United Way Saint John, Kings, and Charlotte

What United Way Saint John, Kings, and Charlotte does

United Way Saint John, Kings, and Charlotte is a community-impact non-profit organization (registered charity) founded in 1959 and headquartered in Saint John, New Brunswick. It operates as part of the broader Maritime United Way federation, which in 2024 unified seven regional United Ways across Atlantic Canada under a single governance structure. The organization raises funds primarily through workplace-giving campaigns and individual donations, then deploys those dollars via grants and outcome-based funding to a network of 19+ partner agencies delivering services across social support, health, education, and youth programs. Core operational programs include the 211 information and referral helpline (launched 2021), the Atlantic Compassion Fund for crisis response, ED Academy (non-profit leadership training), Urban Rural Rides (transportation), and the Million Dollar Pledge major-donor society.

The business model is classic federated fundraising: UW collects donations at low acquisition cost via employer payroll deduction and corporate sponsorship (e.g., TD Bank, Canaport LNG, Saint John LNG, Saint John Energy), takes an overhead allocation, and redistributes the remainder to vetted partner agencies. In the 2023-24 cycle, the network assisted roughly 9,500 individuals in its catchment of Saint John, Kings County, and Charlotte County (a population base under 200,000). The organization is staffed by approximately 7 employees and governed by a volunteer board chaired by John Fitzpatrick Jr., with Alexya Heelis serving as Executive Director since 2019. The unified Maritime entity opened regional offices post-2024 consolidation, signaling intent to grow program scale and pursue policy advocacy rather than pursue geographic dispersion of additional offices.

Name

United Way Saint John, Kings, and Charlotte

Legal name

United Way Saint John, Kings and Charlotte

Website

https://unitedwaysaintjohn.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

United Way Saint John, Kings, and Charlotte is a Saint John, New Brunswick-based charitable organization (founded 1959) that raises ~$1.7M annually to fund 19+ partner agencies serving Saint John, Kings County, and Charlotte County, and operates services including the 211 helpline, ED Academy, and Urban Rural Rides.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Charitable Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Foundations & CSR Grantmaking (BPAGAKAC), Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

Keywords

• Community fundraising campaigns
• Workplace giving programs
• Charitable grantmaking services
• Nonprofit community investment
• Donor cultivation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint John

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Workplace Campaigns: Primary revenue stream through payroll deduction programs where employees donate a portion of their wages to United Way. Workplace campaign volunteers encourage employee giving and share the work of United Way with colleagues.
2. Individual Giving: Direct donations from individual donors, including one-time gifts and recurring contributions through various giving programs such as the Quarter Club and individual giving campaigns.
3. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships: Financial support from local businesses including sponsorship of events like campaign kickoffs and special initiatives. Companies engage through CSR strategy support from United Way.
4. Million Dollar Pledge: Network of 12 business leaders each committing $10,000 annually for 10 years to fund socially-minded community projects, with decisions based on data and evidence.
5. Event-based Fundraising: Revenue from community events and festivals including Area 506 Festival, Songs of the City, and United by Song that raise awareness and funds for the organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

United Way Saint John, Kings, and Charlotte is a registered Canadian charitable nonprofit that raises funds through workplace giving campaigns, individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and government grants, and redistributes those funds as multi-year grants to a curated network of 19+ local nonprofit partner agencies in Saint John, Kings, and Charlotte counties. The organization also directly operates information and referral (211), nonprofit training (ED Academy), CSR advisory services, and community transportation (Urban Rural Rides) programs addressing poverty, youth development, and community health.

Product overview

United Way Saint John, Kings, and Charlotte operates as a non-profit charitable organization focused on community impact through multiple interconnected programs. The core offering consists of a website portal providing access to funding programs, the 211 information and referral service, and donation capabilities. The organization delivers community funding through two-year commitment agreements to partner agencies, offers executive director training through ED Academy, supports corporate workplace giving campaigns, and operates special initiatives including transportation services like Urban Rural Rides. The portfolio functions as a unified community impact system connecting donors, funded partners, and community members in need.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of funded partner targets were met or exceeded (2018)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers22 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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Saint John EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity-focused energy company that partnered with Outflow Ministries on innovative wire stripping project, providing copper wire for recycling, employment opportunities, and community support. Vice-President Ryan Mitchell has championed multiple United Way initiatives including serving as 2024 Campaign Chair.
• CT SalesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlantic Canadian representative for electrical power system products that rallied utility equipment manufacturers to donate wire stripping equipment for the Outflow Catapult Construction project.
• Simpson Scrap Metal RecyclingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSaint John-based scrap metal recycler that provided transportation services for the wire stripping project with Outflow Ministries.
• TD BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor corporate sponsor that provided $1,000 donation prize for Leadership Donor celebration event across 11 Atlantic Canada United Ways.
• Canaport LNGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLNG facility that sponsored the 2021 United Way campaign kickoff event.
• Saint John LNGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of the 2022 campaign kickoff event held at the Delta hotel in Saint John.
• 11 United Ways Across Atlantic CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative network of Atlantic Canadian United Ways that jointly launched the Atlantic Compassion Fund for COVID-19 emergency relief, shared learning and resources, and coordinated regional initiatives including the 211 service and State of the Sector research.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• United Way Greater Toronto: Canadian United Way affiliate operating under the same federation model, pooling workplace giving donations and distributing through funded partner network across the GTA. Same business model, same brand, comparable donor and partner relationships, just at much larger scale.
• United Way Ottawa: Canadian United Way affiliate with the same workplace giving campaigns, funded partner network, and 211 service operations. Comparable in scope and programs to United Way Saint John.
• United Way British Columbia: Provincial-scale United Way operating the same federation model with workplace giving and partner network funding. Useful comparison for provincial coordination approaches versus regional independent chapters.
• United Way Winnipeg: Mid-sized Canadian United Way affiliate operating workplace giving campaigns and a funded partner network in Manitoba. Comparable in size and operational maturity to United Way Saint John.
• United Way Calgary and Area: Canadian United Way affiliate operating the same community impact framework, workplace campaigns, and funded partner network in Alberta. Provides a useful scale benchmark for what a regional United Way can achieve under the federation model.
• Centraide (United Way of Greater Montreal): Quebec equivalent of the United Way model operating the same workplace giving, partner network, and community impact framework in Montreal. Useful benchmark for French-language operations and provincial-scale federated model.
• Greater Saint John Community Foundation: Local Saint John foundation providing Smart & Caring Grants funding for community initiatives. Operates in the same geography with overlapping grantmaking activity, even providing funding to United Way Saint John's partner organizations.

Broad incumbents

• Community Foundations of Canada: National umbrella organization representing 191 community foundations across Canada. Comparable in grantmaking and donor stewardship function, but with an endowment-driven rather than annual-campaign-driven funding model.

Others

• 211 Canada: National 211 service coordinating the information and referral helpline across Canada. United Way Saint John is a regional operator of the 211 service, making 211 Canada an infrastructure counterpart and direct partner.

Regional players

• United Way Halifax Region: Atlantic Canadian peer United Way operating the same workplace giving, individual donation, and partner funding model in Nova Scotia. Directly comparable in size, structure, and partnership with the Atlantic Compassion Fund network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sjunitedway
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-way-saint-john-kings-and-charlotte

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Saint John, Kings, and Charlotte