

• Goodwill Industries of North Florida: Regional workforce development and social services nonprofit serving the same Northeast Florida geography. Comparable on serving ALICE households and financial stability outcomes, but specialized in workforce rather than broad community coordination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/uwpact
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-way-of-st-johns-county

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about United Way of St. Johns County