United Way of Northwest Alabama

What United Way of Northwest Alabama does

United Way of Northwest Alabama is a regional 501(c)(3) charitable affiliate, founded in 1958 and headquartered in Florence, Alabama. It coordinates community programs, funding, and referrals across six counties (Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Marion, Winston, and Lawrence), supporting residents in education, health, financial stability, and disaster response. The organization does not operate as a technology company and does not have a proprietary platform; its service infrastructure is built around a 2-1-1 information and referral helpline that answered 117,025 calls in the past year, a network of funded partner agencies, workplace giving campaigns, and direct program delivery (Dolly Parton Imagination Library, AARP Caregiver Support, Publix Last Resort, senior meal delivery, Clothing Closet, Tax Prep, A-Reset employment training). Its technology footprint is limited to a website built and hosted by OneEach Technologies and a Banzai-powered Financial Wellness Center.

The business model is donation-based rather than revenue-generating. Funding is sourced from individual donors, workplace giving payroll deduction campaigns, corporate sponsors (tiered as Bronze, Silver, and Gold on the website), and likely grants; the organization explicitly does not charge for its community services. Pricing for service delivery is therefore not applicable. Distribution is regional and community-anchored: the 2-1-1 helpline (phone, text, chat), the partner-agency network, and the workplace giving channel are the primary routes to both beneficiaries and contributors. Day-to-day operations are led by CEO Jennifer McNulty and governed by a Board of Directors.

Programmatically, the affiliate has expanded beyond the traditional United Way triad (education, income, health) into a fourth impact area, Community Resiliency, anchored by its VOAD disaster coordination role. The organization has no app, no public API, no disclosed headcount, and no disclosed financials in the source data, so scale and revenue are inferable only through program reach metrics and indirect benchmarking.

Name

United Way of Northwest Alabama

Legal name

United Way of Northwest Alabama

Website

https://uwnwal.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

United Way of Northwest Alabama is a Florence, Alabama-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 1958, that coordinates a 2-1-1 helpline, partner-agency funding, and direct programs in education, health, financial stability, and disaster response for residents of six Northwest Alabama counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241), Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAEAL

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYBPAGAEAK

Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYFSALAKAK

Disaster Recovery & Emergency Housing Assistance Programs

Financial & Insurance/Mortgage & Housing Finance/Housing Finance Agencies & Government-Sponsored Housing Programs

SECONDARYBPAGAEAC

Family & Parenting Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

Keywords

• Community social services
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Human services referral
• Disaster response coordination
• Early literacy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Florence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

United Way of Northwest Alabama mobilizes community resources by raising and distributing charitable funds and coordinating a portfolio of direct-service programs that help northwest Alabama residents access education, health, and financial-stability support. Core offerings include a 211 information-and-referral helpline, early literacy through the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, family caregiver support through the AARP caregiver program, financial education and tax preparation, disaster response coordination via VOAD, and basic-needs assistance through a clothing closet and Publix Last Resort food referrals.

Product overview

United Way of Northwest Alabama is a nonprofit charitable organization that does not offer technology products. It provides community service programs including 211 information and referral helpline, Dolly Parton Imagination Library early literacy program, financial education resources, tax preparation assistance, clothing closet, crisis fund, employment training (A-Reset), AARP caregiver support, and VOAD disaster response coordination across Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Marion, and Winston Counties in Alabama.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 211 Information and Referral Helpline A 24/7 telephone-based information and referral service connecting northwest Alabama residents to local health, education, and financial-stability resources.
• Dolly Parton Imagination Library An early-literacy program that mails free, age-appropriate books each month to young children in the service area to promote school readiness.
• AARP Family Caregiver Program A family caregiver support program, delivered in partnership with AARP, providing resources and guidance to unpaid family caregivers of older adults.
• Financial Education and Tax Preparation Personal finance education and free income-tax preparation assistance for eligible residents to improve financial stability and maximize tax credits.
• Publix Last Resort Food Assistance Referral A referral-based food assistance program, in partnership with Publix, that connects food-insecure residents to grocery support.
• Clothing Closet A clothing assistance program that provides donated clothing to community members in need of basic wardrobe items.
• A-Reset Employment Readiness Program An employment-readiness program that supports community members preparing to re-enter or enter the workforce.
• VOAD Disaster Response Coordination Coordination of local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) to mobilize volunteers, donations, and partner agencies during and after disasters.
• Workplace Giving Campaigns Corporate workplace-giving campaigns that channel employee payroll-deduction pledges and corporate donations to community programs.
• Charity Tracker Case Management A shared case-management platform used by partner agencies to coordinate services, track client assistance, and prevent duplication of aid across the regional safety net.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,300+ children receive free monthly books; 117,025+ calls answered annually; 13,145+ meals delivered to seniors

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Dolly Parton Imagination LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership provides free age-appropriate books to children from birth until age five, delivered monthly to their homes. Early literacy is a key focus area for United Way's education initiatives.
• Listerhill Credit UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to provide financial education and coaching services. Listerhill Credit Union collaborates with United Way to help individuals improve financial management skills, credit, and budgeting.
• AARPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supports the Caregiver Support Program connecting 1.3 million family caregivers to services. Provides resources through the 211 helpline for caregivers addressing housing, utilities, food assistance, and mental health.
• VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of community, faith-based, and nonprofit organizations coordinating disaster response and recovery across Colbert, Franklin, Lauderdale, Marion, Winston, and Lawrence Counties.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AARP Foundation: National partner of UWNWAL for the caregiver support program; broader national funder of senior-services and ALICE-focused antipoverty work. Comparable as a senior-services program sponsor.
• United Way Worldwide: The national umbrella organization for UWNWAL and ~1,100 other U.S. affiliates. Sets brand standards, runs 211 nationally, and provides shared infrastructure that UWNWAL benefits from and is governed by.

Direct peers

• United Way of Central Alabama: Another Alabama-based United Way affiliate operating the same 211/helpline, workplace giving, and partner-agency funding model across a different regional footprint. Directly comparable in mission, programs, and structure.
• 211 of North Alabama (part of United Way of Madison County): Sibling 211 operator in adjacent north Alabama geography. Runs an information & referral call center serving Madison County and parts of the Tennessee Valley — directly comparable to UWNWAL's 211 helpline.
• Community Action Partnership of Northwest Alabama: Local Community Action Agency administering CSBG, weatherization, and Head Start across the same six counties. Competes with UWNWAL for federal antipoverty contracts and serves the same ALICE population.
• Goodwill Industries of North Alabama: Operates workforce development (similar to UWNWAL's A-Reset program) and mission-driven retail across the same footprint. Overlaps on financial stability and employment-training outcomes.
• Salvation Army of the Shoals: Provides overlapping social services (emergency assistance, food, utility help, holiday programs) in the same northwest Alabama footprint and competes for the same donor dollars and volunteer pool.
• Catholic Charities of North Alabama: Faith-based nonprofit providing case management, emergency assistance, and immigration/refugee services across north Alabama. Overlaps UWNWAL on disaster response, food assistance, and family support programming.

Emerging players

• Findhelp (formerly Aunt Bertha): National social-care network providing online benefits navigation that competes with UWNWAL's 211 helpline as residents increasingly self-serve digitally for referrals to food, housing, and utility assistance.

Regional players

• Volunteer Center / Hands On Northwest Alabama: Volunteer-mobilization organization in the same service area that complements UWNWAL's Day of Caring and event-based volunteer programming. Comparable on volunteer engagement model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UnitedWayofNWAL
• Facebookfacebook.com/unitedwaynwalabama
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-way-of-northwest-alabama

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 Northwest Alabama