United Way of Central Oklahoma

What United Way of Central Oklahoma does

United Way of Central Oklahoma is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1923 and headquartered at 1444 NW 28th Street in Oklahoma City. It functions as a community fundraising and resource-allocation intermediary for central Oklahoma, operating across Oklahoma County, Logan County, and Canadian County. The organization's primary activity is the annual fundraising campaign — the 2025 campaign raised $19,553,414 — supplemented by leadership giving programs (Tocqueville Society, Women's Leadership Society, Emerging Leaders), planned/legacy giving, and time-limited emergency response funds such as the COVID-19 Response Fund. Donor dollars flow to a network of 69 Partner Agencies operating 134 programs across four impact areas: Healthy Community, Youth Opportunity, Financial Security, and Community Resiliency.

The technology surface is limited and nonprofit-typical rather than product-oriented. Core platforms include a 24/7 2-1-1 helpline for information and referral to health and human services, a website (unitedwayokc.org) integrating online donation via MobileCause, a Volunteer Center, and supporting infrastructure such as Google Analytics for site measurement and PCI-compliant payment processing with SSL/TLS encryption. There is no public or partner-facing API, no developer portal, and no proprietary software product. The WayFinder Innovation Grant represents a programmatic funding mechanism rather than a technology product.

The business model is donation-driven with no pricing model, as the organization does not sell products or services. Revenue derives from individual donors, workplace giving campaigns (700+ annually), corporate gifts, leadership giving tiers, planned giving, and emergency response appeals. Distribution of services flows through the Partner Agency network and the 2-1-1 helpline. Marketing and community engagement are event-driven (Day of Action, Day of Caring, Pacesetter Games, annual Galas) and community-led (Corporate Volunteering, Board Serve, Emerging Leaders, Loaned Executives), with major corporate anchors including Devon Energy, OGE Energy, BancFirst, American Fidelity, Love's Travel Stops, MidFirst Bank, and the Chickasaw Nation. The organization is led by President & CEO Rachel C. Holt and governed by a Board of Directors chaired (as of 2023) by Shane Wharton.

Name

United Way of Central Oklahoma

Legal name

United Way of Central Oklahoma

Website

https://unitedwayokc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

United Way of Central Oklahoma is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1923 that raises and distributes funds across central Oklahoma through 69 Partner Agencies, a 2-1-1 helpline, and 700+ workplace campaigns, serving individuals and families in need in health, youth, financial security, and community resiliency.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL), Public Health & Health Equity Organizations (BPAGACAL), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

Keywords

• Community fundraising campaigns
• Workplace giving programs
• Human services funding
• Volunteer engagement programs
• Nonprofit donor services

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Fundraising Campaign: Primary revenue stream through annual campaign raising funds from individual donors, workplace giving campaigns, corporate gifts, and special events. The 2025 campaign raised $19,553,414. Includes multiple sub-campaigns: United Way of Central Oklahoma main campaign, State Charitable Campaign, Heart of the City Campaign, United Way of Logan County, United Way of Canadian County, and Combined Federal Campaign.
2. COVID-19 Response Fund and Emergency Relief: Time-limited emergency response funds established to address community needs during crises like COVID-19 pandemic and ice storms. 2020 COVID-19 Response Fund raised $2,908,441. Ice Storm Response Fund raised $505,000.
3. WayFinder Innovation Grant: Innovation grants awarded to local nonprofits for new approaches to health and human service needs. Part of organization's funding distribution rather than revenue.
4. Leadership Giving Programs: High-value donor programs including Leadership Giving Society ($500+ annually), Tocqueville Society (major donors), Women's Leadership Society, and Emerging Leaders young professional group.
5. Planned Giving and Legacy Giving: Legacy giving program for donors making long-term charitable commitments through estate planning and deferred gifts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

United Way of Central Oklahoma is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that runs annual workplace and individual giving campaigns and regrants the proceeds to a network of 69 Partner Agencies operating 134 health and human service programs across Oklahoma, Logan, and Canadian counties. Beyond fundraising, it directly operates the 2-1-1 Immediate Help helpline that connects community members to social services, and runs volunteer engagement, the WayFinder Innovation Grant, and the Stay United Emergency Assistance Fund.

Product overview

United Way of Central Oklahoma is a nonprofit fundraising organization that operates as a central hub connecting community donors with health and human service providers. The organization does not offer a single unified software product but rather provides a portfolio of programs and services including the 211 Immediate Help helpline (a free 24/7 resource hotline), annual fundraising campaigns (raising approximately $17-20 million annually from donors and workplace campaigns), volunteer programs (Day of Caring, Day of Action, Board Serve), the WayFinder Innovation Grant program for nonprofits, and a network of 69 Partner Agencies delivering services in four impact areas: Healthy Community, Youth Opportunity, Financial Security, and Community Resiliency. Additional offerings include Leadership Giving Society donor recognition programs (Tocqueville Society, Women's Leadership Society, Emerging Leaders), corporate volunteering partnerships, and the Stay United retiree engagement program. The organization serves central Oklahoma including Logan County and Canadian County through affiliated United Way chapters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 2-1-1 Immediate Help Helpline A 24/7 information and referral helpline (dial 2-1-1) that connects community members across central Oklahoma to health, human, and crisis services available through United Way's Partner Agencies and other providers.
• Annual Fundraising Campaign United Way's signature annual giving campaign conducted through corporate workplace giving and individual donations, the funds from which are regranted to Partner Agencies running human service programs. The 2025 campaign raised $19,553,414.
• Corporate Workplace Giving Program A workplace giving program that partners with local employers in central Oklahoma to run employee giving, payroll-deduction, and corporate-match campaigns supporting community human services.
• Volunteer Engagement Program Programs that recruit, train, and place individual and corporate volunteers with Partner Agencies, including signature events such as Day of Action.
• WayFinder Innovation Grant A grant program that funds innovative approaches to addressing community human-service needs in central Oklahoma, distinct from the regular Partner Agency allocations.
• Partner Agency Funding Network The regranting mechanism by which United Way of Central Oklahoma distributes donated funds to a vetted network of 69 Partner Agencies operating 134 health and human service programs.
• Stay United Emergency Assistance Fund An emergency assistance fund that provides short-term financial support to central-Oklahoma households facing urgent needs such as utility shutoffs, rent, and basic needs during crisis.
• Leadership Giving Society A giving society that recognizes and engages individual donors who contribute at elevated leadership giving levels during the annual campaign.

