United Way of Saskatoon & Area

About United Way of Saskatoon & Area:

Founded in 1959, United Way of Saskatoon and Area (UWS) raises funds to improve lives and build caring communities in the Saskatoon region by addressing the most prevalent human service needs. The charity notes that there are nearly 380 homeless people in Saskatoon, including many children. Additionally, it recognizes that children are the future of its community, and proper nutrition and adequate social, emotional and intellectual development is needed to ensure long-term well-being. In F2018, United Way Saskatoon granted and spent $3.7m in the local community. Its grants and programs were focused in three areas: Building Strong Communities, Moving People from Poverty to Possibility and Helping Kids Be All That They Can Be.

The charity’s Building Strong Communities focus (39% of grants and program costs in F2018) is to improve access to services and supports for Saskatoon’s growing and aging population, and support community inclusion and engagement. UWS operates 211 Saskatchewan which is a free searchable online database of over 5,000 community services in Saskatchewan. With the help of United Way Regina, $82k was invested in June 2018 to expand 211 Saskatchewan to include free, confidential and 24/7 phone, text and web chat services. In F2018, it notes that 110,000 people used the 211 Saskatchewan website.

United Way of Saskatoon’s Moving People from Poverty to Possibility focus (35% of grants and program costs) is to ensure that everyone has access to the most basic human needs, such as food, shelter and transportation. In April 2014, the charity partnered with Saskatoon Crisis Intervention Service (SCIS) to create Journey Home. This program supports chronically homeless individuals in Saskatoon, most of whom also struggle with complex issues related to mental health and addictions. In F2018, UWS invested over $544k into its Journey Home program. As of March 2018, 64 people had been provided with housing and were being supported by SCIS.

Its third area of focus is Helping Kids Be All They Can Be (26% of grants and program costs). The charity’s goals are to help children and youth do well in school, improve access to early childhood learning and assist youth in transitioning to post-secondary education and adulthood. UWS ran five two-week Summer Success camps in 2017 that helped 72 students who were reading below grade level, to maintain or improve their reading levels over the summer months. Additionally, one Summer Success camp was aimed at helping 12 newcomer children develop their English language skills. In F2018, over $48k was invested into the Summer Success camps.

Results and Impact: As a result of United Way of Saskatoon operating its 211 Saskatchewan website, it reports that 48% of users in 2017 learned about new services that they previously did not know existed. The charity also reports that based on 27 Journey Home participants, there was a 58% public service usage reduction within the first year of participation in the program. Accounting for the fewer emergency room visits, hospitalization days, ambulance trips and other public service usage, the total cost avoided by these Journey Home participants was $480,480. Its Summer Success camps noted that 83% of attending students maintained or increased their pre-program reading levels.

Financial Review:

United Way of Saskatoon and Area is a medium-sized charity with $4.4m in donations in F2018, a 32% decrease since F2015. Administrative costs are 17% of revenue and fundraising costs are 15% of donations. Per dollar donated to the charity, $0.68 goes towards its programs and grants, falling inside Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. The charity’s overhead cost ratio has been steadily increasing since F2015.

The CEO noted in the 2018 annual report that the drop in United Way of Saskatoon’s revenue caused the charity to defer payments to 25 community partners by an additional six months to June 2019. UWS also had to reduce short-term community investments, trim staff costs and cut overall operating expenses. United Way of Saskatoon currently holds funding reserves of $1.2m, which is 135% less than what the charity held in F2015. These funds can cover less than 5 months worth of annual grants and program costs, indicating a need for donations.

This charity report is an update that has been sent to United Way of Saskatoon and Area for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on July 10, 2018 by Derek Houlberg.