Be the Missing Piece: Why Your Part Matters in the 2026 United Way Campaign
October 6, 2026 · @Janet Michael
Every community is a puzzle. Donors, volunteers, nonprofits, employers and neighbors each hold a piece. When one is missing, the picture isn't complete, and somewhere in the Valley a family feels the gap.
That's the idea behind this year's United Way of Northern Shenandoah Valley campaign: Be the Missing Piece. Whether you give a few dollars a paycheck, sponsor an event, or rally your coworkers around a chili cook-off, your part matters. And there's a way to take part that fits every business, every budget and every schedule.
Here's what your participation makes possible, and all the ways you can get involved.
Your Gift Stays Here and Works Here
Over the past five years, workplace giving campaigns have helped United Way NSV invest more than $2.5 million in local nonprofits through Impact Grants. Today, more than 50 community programs serve thousands of Valley residents each year because local employers and their teams chose to give.
That money reaches every corner of our region: Winchester and Frederick, Clarke, Warren, Shenandoah and Page counties. It funds emergency shelter, mental health care, early learning, home repair, food access and financial stability. It strengthens trusted partners like Winchester CCAP, Phoenix Project, Luke’s Backpack Program, Bright Futures, and Shenandoah Community Health Clinic.
Our investments focus on four areas that hold a community together:
- Healthy Community: access to care, mental health support and basic needs
- Youth Opportunity: early learning, reading on grade level and a strong start in school
- Financial Security: helping working families get stable and stay stable
- Community Resilience: being ready when crisis hits, and helping neighbors recover
Every grant is reviewed by our Community Impact Committee, a panel of local volunteers who know this Valley and hold each investment to a high standard. Your gift isn't sent off to a distant headquarters. It's put to work by your neighbors, for your neighbors.
Many Pieces, One Purpose: Ways to Get Involved
1. Run a Workplace Campaign
A workplace campaign is the most powerful way to multiply your impact, because it turns a whole team into one piece of the puzzle.
- Payroll deduction makes giving easy. Employees choose a small amount per paycheck, and it adds up over the year without anyone writing a big check.
- Online pledging works too. Our secure portal and simple pledge forms make participation easy to track for your team and ours.
- It builds your culture. Campaigns give employees a shared purpose, and many pair giving with volunteer projects like our annual Day of Caring.
- Donors can direct their gift. Employees can give to the Community Impact Fund or designate to causes they care about, like the Winchester Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.
We handle the heavy lifting. You name an Employee Campaign Coordinator, and our team provides the materials, kickoff support and tracking.
2. Become a Sponsor
Not ready to run a campaign? Sponsorship puts your company's name behind real local impact and shows customers you're invested in the Valley.
- Event Sponsor: Back a United Way NSV event such as Day of Caring or our Annual Meeting, with recognition on signage, materials and promotion.
- Program Sponsor: Direct support to a specific focus area, or to initiatives like the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, Leyendo Juntos and the T.H.R.I.V.E. program.
- In-Kind Sponsor: Donate goods, services, meeting space, printing, food or professional expertise. In-kind gifts keep overhead low and stretch every dollar.
- Annual Partner: Make a recurring commitment and earn year-round recognition as a company that invests in the Valley.
Sponsors receive recognition across our materials, social media and event signage, at a level and pace that fits your business.
3. Host a Fundraiser or Special Event
Some of the best gifts start with a little fun. Host an event and donate the proceeds to United Way NSV:
- Jeans days or casual Fridays
- Chili cook-offs, bake sales and potlucks
- Golf tournaments and 5Ks
- Raffles, silent auctions and trivia nights
No event is too small. Every creative effort is another piece in place.
4. Other Ways to Give
- Individual and Leadership Giving — Give directly online at any time.
- Tax-smart giving — Give through a donor-advised fund, appreciated stock or an IRA qualified charitable distribution.
- Volunteer — Give your time through Day of Caring and other community projects.
Be the Missing Piece
Small contributions add up to big change. A few dollars a paycheck, a sponsorship, or one afternoon of chili and raffle tickets can keep a family housed, a child reading, or a neighbor connected to care.
Ready to start? Email Janet Michael at janet@unitedwaynsv.org, visit unitedwaynsv.org/campaign or call 540-536-1610 to talk through which option fits your team.
The picture isn't complete without you. Be the Missing Piece.