Westfield United Fund

What Westfield United Fund does

Westfield United Fund is a 501c(3) nonprofit community fundraising organization founded in 1937 in Westfield, New Jersey (EIN 22-1616758). It operates as a unified giving platform that channels annual community donations to a vetted network of partner agencies delivering social services across Union County, NJ. The organization's primary product is an annual fundraising campaign with a stated $500,000 goal, supplemented by the Pillar Club major-donor program (donors giving $500+ annually, representing nearly 90% of annual support) and the 'United by Light' mental health awareness and funding campaign launched in 2022.

The Fund distributes grants to 17 currently active nonprofit partner agencies and has cumulatively distributed $32.8 million to more than 30 local nonprofits since 1937. Partner services span food assistance, mental health counseling, youth development, senior care, domestic violence support, literacy education, emergency response training, and mobile meal delivery. Long-tenured anchor partners include Westfield Area Y ($5.98M cumulative over 68 years), Youth & Family Counseling Services ($1.97M cumulative over 62 years), and YWCA Union County PALS ($298,500 cumulative over 17 years).

The organization runs a community-led go-to-market motion with no proprietary technology platform, operating through a Squarespace website, Facebook and Instagram, email newsletters, local media coverage, and in-person events such as the United by Light campaign and annual agency breakfast. It is led by a small paid staff of three (Executive Director Beth Saad, Development Director Emily Reichart, Business Manager Karen Chong) overseen by a volunteer Board of Trustees. Revenue is sourced entirely from voluntary donations — individual gifts, corporate/foundation grants, donor-advised funds, bequests, stock donations, and employer matching gifts — with no commercial product sales or fee-for-service revenue.

Name

Westfield United Fund

Legal name

United Fund of Westfield, NJ

Website

https://westfieldunitedfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Westfield United Fund is a 501c(3) nonprofit that has raised and distributed $32.8 million since 1937 to vetted nonprofit partner agencies delivering social services across Union County, NJ. It runs annual community fundraising campaigns, the Pillar Club major-donor program, and the United by Light mental health initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Fundraising and Grantmaking Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Community fundraising
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Donor recognition programs
• Social services funding
• Annual charitable campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Westfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Primary funding source from generous people in the Westfield community through annual campaign contributions. Pillar Club members donate $500+ annually.
2. Corporate and Foundation Grants: Accepts gifts from donor-advised funds, bequests, stock donations, and employer matching gifts to support annual fundraising goals.
3. Special Event Fundraising: United by Light campaign raises awareness and funding specifically for local mental health services through candle kit sales and community participation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Westfield United Fund is a community-driven 501c(3) fundraising organization that conducts an Annual Fundraising Campaign with a goal of $500,000 and redistributes the proceeds as grants to a vetted network of nonprofit partner agencies delivering social services in Union County, NJ. Supplemental programs include the Pillar Club donor recognition program ($500+ annual donors) and the United by Light campaign focused on local mental health services. Since 1937 the organization has distributed $32.8 million to more than 30 local nonprofits.

Product overview

Westfield United Fund is a community-driven 501c(3) fundraising organization that operates as a unified platform connecting generous community donors with vital social services. Since 1937, the Fund has served as the central mechanism for raising and distributing financial support to vetted partner agencies across Union County, NJ. The organization functions through its core Annual Fundraising Campaign (targeting $500,000 annually), supplemented by the Pillar Club major donor program and the United by Light mental health initiative. Fund distribution flows through a network of 17 carefully vetted partner agencies addressing community needs including food insecurity, mental health services, senior care, youth development, and literacy. With $32.8 million distributed since inception, the organization maintains transparency through public Form 990 filings while continuing to expand its impact through strategic campaign initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• United by Light: Mental health awareness and funding campaign launched in 2022 that raises awareness and funds for local mental health services through candle kit purchases and community lighting events.

Products and services

• Annual Fundraising Campaign

Quantifiable outcome

• $32.8 million raised and distributed to local nonprofits since 1937
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Community Foundation of New Jersey: Major statewide community foundation that also makes grants to local NJ nonprofits and manages donor-advised funds. Operates at a much larger scale but serves overlapping donor and grantee populations in Westfield/Union County.
• United Way Worldwide: The national umbrella organization of which Westfield United Fund was an affiliate from 1975–2009. Relevant as a structural and operational benchmark for the United Way-style community campaign model the Fund has historically operated.
• Princeton Area Community Foundation: Regional community foundation covering parts of central NJ, with the same community-led fundraising and grant distribution model. Comparable mission of mobilizing local philanthropy to address community needs through vetted partners.
• United Way of Northern New Jersey: A larger regional United Way affiliate serving multiple counties in northern NJ. Same umbrella employer-giving and grant-distribution model, operating at greater scale but competing for the same regional donor and corporate partnership pool.

Direct peers

• Summit Foundation: A smaller community foundation serving a similar affluent NJ suburb (Summit). Comparable operating model—local fundraising, vetted partner agencies, transparent grantmaking—offering a directly analogous peer benchmark for scale and donor economics.
• United Way of Greater Union County: A regional United Way affiliate serving the same Union County, NJ geography, with the same model of workplace-giving campaigns and grant distribution to vetted local human-services nonprofits. Direct competitor for local donor dollars and partner agencies.
• Community Foundation of Greater New Brunswick: A community foundation serving a nearby NJ county with directly comparable grantmaking, donor-advised fund, and partner-agency vetting processes. Operates in an adjacent geographic market with similar suburban NJ demographics.

Regional players

• Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ: A regional federation-based fundraising organization that conducts annual campaigns and distributes grants to a network of social service and educational agencies. Operates with a similar 'community campaign → grant distribution' model in a different but overlapping NJ territory.

Others

• Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity: While not a community foundation, Habitat for Humanity of nearby Raritan Valley is a comparable local nonprofit recipient model—raises funds and deploys to community impact. Useful as a peer on the 'local nonprofit finance and impact reporting' dimension.
• America's Charities: A workplace-giving federation and intermediary that connects donors to vetted nonprofits via payroll deduction campaigns—an analogous model to the United Way affiliate channel that Westfield United Fund used for decades and could re-engage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/westfieldunitedfund
• Instagraminstagram.com/westfield.united.fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Westfield United Fund