United Way For The City Of Kawartha Lakes

What United Way For The City Of Kawartha Lakes does

United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes (now operating as United Way Haliburton Kawartha Lakes, UWHKL) is a registered Canadian charity founded in 1967 that raises and distributes funds to support social service programs in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County, Ontario. The organization operates across three programmatic pillars — "Poverty to Possibility," "All That Kids Can Be," and "Healthy People, Strong Communities" — funding 20+ local partner agencies that deliver services in food security, emergency housing, child and youth mentorship, mental health, and senior services. Its flagship social-enterprise asset is Edwin Binney's Community Garden & Education Centre, a nearly 2-acre (30,000 sq ft) community farm established in 2018 on land provided by Crayola Canada with agricultural expertise from Fleming College; since 2019 the garden has produced and donated over 84,000 lbs of fresh produce to 20 food banks and 15 charitable agencies. Technology is not a core differentiator; operations run on a 3-5 person staff team (Co-Executive Directors Shantal Ingram and Emily Beall, plus bookkeeper) with a 25% cost-revenue ratio, below the 35% threshold recommended by the Canada Revenue Agency.

Revenue is generated entirely through voluntary contributions across four streams: individual and corporate donations (including the Crayola Canada workplace campaign that has produced over $1 million across 30+ years), special events (Crayola Sale, curling bonspiel, golf tournament, Boshkung Brewery "Paddle with Purpose" beer launch), merchandise sales (branded t-shirts at $17-$25), and Farm Stand produce sales using a sliding-scale pricing model. The organization also administers pass-through government emergency funding (over $344,000 in Emergency Community Support Fund distributed to 23+ local organizations during COVID-19). Its go-to-market relies on annual fundraising campaigns, workplace giving partnerships, community events, content marketing via blog and social media, and a documentary ("The Garden: Feeding The Community One Plant At A Time") produced with Cogeco's YourTV. The organization is an autonomous registered charity (BN: 105454508RR0001) governed by a local Board, and is an affiliate member of the broader United Way Centraide Canada network of 58 United Ways that collectively raise upwards of $520 million annually.

Name

United Way For The City Of Kawartha Lakes

Legal name

United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes

Website

https://ckl-unitedway.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes is a registered Canadian charity that funds 20+ local agencies addressing poverty, food insecurity, child and youth development, and community health across Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County, Ontario, and operates the 2-acre Edwin Binney's Community Garden.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services and Nonprofit Fundraising

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Community Food Services (624210), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Federated Giving Organizations (e.g., United Way-type) (BPAGAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI), Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA), K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

Keywords

• Community fundraising
• Social services funding
• Food security programs
• Community garden initiatives
• Donor program management

Headquarters

HQ city

Lindsay

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual & Corporate Donations: Annual fundraising campaign soliciting donations from individuals, corporations, and workplaces. Corporate workplace campaigns (e.g., Crayola Canada workplace campaign generating over $1 million over 30+ years). Leadership giving program with tiers from $1,200 to $5,000+.
2. Special Events & Fundraisers: Revenue from events including Crayola Sale (warehouse sale cancelled due to COVID-19, ran for 30+ years prior), annual curling bonspiel, golf tournament, beer launch with Boshkung Brewery, and other campaign events.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including t-shirts ($17-$25), with proceeds supporting community gardens and programs. Variable pricing model at Farm Stand (pay below, at, or above market value).
4. Community Farm Stand Sales: Fresh produce sold at Farm Stand using sliding-scale/variable pricing model, with proceeds reinvested into Edwin Binney's Community Garden operations and food security programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes is a registered Canadian charity that raises funds through individual donations, corporate workplace campaigns, special events, and merchandise sales, and reinvests 100% of donations locally into 20+ partner agencies across Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County. It directly operates the Edwin Binney's Community Farm & Education Centre, a ~2-acre community garden that has produced over 84,000 lbs of fresh produce donated to local food banks since 2019, and runs a Farm Stand with sliding-scale pricing. The organization works across three program pillars (Poverty to Possibility, All That Kids Can Be, Healthy People Strong Communities) addressing food security, child and youth development, mental health, housing, and senior supports.

