Page 7 - Giving Guide 2020-2021

United Way of Delaware
Nonprofits rally to serve Delawareans in difficult times
I’m not certain when you’ll read this letter, but whenever that is, it’s a good bet you won’t have forgotten 2020.
Unlike any other period in recent memory, 2020 tested United Way of Delaware and the entire nonprofit sector in ways few of us could have imagined when the year began. Our state was hit hard by COVID-19 and the related job losses, financial pain, disruption to the normal patterns of life, and lingering uncertainty about the future. On top of that, generations of systemic racism came home for Delaware as the nation was swept up in civil unrest. Managing through this challenging
period, required each of us to re-think how we do things, when we do things, where we do things, and even who we do things with.
But here’s the good news: Delaware more than met the test because Delaware’s nonprofit community is amazing!
Across Delaware, nonprofits and community-based organizations pivoted quickly to take on 2020’s avalanche of need. When others were retreating or closing their doors, nonprofits stepped forward and opened theirs wider than ever. When seniors were hungry, nonprofits made sure they were fed. When families were facing homelessness, nonprofits helped keep them sheltered. When children without laptops or internet connectivity had to adapt to a virtual classroom, community groups stood up learning pods. When nonprofits had to close their offices to protect staff and volunteers, staff and volunteers worked from home, often long into the night and across countless weekends. And when the community needed incremental resources, United Way of Delaware (UWDE), the Delaware Community Foundation (DCF), the Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement (DANA), and Philanthropy Delaware forged a vibrant collaboration to raise millions of dollars to meet both the human and organizational capacity needs arising from the pandemic.
Then, in the middle of the pandemic, Delaware came face-to-face with the civil unrest emerging from America’s unresolved struggle to assure equity and justice for all. In response, United Way of Delaware stepped forward to amplify and build upon the work of the Delaware Racial Justice Collaborative (DRJC), empowering community-based, grassroots organizations to replace policies and practices that enable systemic racism, with policies and practices that promote
equity for all Delawareans. And to advance this work on the streets, UWDE was appointed to a leadership role on the Community Policing and Engagement Subcommittee of the state legislature’s Law Enforcement Accountability Task Force, where we are working with law enforcement and community leaders to establish new bonds of trust and service.
Throughout these trying experiences, UWDE’s relationships with our agency partners have not just endured—they’ve grown stronger than ever. And while none of us imagined that 2020 would be as challenging as it’s turned out to be, having gone through this experience together, few of us can now imagine that any challenge will be too great for Delaware’s nonprofit community—so long as we work together.
To all our agency partners: Thank You for everything you do, every day, year-in and year-out, no matter the circumstances, to make Delaware a better place for all.
Together we are making the difference. Sincerely,
Michelle A. Taylor
President & Chief Executive Officer United Way of Delaware
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