Tocqueville Telegraph Letters

It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to our new Director of Major Gifts, Samantha (Sammie) McCabe. Sammie has been with our local United Way for more than three years, most recently serving as Manager of Leadership Giving. Sammie is an experienced fundraiser and I am sure you will enjoy connecting with her as much as we enjoy working with her. I encourage you to register to attend our Fall Leadership Reception at Blue Bee Cider on September 9 so you can meet Sammie in person. Meanwhile, please feel free to connect directly with her any time by emailing mccabes@yourunitedway.org or calling (804) 775-6482.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our local United Way.

James L.M. Taylor
President & CEO
United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg

For the past nearly three years, it has been my privilege to get to know you, the members of United Way’s Tocqueville Society. Thank you for the opportunity to work together and for the trust you placed in me stewarding your gifts in support of United Way’s work in the community. I have accepted an opportunity to join another organization and it is with a grateful heart and many fond memories that I leave United Way. If you have any questions or concerns after my departure, please don’t hesitate to contact our President and CEO, James Taylor at jt@yourunitedway.org. I hope our paths cross again soon and thank you for all that you have done to make our region a better place for everyone.

Regards,

Paige Bullen 

I hope your 2021 is off to a good start. Here at your local United Way, we are optimistic about the months ahead but we know our community will continue to grapple with many of the same challenges it faced in 2020.

Because of the continued support from Alexis de Tocqueville Society members like you, United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg stands ready to meet these challenges head-on. Keep reading to learn about our Equity Data Series, which helps us understand the impact of the pandemic on underserved communities, and Ready4K, a new United Way program that uses text messaging to equip families with tips to reinforce learning during this difficult and unprecedented school year.

And the year is just getting started. There is much more to come. Next week, our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program will begin providing free tax assistance to low- and moderate-income families in our area. As in 2020, this program will offer both virtual and socially-distant, in-person preparation options.

Thanks, as always, for standing with us and helping us serve the community during this difficult time.

Regards,

James L. M. Taylor
President & CEO
United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg

Cocktails with the CEO

It is disappointing that we are unable to meet with many of you this fall to personally thank you for your contribution to our organization and discuss the important work we have been doing during the COVID-19 crisis. However, we are excited to bring you Cocktails with the CEO. This 15-minute video features three special drink recipes from Cirrus Vodka, a local distillery, and a conversation with our President & CEO James Taylor. We hope you will pour a drink and join us as we provide an update on the work you help make possible in our region.

Cirrus Vodka Cocktail Recipes

2020 continues to be a challenging year for our entire community. Nonprofits across the region are working hard to deliver critical services in a safe and healthy manner while simultaneously adapting to meet the evolving needs stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The situation here at your local United Way is no different. Despite the challenges, we have accomplished some terrific things this year and together we have opportunities to shape the future of our region in ways that benefit everyone. As we head into the fall – United Way’s traditional workplace fundraising campaign season – I am pleased to share some recent news and updates below. The Tocqueville Telegraph is an excellent opportunity for me to thank you for your continued contributions to our organization. Your gift powers the work below and much more.

I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. On behalf of the entire United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg team, thank you for your continued support.

Here at your local United Way, the problems we work to solve are more pressing than ever. We know the risks of social isolation. We know how a sudden job loss can put housing and food access in jeopardy. And we know the downsides of students not having daily access to a classroom environment.

But we also know what happens when we work together. I am proud of the steps we have taken to help the organizations, individuals and families who are most affected by the current crisis. We have launched new partnerships. We have taken critical programs online. And we are sharing important information to help people navigate these uncertain waters.

I believe our region will make it through this current crisis. But we need your continued support—now more than ever. Thank you for standing with your local United Way.

Regards,

James L. M. Taylor
President & CEO
United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg

As springtime approaches, I look forward to another season here at United Way – one in which we continue to find opportunities to share with you the ripple effects of your generosity. Getting to meet and interact with donors like you who care about and are investing in our community is a true privilege of my day-to-day work. Thank you for allowing me that opportunity by being a member of our Leadership Circle.

We have an exciting slate of events lined up this spring and summer to keep the momentum going – from our Women United social in March to our Steps to Success awards breakfast in June. I hope you will join us to celebrate what we have accomplished together this year. However, if you are unable to attend, I am always available for a one-on-one meeting to provide more updates on the value of your gift and to hear more about your philanthropic passions and priorities.

As always, please reach out with any questions related to your gift and our work.

Regards,

United Way Director of Major Gifts Paige Bullen and her husband Robbie are delighted to share their excitement about a major gift they received last month. Baby boy Howard “Ward” Everett Bullen arrived on July 11 at 2:39 a.m. weighing just under 8 pounds.

Paige and Robbie share that they couldn’t be happier. Paige anticipates returning to work at United Way by mid-September.

For inquiries in the meantime, please contact:

Samantha Chapman
Manager of Leadership Giving
chapmans@yourunitedway.org

As we enter the holiday season, a time when people when many people focus on charitable giving, I invite you to reflect and consider what impact your gift as a member of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society can make. I asked United Way’s Board Chair, Dan Hudgens of Deloitte and Touche LLP, why he and his wife Amy are members of the Tocqueville Society. Here is what he said:

We are very fortunate and blessed with a wonderful family, good health and a solid education, but we recognize that many in our community are not as fortunate. We give at the Alexis de Tocqueville Society level because we know we can give back and have a lasting impact. Members of the Tocqueville Society exemplify high-level philanthropy creating long-lasting change and can create significant followership around leadership giving.

We recognize that the problems facing our region are complex, and to have a significant impact and create real change we need comprehensive and interconnected solutions. We have witnessed United Way driving that change. We believe in United Way’s Steps to Success, which informs their Community Impact work by breaking down key milestones along the path to success and tracking data in each of the Steps. United Way’s strength lies not only in its support of non-profit partners, but also its ability to act as a regional convener by creating strong alliances and building collaborative solutions, and its work in empowering individuals to create systemic change themselves.

When we give to United Way we know our gift is leveraged with the investments of other to get an exponential benefit. The level of change that United Way brings to our region requires significant buy-in from donors in our community, and we are proud to be members of the Tocqueville Society.

Indeed, as we enter the holiday season we reflect on how grateful we are for Dan and Amy and all of our Alexis de Tocqueville Society members. Your generous gifts make our work possible, and we look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in 2019.

Paige Bullen
Director of Major Gifts