United Way Worldwide

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
131635294
IRS 990 coverage
2008–2024
Official website data refreshed
Aug 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2024
Location
Alexandria, VA, USA
Phone
(703) 836-7112
Rating
78
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Standard
Sector
Federated Giving Programs

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$72,397,617
Expenses
$75,016,667
Assets
$67,977,328
Liabilities
$19,887,562

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

45 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • ANGELA WILLIAMS (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER)

Highest reported compensation

  • ANGELA WILLIAMS (CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER): $929,417 total reported compensation
  • BRUCE FRIEDMAN (EVP, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER): $436,737 total reported compensation
  • ODESSA JACKSON PETERSON (EVP, GENERAL COUNSEL, CC & EO): $428,624 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

United Way seeks to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities around the world to advance the common good.

What it reported doing in 2024

Other program services - other program services include the support for the 211 platform which provides comprehensive information on local resources and services throughout the country, the production and delivery of training programs and learning opportunities for united way volunteers, staff, and partners; and providing licensing rights to select vendors to sell promotional products bearing the united way brand and trademarks. Total part iii, line 4d amounts are reported below:

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Hybrid. The nonprofit split its reported program spending across 61% for direct work, and 39% for grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 73
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 25
  • Growth: 40

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 80.3%; rating input score 80
  • Program expense ratio: 77.1%; rating input score 77
  • Fundraising efficiency: $6.11 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 27; 27th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.8%; rating input score 94; 25th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Pass
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Pass
    • Conducts field audits: Fail
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Fail
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 98.6%; rating input score 99; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Yes; rating input score 100

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -3.6%; rating input score 15; 15th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.91; rating input score 36; 36th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.29; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: -0.4% per year; rating input score 0; 7th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 3% per year; rating input score 100; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.9% per year; rating input score 0; 4th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 4 programs and campaigns described on the official site · 5 operating locations identified
  • Where the money goes: 80.3% of revenue deployed · 77.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 23 of 23 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $57.8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $929K · 45 people listed · 5 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $2.6M reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 40 current checks pass · 2 findings to review
  • Schedules: 10 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, executive pay, and related organizations
  • Filing history: 15 filing years from 2008 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 225 filed money-flow records
  • Related organizations: 211 filed related-organization links
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.
  • Staff and benefit plans: Retirement and health plans the organization files with the Department of Labor, and the people in them.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 27/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 5 of 8 not reported.
  • High — Growth: Program expense growth scored 0/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 15/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 36/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 5/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Domestic grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign grant itemization did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Review — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 56/100.