Community Support
Lend Us Your Voice
As both a Community Foundation and a United Way, we offer many ways for you to invest your time, talent, and resources in the causes you care about.
Advocates play a vital role in amplifying the work of CF/UWVFC and our Partner Agencies. Advocacy can be as simple as sharing a post—or as involved as engaging with local leaders to advance the common good. At its core, advocacy is about raising awareness and elevating the issues that matter most in Flagler and Volusia Counties.
Community voices shape our priorities in Education, Income, Health, and Basic Needs. Without your input and support, these initiatives risk losing essential policy and funding momentum.
Advocacy isn’t only about legislation—there are countless ways to make a meaningful difference. Below are practical ways you can stand up for your community.
United Way’s ALICE Report
United Way coined the acronym ALICE which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. The ALICE Report places a spotlight on a large population of hardworking residents who work yet have little or no savings, and are one emergency from falling into poverty.
Community Impact Cabinet
The Community Impact Cabinet (CIC) is a group of community-minded, subject-area experts from Volusia and Flagler counties. The Community Impact Cabinet (CIC) is comprised of 14 members and is chaired by Stephanie Parks.
Generation Impact
Generation IMPACT is a philanthropy-driven group dedicated to promoting leadership and community involvement among local young professionals.
VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program offers FREE tax preparation services. Volunteers are IRS certified and trained to identify taxpayer’s eligibility for federal tax credits to help families get the most accurate returns.
Women United-Volusia
Women United Volusia is an affinity group of CF/UWVFC. This group of Volusia County women works together to advocate for the community and raise funds to support the mission of the organization.
Women United-Flagler
Women United Flagler is an affinity group of CF/UWVFC. This group of Flagler County women works together to advocate for the community and raise funds to support the mission of the organization.
SPEAK OUT
Florida’s United Ways have joined together in a unified effort to advocate for legislative issues of critical importance to the communities they serve throughout the state. It includes guiding principles urging Florida Legislators to use a scalpel if the budget needs cutting, to maximize federal revenues, to support the authority of local government and communities to determine the best use of resources, and to focus on prevention.
The complete consensus agenda can be found on United Way of Florida’s advocacy page.
Additional Resources:
- Find your Florida Representatives
- Find your Federal Representative
- Find your Senators
- Legislative Link – weekly newsletter during the annual 8 week Florida Legislative Session
- United Way of Florida’s Advocacy Toolkit: Communicating with Policy Makers
- United Way Worldwide’s Advocacy and Public Policy Page
(Includes pre-generated emails that can be sent to your legislators)
BE INFORMED
A number of resources are available to help our community make informed policy decisions. United Way VFC supports research and community learning opportunities in a variety of ways. Here are just a few tools to help better understand our community and how united, we can make a difference.
Community Reports and Resources: