United Way of Greater Topeka

What United Way of Greater Topeka does

United Way of Greater Topeka, operating under the legal name United Way of Kaw Valley, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1975 that serves a four-county region in northeast Kansas (Shawnee, Jefferson, Douglas, and Jackson). It is an independently governed local affiliate of the United Way Worldwide federation, headquartered at 1527 SW Fairlawn Rd in Topeka with a regional office at 1127 Iowa St in Lawrence, and employs between 11 and 50 staff. The organization runs a portfolio of direct-service programs organized around four impact areas: Childhood Success (Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, Junior Leader Reader, youth opportunity initiatives), Family Success (employment support, K-12 supports, ALICE research and advocacy for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed households), Family Supports (OhSNAP! food security, healthcare access, housing), and Community Resiliency (211 resource navigation, Christmas Bureau, Day of Caring, collaborations including LiveWell Shawnee County).

The organization's revenue model is donation-based, with no fees charged for community services. Funding is generated across five streams: Individual Giving (monthly giving, one-time gifts, donor-advised funds, planned giving through FreeWill), Workplace Campaigns (corporate payroll-deduction giving), Event-Based Fundraising (annual Day of Giving, Wild About Reading), Leadership Giving (major-donor programs), and Small Business United. Programmatic delivery is supported by self-serve digital infrastructure including a website donation portal (unite.uwkawvalley.org), a volunteer portal, an agency portal for nonprofit partners, an E-C Impact Gateway grant-management platform, and 211 helpline-based resource navigation. The technology stack is standard non-profit tooling — no proprietary products, mobile apps, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

Governance is via a local Board of Directors and Jarrod Guth serves as Vice President of Resource Development (joined March 2, 2025). The organization is recognized by Charity Navigator with a Four-Star rating, holds United Way Worldwide Membership Certification for 2024-2025, and earned Points of Light Service Enterprise certification in 2022. Major corporate partners include Security Benefit (Platinum sponsor), Sam's Club, and CoreFirst Bank; strategic co-development partners include LiveWell Shawnee County and the Book-Rich Environment Group; technology/integration partners include FreeWill and OneEach Technologies.

Name

United Way of Greater Topeka

Legal name

United Way of Kaw Valley

Website

https://unitedwaytopeka.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

United Way of Greater Topeka (United Way of Kaw Valley) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1975 that funds and delivers community programs — childhood literacy, food security, 211 resource navigation, and family support — across four counties in northeast Kansas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Topeka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Individual Giving: Individual donations including monthly giving, one-time gifts, donor-advised funds, and planned giving through estate planning services like FreeWill
2. Workplace Campaign: Corporate workplace giving campaigns where employees contribute through payroll deductions
3. Event-Based Fundraising: Annual Day of Giving events and other fundraising events
4. Leadership Giving: Major donor programs targeting higher-value contributions
5. Small Business United: Small business engagement and giving programs

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

United Way of Greater Topeka (legal name: United Way of Kaw Valley) is a nonprofit charitable organization that mobilizes financial and volunteer resources to deliver community programs across Shawnee, Jefferson, Douglas, and Jackson Counties in Kansas. It runs early literacy programs (Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, Junior Leader Reader), food security initiatives (OhSNAP!), family support services (Whole Family Initiative, Back2School, Christmas Bureau), and 211 community resource navigation, funded primarily through individual giving, workplace campaigns, leadership giving, and small business contributions.

Product overview

United Way of Kaw Valley operates as a community services organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs organized around four impact areas: Childhood Success, Family Success, Family Supports, and Community Resiliency. The organization provides direct service programs including Dolly Parton's Imagination Library (early literacy), OhSNAP! (food security), 211 Community Resource Navigation, and various volunteer and donor engagement networks (Women United, Young Leaders Society, Students United, Always United). Programs like the Back2School Supply Drive, Christmas Bureau, and Whole Family Initiative address immediate and long-term community needs. The organization also facilitates grant-making through E-C Impact Gateway and manages collaborations such as LiveWell Shawnee County and ALICE research advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OH SNAP!: Shawnee County collaborative effort to support people affected by food insecurity
• LiveWell Shawnee County
• ALICE
• Women United
• Young Leaders Society
• Students United
• Small Business United
• Day of Caring
• Board Leadership Training

Products and services

• Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Program providing free books to children to support early literacy and childhood success, available to families across the service territory.
• Junior Leader Reader (JLR) Youth literacy and leadership program engaging young people in reading and community service.
• OhSNAP! Shawnee County collaborative effort supporting people affected by food insecurity through SNAP assistance and food pantry connections, activating food assistance funding for local food pantries.
• Whole Family Initiative Family support program focused on addressing needs across generations within families, providing coordinated services for whole-family well-being.
• Back2School Supply Drive Annual initiative providing school supplies to students in need before the academic year begins.
• Christmas Bureau Holiday assistance program providing support to families during the Christmas season.
• 211 Community Resource Navigation Resource navigation service connecting community members with local support services and resources via phone, text, and online database.
• Volunteerism and Capacity Building Programs that connect volunteers with community needs and build organizational capacity for local nonprofits, including the annual Day of Caring event.
• ALICE Research and Advocacy Research and advocacy initiative highlighting Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed households earning above the Federal Poverty Level but below the cost of living.
• E-C Impact Gateway Grant Program Grant-making and impact tracking program that channels community funds to nonprofit partners across Douglas, Shawnee, Jefferson, and Jackson Counties.
• LiveWell Shawnee County Coalition Grassroots community health and wellness coalition putting equity at the forefront of community health work in Shawnee County.

Quantifiable outcome

• $85,000 activated in food assistance for Shawnee County

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Sam's ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor providing free sack lunches for children 18 and under at Wild About Reading community event
• Security BenefitcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum sponsor for Nancy Perry Day of Caring and Top Workplace Campaign supporter - major corporate partner for workplace giving initiatives
• LiveWell Shawnee CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrassroots community health and wellness coalition collaboration - LiveWell Shawnee County is a key partner focused on equity in community health initiatives
• Book-Rich Environment GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for Wild About Reading event - community initiative promoting childhood literacy and reading
• CoreFirst BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver sponsor for Nancy Perry Day of Caring event

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Kansas Food Bank: Regional food-security nonprofit operating across Kansas, including in Shawnee County where United Way of Kaw Valley's OhSNAP! program activates food assistance. Partial overlap in food-insecurity programming and donor base.

Broad incumbents

• HandsOn Network: Points of Light's volunteer engagement network that issues the Service Enterprise certification held by United Way of Kaw Valley; comparable in volunteer-management and capacity-building function, but operates nationally rather than locally.
• Kansas Health Foundation: Major statewide health-focused philanthropic foundation supporting community health, including LiveWell Shawnee County which United Way of Kaw Valley partners with; broader mission but operates in the same funding/advocacy ecosystem in Kansas.
• United Way Worldwide: National federation that certifies United Way of Kaw Valley and provides branding, standards, and federation-level fundraising infrastructure. The parent/incumbent organization that defines the local chapter's operating playbook.

Direct peers

• Community Foundation of Northeast Kansas: Regional community foundation serving northeast Kansas with grantmaking, donor-advised funds, and community programs; comparable to United Way of Kaw Valley in scale, function, and donor base overlap.
• United Way of the Plains: United Way affiliate serving the Wichita/south-central Kansas region with the same federation structure, workplace-campaign revenue model, and impact areas (education, financial stability, health). Same state, similar scale, head-to-head peer.
• Topeka Community Foundation: Local Topeka grantmaking and community foundation competing for the same donor dollars, managing charitable funds, and running grant cycles for nonprofits in the same service geography. Direct overlap in grantmaking and donor-advised fund activity.
• United Way of Greater Kansas City: Another Kansas-Missouri United Way federation member serving a multi-county metro region with workplace campaigns, donor networks, and similar program portfolios (childhood success, financial security). Directly comparable operating model and revenue mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about United Way of Greater Topeka