United Way of Lee County

What United Way of Lee County does

United Way of Lee County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1960 and headquartered in Sanford, North Carolina, serving Lee and Harnett Counties in central North Carolina. The organization operates as a community convener and fundraiser, channeling individual donations, workplace giving campaigns, and institutional grants into direct-service programs and a network of 20+ funded partner agencies. Its programmatic portfolio centers on four impact areas: Financial Security, Healthy Community, Youth Opportunity, and Community Resiliency.

The organization's core products are programmatic rather than technological. Direct-service programs include Barrier Busters (launched 2022, a direct-assistance program for essential needs that served approximately 90 community members in 2024–2025) and Buzz United (launched January 2026, a transportation-assistance program operated in partnership with Buzzline). Underlying infrastructure includes the VolunteerUnited.net volunteer mobilization platform and integration with NC 211, the statewide information and referral hotline that gives UWLC reach into broader North Carolina social-service demand. The technology stack is conventional nonprofit SaaS: Stripe, PayPal, and Apple Pay for donations, plus the VolunteerUnited.net platform.

The revenue model is donation-dependent. Funding flows through three principal channels: individual giving (with suggested per-transaction amounts in the $10–$100 range), workplace giving campaigns across local employers, and institutional grants (e.g., Duke Energy Foundation, January 2026). The organization employs approximately 7 staff, does not disclose revenue figures, and uses Kendra Martin (appointed 2016) as Executive Director. UWLC holds an affiliation with the global United Way network, which comprises over 1,000 local United Ways, but operates as an independent local entity with a two-county service footprint and no evidence of geographic expansion.

Name

United Way of Lee County

Legal name

United Way of Lee County

Website

https://leecountyunitedway.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

United Way of Lee County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1960, based in Sanford, North Carolina, that raises and deploys charitable funds to support health, financial stability, youth opportunity, and community resiliency programs for residents of Lee and Harnett Counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food Services (624210), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Other Community Housing Services (624229), Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Emergency financial assistance
• Nonprofit community funding
• Volunteer matching services
• Human services referral

Headquarters

HQ city

Sanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: United Way of Lee County raises funds through annual workplace campaigns, individual donations (online via credit card, Apple Pay, PayPal), and designated gifts to partner agencies. The organization does not transfer funds out of the local community - all contributions are invested back into Lee and Harnett Counties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

United Way of Lee County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that mobilizes community resources to address poverty and financial hardship in Lee and Harnett Counties. Its core offerings include emergency assistance programs such as Barrier Busters (paying vendors directly for utility deposits, birth certificates, work boots, and similar barriers to housing/employment), Buzz United (transportation vouchers through Buzzline micro-transit), NC 211 (a 24/7 multilingual referral helpline), and Volunteer United (a volunteer matching platform). The organization also allocates funds to a network of vetted local nonprofit partners addressing financial security, healthy community, youth opportunity, and community resiliency needs.

Product overview

United Way of Lee County operates as a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of community impact programs rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include: Barrier Busters (emergency assistance for small barriers to housing/employment), Buzz United (transportation vouchers via transit partnership), NC 211 (24/7 health and human services referral hotline), and Volunteer United (volunteer matching platform). These programs are organized around four strategic focus areas: Financial Security, Healthy Community, Youth Opportunity, and Community Resiliency. Additional branded initiatives include the ALICE awareness program and Success Stories testimonial platform. The organization also administers a Funded Partners program that allocates community investment funds to vetted nonprofit organizations through volunteer-driven decisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Barrier Busters: Program helping hard-working people overcome small barriers (utility deposits, birth certificates, work boots) that keep them from achieving goals like housing and employment.
• NC 211
• Buzz United
• Volunteer United