Product overview

United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes is a registered charity operating as a non-profit social service organization rather than a technology company. The organization offers a portfolio of community programs centered on three pillars: Poverty to Possibility, All that Kids Can Be, and Healthy People, Strong Communities. Core programs include Edwin Binney's Community Garden & Education Centre providing fresh produce to food banks, the Community Garden Program with 40+ garden plots, and various food security initiatives. Revenue generation includes fundraising events (Crayola Sale, Golf Tournament, Coldest Night of the Year), donor programs (Leadership Giving, Adopt a Crop Sponsorship), a farm stand market, branded merchandise, and the Paddle with Purpose beer partnership. The organization also offers grant funding programs including the Matching Collaborative Grant supporting local agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Edwin Binney's Community Farm & Education Centre: A food security and food literacy initiative located on Crayola Canada's property in Lindsay, Ontario. Produces fresh vegetables donated to food banks and community organizations. Partnership with Fleming College Sustainable Agriculture program.

Products and services

• Edwin Binney's Community Farm & Education Centre A community agriculture and education initiative on Crayola Canada land in Lindsay, Ontario that produces fresh vegetables, fruits, and herbs donated to local food banks and community organizations, while delivering food literacy and sustainable agriculture educational programming in partnership with Fleming College.
• Community Farm Stand A weekly retail produce market at 50 Mary Street West, Lindsay, selling fresh produce harvested from Edwin Binney's Community Garden using a sliding-scale / variable pricing model where shoppers can pay below, at, or above market value. Open every Tuesday 10am-3pm, with all proceeds reinvested in garden operations and food security programs.
• Community Garden Plots Program Program managing 40 community garden plots and supporting construction of over 70 additional plots throughout Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County, giving community members space to grow their own food.
• Leadership Giving Program Three-tiered annual major-donor program with annual giving tiers of Pathfinder ($1,200-$1,499), Trailblazer ($1,500-$4,999), and Changemaker ($5,000+), providing structured recognition for individual major donors.
• Adopt a Crop Sponsorship Sponsorship program allowing donors to sponsor crops at Edwin Binney's Community Garden in exchange for website, social media, and special event promotion and recognition.
• Matching Collaborative Grant Grant program awarding up to $10,000 per project requiring matching funds from collaborating agencies in Kawartha Lakes and/or Haliburton County, designed to multiply local community investment impact.
• Annual Crayola Sale Annual warehouse sale of Crayola products held at the Lindsay Exhibition Fairgrounds (LEX), generating proceeds for community programs. Ran for 30+ years and contributed over CAD $1 million in cumulative fundraising, with the 2019 sale (the largest ever) raising $45,132.00. Cancelled 2020-2022 due to COVID-19.
• Giving is Believing Golf Tournament Annual golf tournament fundraiser held at Wolf Run Golf Club supporting community agency allocations and food security programming through Edwin Binney's Community Garden.
• Paddle with Purpose Craft Beer Community-focused light lager brewed in partnership with Boshkung Brewery (Minden, Ontario), with sales supporting United Way HKL's poverty reduction programming and community investments. Available year-round through Boshkung Brewery's online shop and retail partners.
• Crayola Sale - Curling Bonspiel and Beer Launch Fundraisers Annual curling bonspiel and beer launch fundraising events supporting United Way CKL community programs.
• Annual Coldest Night of the Year Walk Annual winter walk fundraising event supporting hungry, homeless, and hurting people in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County.
• United Way Branded Merchandise Online merchandise store selling United Way branded t-shirts (Adult $25, Ladies $25, Kids $17) with 100% of profits supporting community gardens and programs. Pickup only at 50 Mary Street West, Lindsay.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 84,000 lbs of fresh produce donated from Edwin Binney's Community Garden since 2019
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Boshkung BrewerysupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 3 July 2024Boshkung Brewery (based in Minden) partnered with United Way HKL to launch 'Paddle with Purpose,' a community-focused light lager. Sales of the beer support United Way's poverty reduction programming and community investments. The beer is available year-round through Boshkung's online shop.
• Fleming College (Frost Campus / Sustainable Agriculture)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Fleming College provides agricultural expertise, planning knowledge, and student involvement for Edwin Binney's Community Garden. The Sustainable Agriculture program and Lindsay Campus provide skills, knowledge, and experiential learning opportunities for students. Students participate through school projects, volunteering, placements, and paid co-op internships.
• Crayola CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 October 2018Crayola Canada is United Way HKL's most significant long-term partner. The relationship spans 30+ years including the annual Crayola Sale (raising $1M+), Crayola's workplace campaign, and a land use agreement granting United Way access to nearly 2 acres (30,000 sq ft) of previously unused land adjacent to Crayola's Lindsay facility for Edwin Binney's Community Garden. Crayola provides land, financial support, and employee volunteers. United Way provides community investment and food security programs. This is a flagship corporate partnership.
• Bob Mark New HollandsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Bob Mark New Holland provided equipment and expertise for the ground breaking of Edwin Binney's Community Garden in October 2018, assisting with initial land preparation.
• Cogeco / YourTVsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCogeco's YourTV produced the documentary 'The Garden: Feeding The Community One Plant At A Time,' documenting the first season of Edwin Binney's Community Garden. Marcus Ferguson directed and produced the film.
• Lindsay Exhibition Fairgrounds (The LEX)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerThe LEX (Lindsay Exhibition Fairgrounds) hosts the annual Crayola Sale event, a major annual fundraiser. The LEX also supported the Merry & Bright Festival to help local nonprofits.
• City of Kawartha LakessupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Kawartha Lakes Social Services department partnered on the 'Fresh Produce Friday' pilot project delivering produce to social housing units. The City is part of the Poverty Reduction Roundtable with United Way HKL.
• 211 (Free Helpline)supportingOthersUnited Way HKL supports and promotes the 211 free helpline, which connects people to community and social services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, in over 150 languages.
• United Way Centraide Canada NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Way HKL is part of the United Way Centraide network of 58 United Ways across Canada, which raises $520M annually. The network enables access to national resources, best practices, emergency funding administration (e.g., ECSF), and collective advocacy for poverty reduction.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Vancouver Foundation: Canada's largest community foundation, distributing grants across health, education, environment, and social services. Comparable as a Canadian grantmaking and giving organization with a similar three-pillar approach to community investment.
• Community Foundations of Canada: National network of community foundations that pools and redistributes charitable capital to local initiatives. Operates a parallel grantmaking-and-giving model, and co-administers the federal Emergency Community Support Fund alongside United Way Centraide Canada.
• Food Banks Canada: National hunger-relief organization that aggregates food-bank capacity across Canada. Comparable as a federated anti-poverty nonprofit and a key downstream recipient/coordinator of food-security programs of the type United Way HKL funds.

Direct peers

• United Way Ottawa: Regional United Way serving Ottawa and surrounding communities using the same workplace-campaign, leadership-giving, and agency-funding playbook. Same revenue model (donations and special events) and similar three-pillar program structure.
• United Way Greater Toronto: Largest United Way chapter in Canada, operating the same federated fundraising model that funds local social-service agencies in a defined geographic catchment. Directly comparable as a sister United Way serving a Canadian region.
• United Way Alberta Capital Region: Regional United Way serving the Edmonton area with the same workplace-campaign fundraising and agency-allocation model. Highly comparable in scale tier (mid-sized Canadian city-region) and program pillars.
• United Way British Columbia: Provincial-level United Way operating the same donor-advised fund and community-investment model across multiple regions. Highly comparable in mission, funding mechanics, and beneficiary agency model.
• Centraide of Greater Montreal: Quebec counterpart in the United Way Centraide network, raising and distributing funds to a network of community agencies. Same federated-giving operating model and affiliation with the national United Way Centraide Canada network.

Regional players

• Hamilton Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving a southern Ontario catchment, distributing endowed and donor-advised funds to local charities. Adjacent to United Way HKL in geography and grantmaking activity, though structured as a foundation rather than a federated-giving campaign.

Emerging players

• Community Food Centres Canada: National nonprofit building community food programs that combine food access with education and advocacy. Shares United Way HKL's interest in combining food security with food literacy, and could be a partner or peer in the food-security pillar.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/UnitedWayCKL
• Facebookfacebook.com/UnitedWayHKL
• Instagraminstagram.com/unitedwayckl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-way-for-the-city-of-kawartha-lakes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 For The City Of Kawartha Lakes