Quantifiable outcome

• 69 Partner Agencies operating 134 programs serving central Oklahoma
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• COVID-19 Response Fund PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2020Emergency fund established to increase resilience among vulnerable individuals and families during COVID-19 pandemic. Supported Partner Agencies of United Way of Central Oklahoma, Logan County, and Canadian County. Raised over $2.9 million from corporate and individual donors including OGE, MidFirst Bank, Love's, W&W-AFCO Steel, and Laura Love family.
• United Way of Logan CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate United Way organization serving Logan County. Part of coordinated regional approach to health and human services. Combined campaigns raised $365,341 in 2017 and $206,086 in 2022. Supports 10 Partner Agencies serving Logan County.
• United Way of Canadian CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate United Way organization serving Canadian County. Coordinates fundraising and resource allocation for 13-17 Partner Agencies. Combined campaigns raised funds for emergency relief and ongoing programs. 2022 campaign raised $200,486 supporting 17 Partner Agencies.
• Partner Agencies Network (69 agencies)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of 69 local health and human services nonprofit Partner Agencies operating 134 programs. United Way allocates donor funds and provides volunteer support. Agencies include Variety Care, Positive Tomorrows, ReMerge, Sunbeam Family Services, and others addressing health, youth, financial security, and community resiliency needs.
• State Charitable CampaigncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState of Oklahoma employee workplace giving campaign. Part of combined annual fundraising totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. 2020 campaign raised $292,649 from state employees.
• Heart of the City CampaigncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCity of Oklahoma City employee workplace giving campaign. 2020 campaign raised $520,167. Combined with State Charitable Campaign as part of annual fundraising umbrella.
• Combined Federal CampaignminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFederal employee workplace giving program. 2022 campaign raised $78,253 from federal employees in the region.
• Devon Energy CorporationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor corporate partner and campaign cabinet leader. CEO John Richels served as 2016 Campaign Co-chair. Employees involved in leadership roles and workplace campaigns. Multiple executives on campaign cabinet including Dave Hager and Gregg Henson.
• The CARE CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit organization added to Partner Agency network in September 2024. Provides services to youth and families in central Oklahoma community.
• Variety CarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner Agency since 1960, received over $17 million in funding through the organization. Healthcare provider with 18 locations making quality health care affordable and accessible. Awarded 2023 Bertha Levy Community Impact Award recognition.
• WayFinder Innovation Grant RecipientsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation grant program funding new nonprofit approaches. Recipients include Lilyfield and Upward Transitions (2024 winners). Past recipients include Mental Health Association (MJ Clausen), with grants supporting innovative health and human service programs.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• United Way Worldwide: National federation governing and supporting local United Way chapters like UWCO. Comparable as the umbrella brand and shared platform for workplace giving campaigns, 2-1-1 infrastructure, and accountability standards that UWCO operates within.
• American Red Cross - Oklahoma Region: National humanitarian organization with regional Oklahoma operations that fundraise via workplace campaigns, provide disaster relief (similar to UWCO's COVID-19 and ice storm funds), and deliver community services. Comparable fundraising motion and disaster-response function.

Direct peers

• United Way of Greater Kansas City: Sibling regional United Way affiliate operating an analogous model: annual workplace-giving campaign, Partner Agency network, 2-1-1 helpline, and four focus areas. Closest direct functional peer because it operates the same template in a comparable Midwestern metro.
• United Way of Metropolitan Chicago: Major regional United Way with comparable Partner Agency network, workplace giving campaigns, and 211 helpline operations. Larger in scale but same operating model and accountability framework.
• United Way of Greater Houston: Large regional United Way running annual campaigns of similar scale (~$20M+ range), Partner Agency network, 211 helpline, and disaster-response funds. Comparable scale, structure, and energy-sector donor exposure.
• Oklahoma City Community Foundation: Local grantmaking foundation operating in the same Oklahoma City geography, distributing charitable funds to community nonprofits. Competes for the same donor dollars and grant recipients that UWCO serves through its Partner Agency network.

Emerging players

• Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma: Oklahoma-based nonprofit addressing food insecurity via direct service and partner network, partially funded through workplace giving and individual donations. Competes for the same donor dollars in central Oklahoma's health-and-human-services space.

Peers

• Heartline 2-1-1 (Heartline Oklahoma):

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/unitedwayokc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-way-of-central-oklahoma
• Instagraminstagram.com/unitedwaycentraloklahoma

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about United Way of Central Oklahoma