United Way of the Wine Country

What United Way of the Wine Country does

United Way of the Wine Country is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1968 and headquartered at 975 Corporate Center Parkway, Suite 160, in Santa Rosa, California. Operating with approximately 20 employees, the organization delivers direct-service community programs across a five-county Northern California region covering Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt, and Del Norte. Its core programmatic portfolio includes the 2-1-1 free 24/7 referral service connecting residents to food, housing, mental health, and disaster resources; the Earn It! Keep It! Save It! (EKS) free tax preparation program, which has cumulatively returned more than $100 million in refunds to qualifying individuals and assists migrants, refugees, and asylees with ITINs; the Emergency Food & Shelter Program (EFSP); and Individual Giving and Workplace Giving campaigns supporting local businesses' Corporate Social Responsibility goals.

The organization's commercial model is donation-driven rather than transactional, with three primary revenue streams: individual contributions via website and mail, recurring workplace giving campaigns through corporate payroll deduction partnerships, and Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) philanthropy that the organization formally adopted in 2020 to emphasize equity, collaboration, and systems change over competition. Pricing is not applicable: all direct services are free to beneficiaries. The go-to-market motion is community-led, combining direct service delivery through 211 and EKS with coalition-based advocacy through partners such as the Sonoma County Sanctuary Coalition, Suscol Intertribal Council, Los Cien Sonoma County, the AAPI Coalition of North Bay, Community Foundation Sonoma County, and the statewide United Ways of California network.

The underlying technology footprint is intentionally lean: no proprietary platform, no public API or SDK, no mobile application, and no disclosed AI/ML systems. Distribution and awareness are supported by a Squarespace-hosted website, an email newsletter, active social media presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Nextdoor, and the 2025-launched "We're the Leaders We're Looking For" podcast hosted by President & CEO Lisa G. Carreño. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors, is independently operated as a local autonomous United Way affiliate, and reports financials via IRS Form 990 and audited statements — though specific revenue figures are not disclosed in the available source material.

Name

United Way of the Wine Country

Legal name

United Way of the Wine Country

Website

https://unitedwaywinecountry.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

United Way of the Wine Country is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1968 that delivers free community programs — 2-1-1 referrals, EKS tax preparation, emergency food and shelter, and workplace giving — across five Northern California counties, serving low-income households, immigrants, seniors, and Latinx communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Rosa

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual giving through direct donations on the website and mail contributions
2. Workplace Giving: Corporate workplace giving campaigns where employees contribute through payroll deduction
3. Community-Centric Fundraising: Philanthropy grounded in equity and social justice, emphasizing collaboration over competition

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

United Way of the Wine Country is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that connects individuals and families in a five-county Northern California region with vital community resources for financial stability. It operates the 2-1-1 free 24/7 referral service, the Earn It! Keep It! Save It! (EKS) free tax preparation program (including ITIN services for migrants, refugees, and asylees), and the Emergency Food & Shelter Program (EFSP). The organization also runs workplace giving campaigns with local corporations and advocates for systems change through Community-Centric Fundraising principles.