Products and services

• Barrier Busters Emergency assistance program that helps low-income residents overcome relatively small financial barriers — such as utility deposits, birth certificates, work boots, and housing application fees — that are preventing them from reaching goals like housing stability or employment. Payments are made directly to vendors on behalf of eligible clients screened by partner agencies.
• Buzz United Transportation assistance program that partners with Buzzline on-demand micro transit to provide vouchers for eligible clients of partner agencies to access transportation for work, school, medical appointments, and grocery shopping.
• NC 211 Health and human services information and referral service administered by United Way of North Carolina and supported by United Way of Lee County. Available 24/7/365 by dialing 2-1-1 or 1-888-892-1162, or via nc211.org. Free, confidential, and multilingual. Connects residents to programs for housing, utilities, childcare, healthcare, senior services, transportation, and more across all 100 North Carolina counties.
• Volunteer United Volunteer matching platform (VolunteerUnited.net) that connects individuals with local nonprofit agencies seeking volunteers. Includes agency listings with contact information, interest forms for specific organizations, and a platform for agencies to submit listings for volunteer opportunities.
• Funded Partners Program Annual community investment funding program through which United Way of Lee County provides grants to vetted local nonprofit organizations and community partners following a rigorous application and approval process with volunteer-led funding decisions. Includes Traditionally Funded Partners (e.g., Brick Capital CDC, Family Promise of Lee County, SAFE of Harnett County, Helping Hand Clinic, Salvation Army of Lee County, DUMA, Warren Williams Preschool) and Barrier Busters partner agencies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Barrier Busters helped more than 250 hard-working people overcome obstacles since 2022
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BuzzlinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuzz United is a transportation assistance program launched January 2026, partnering with Sanford/Lee County's on-demand micro transit system. United Way provides vouchers to eligible clients of partner agencies to ride the Buzzline to work, school, medical appointments, and grocery shopping.
• United Way of North CarolinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNC 211 is administered by United Way of North Carolina and supported by local United Ways across the state. This service provides health and human services information and referral across all 100 NC counties.
• Outreach Mission, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2025-26 Buzz United partner organization receiving transportation vouchers to distribute to eligible clients.
• Christians United Outreach Center of Lee CountycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2025-26 Buzz United partner organization receiving transportation vouchers to distribute to eligible clients.
• Partnership for Children and FamiliescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2025-26 Buzz United partner organization receiving transportation vouchers to distribute to eligible clients.
• The Stevens CentercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2025-26 Buzz United partner organization receiving transportation vouchers to distribute to eligible clients.
• DUMA (Dunn United Ministerial Association)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2025-26 Barrier Busters partner for screening clients for eligibility and distributing assistance.
• Brick Capital Community Development CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2025-26 Traditionally Funded Partner - HUD Housing Counseling Agency assisting with housing needs including homeownership, foreclosure prevention, and rental assistance.
• Family Promise of Lee CountycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2025-26 Traditionally Funded Partner - Cooperative effort addressing needs of homeless families using resources from local congregations.
• SAFE of Harnett CountycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2025-26 Traditionally Funded Partner - Provides safety and advocacy for victims of interpersonal violence including domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and elder abuse.
• Helping Hand CliniccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2025-26 Traditionally Funded Partner - Provides free medical, diagnostic, dental, and pharmaceutical care to uninsured community members.
• The Salvation Army of Lee CountycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2025-26 Traditionally Funded Partner - Provides assistance for those experiencing homelessness and poverty.
• Warren Williams PreschoolcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2025-26 Traditionally Funded Partner - NC Pre-K program providing high-quality early education for eligible four-year-olds.
• VolunteerUnited.netcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline volunteer platform where people can search for and connect with volunteer opportunities at local nonprofits.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• United Way of Harnett County: Sibling United Way affiliate operating in the same Harnett County geography. Most direct peer in terms of business model, fundraising approach, and service portfolio, with overlap in donor base and grant-eligible community needs.
• Helping Hand Clinic: Free medical, dental, and pharmaceutical provider for uninsured residents in Lee County. Receives UWLC funding and serves overlapping ALICE clients; both compete for healthcare-focused grants and donations in the same community.
• Brick Capital Community Development Corporation: Lee County-based HUD housing counseling agency and UWLC funded partner delivering affordable housing development, foreclosure prevention, and rental assistance. Overlapping housing assistance mission and donor pool.
• The Salvation Army of Lee County: National nonprofit delivering homelessness and poverty assistance in Lee County. UWLC lists it as a 2025-26 Traditionally Funded Partner; both organizations compete for similar donor dollars while coordinating service delivery in the same geography.
• Family Promise of Lee County: Local direct service partner of UWLC focused on homelessness prevention for families in Lee County. Operates within UWLC's funding ecosystem as a 2025-26 Traditionally Funded Partner, serving overlapping ALICE and at-risk household populations.
• Habitat for Humanity of Lee County: Affordable housing nonprofit operating in Lee County and referenced in UWLC's partner ecosystem. Competes for housing-focused donations and shares the mission of supporting ALICE households toward housing stability.
• SAFE of Harnett County: 2025-26 UWLC Traditionally Funded Partner providing advocacy and safety services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse in Harnett County. Direct overlap in community-based social services delivery.

Broad incumbents

• United Way of North Carolina: State-level umbrella organization that administers NC 211 (UWLC's referral backbone) and coordinates 50+ local United Ways. Direct organizational parent-affiliate relationship to UWLC, providing shared infrastructure and statewide advocacy.
• United Way Worldwide: Global federation of 1,000+ local United Ways, including UWLC. Sets brand standards, shared campaign infrastructure (e.g., ALICE methodology), and donor-advised fund pathways that UWLC benefits from and is benchmarked against.

Regional players

• NC 211: Statewide referral service UWLC actively promotes and integrates into its program delivery. Functions as a sister platform rather than competitor, but represents an alternative information-and-referral model for community members seeking services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-way-of-lee-county

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about United Way of Lee County