Product overview

United Way of the Wine Country operates as a nonprofit community services organization offering a portfolio of direct-service programs and community initiatives across a five-county region (Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt, and Del Norte). Its core offerings include the 2-1-1 Community Resources referral service, the Earn It! Keep It! Save It! (EKS) free tax preparation program, Emergency Food & Shelter Programs (EFSP), Workplace Giving campaigns, and Individual Giving options. The organization also embeds equity-focused Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF) principles throughout its work, participates in the California Real Cost Measure data initiative, and produces the 'We're the Leaders We're Looking For' podcast. Programs are unified under the organization's mission of connecting people with vital resources for financial stability and advocating for systems change focused on equity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 2-1-1 Community Resources A free, confidential, 24/7 referral service that connects community members in the five-county region with resources on food, housing, mental health, and disaster information, providing culturally appropriate access to services.
• Earn It! Keep It! Save It! (EKS) Free Tax Preparation Free in-person and virtual tax preparation service that helps qualifying individuals secure maximum refunds and obtain ITINs for migrants, refugees, and asylees. Available to low-income households in the five-county service region.
• Emergency Food & Shelter Programs (EFSP) Emergency food and shelter assistance program serving individuals and families facing acute hardship in the organization's five-county Northern California service region.
• Workplace Giving Campaigns Program partnering with local corporations to launch and run employee giving campaigns through payroll deduction, enabling businesses to meet their Corporate Social Responsibility goals while supporting the local community.
• Real Cost Measure (California) A statewide data initiative led by United Ways of California that quantifies the true cost of living in California and provides insights into the specific situations of struggling households, used to advocate for struggling families.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $100 Million returned to community through EKS tax preparation program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Community-Centric Fundraising (CCF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020United Way of the Wine Country adopted Community-Centric Fundraising principles in 2020 to transform local philanthropy and nonprofit management. CCF promotes fundraising grounded in equity and social justice, emphasizing collaboration over competition and advocating for holistic well-being of communities.
• Sonoma County Sanctuary CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition focused on protecting immigrant families through non-collaboration policies and ordinances. United Way supports this coalition working to pass sanctuary laws and provide $1.5 million for immigrant services.
• Suscol Intertribal CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExecutive Director Charlie Toledo leads indigenous rights, land stewardship, and cultural revitalization work. United Way podcast features this partnership to promote indigenous visibility and truth-telling.
• Los Cien Sonoma CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLatinx leadership hub driving conversations and action for Latino community representation and leadership development in Sonoma County.
• Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of North Bay (AAPIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner for AAPI community advocacy and representation in the North Bay region.
• Community Foundation Sonoma CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with CFSC under Oscar Chavez's leadership to advance community philanthropy and root-cause solutions to poverty.
• Career BeginningsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram supporting first-generation college students, focusing on low-income and immigrant children through summer university campus programs.
• United Ways of CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide partnership on the Real Cost Measure initiative designed to show the true cost of living in California and advocate for struggling families.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Way Worldwide: Global parent network of United Way chapters; provides brand standards, fundraising infrastructure, and national advocacy, analogous to UWWC's local autonomous chapter.

Direct peers

• Community Foundation Sonoma County: Regional community foundation serving Sonoma County with charitable asset management and grantmaking. Direct functional peer given explicit partnership and overlapping regional scope.
• Silicon Valley Community Foundation: Large regional community foundation in Northern California managing philanthropic assets and grantmaking; comparable structure and geography, with significantly greater scale and tech-enabled operations.
• United Ways of California: Statewide network of United Way chapters that jointly produces the Real Cost Measure initiative with UWWC; closely aligned network peer with overlapping mission, programs, and donor base.
• United Way Bay Area: Adjacent United Way chapter covering the Bay Area; operates the same United Way brand, model of workplace giving, 211 referral services, and direct community programs, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• United Way of Greater Los Angeles: Larger California United Way chapter operating similar programs (workplace giving, free tax prep, 211, equity-focused initiatives) at a bigger urban scale; comparable operating model.
• The San Francisco Foundation: Bay Area community foundation with similar grantmaking, advocacy, and donor-advised fund model; comparable regional nonprofit peer with overlapping service population.

Regional players

• Redwood Empire Food Bank: Regional food security nonprofit operating across Sonoma and adjacent counties; comparable direct-service nonprofit footprint and partially overlapping coalition network in the same five-county region.

Others

• Northern California Grantmakers: Regional association of foundations and grantmakers; peer in the ecosystem context, providing convening and capacity-building services to funders in the same Northern California geography.

Emerging players

• Latino Community Foundation: California-focused foundation investing in Latino-led nonprofits and equity; aligned mission with UWWC's Los Cien partnership, making it a thematic peer in equity-driven regional philanthropy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UnitedWayWineCountry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-way-of-the-wine-country

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 the Wine Country