Our Mission
United Way of Southeast Mississippi seeks to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our communities to advance the common good. True to our founding spirit, whenever there is a need in our communities, United Way is there. We bring a comprehensive approach to every challenge, actively listening and responding to local needs.
Our Vision
From strengthening local resilience to advancing health, youth opportunity, and financial security, United Way of Southeast Mississippi is mobilizing communities to action so all can thrive.
Our Service Areas:
United Way of Southeast Mississippi serves communities in Forrest, Lamar, Marion and Perry counties.
How funding decisions are made:
A Community Impact Committee, comprised of about 35 volunteers representing a cross section of the community, assesses how local non-profit agencies are meeting the community’s needs in the areas of healthy community, youth opportunity, financial security, and community resiliency. After carefully reviewing grant applications and conducting in-person interviews, the committee evaluates the most effective way to distribute United Way funds to the agencies that have applied. It is the committee’s responsibility to ensure that each donor’s campaign contributions are invested in closely-monitored local programs. The Community Impact Committee makes funding recommendations to the UWSEMS Board of Directors, who have the final decision in funding allocations.
Donor Privacy Policy
Your privacy is important to us. We believe that you should have control over who receives the personal information you provide to us as a donor (such as your name, address, zip/postal code, e-mail address, telephone number). We will not sell, share or trade our donors ‘names or personal information with any other entity, nor send mailings to our donors on behalf of other organizations. To the extent any donations are processed through a third-party service provider, our donors’ information will only be used for purposes necessary to process the donation. Sensitive data, such as credit/debit card numbers, are processed using industry standard security measures. United Way of Southeast Mississippi will hold all information obtained from or about donors in strictest confidence. When anonymity is requested on a current pledge or gift, we do not publish names, amounts or gift conditions, with the exception of requests for information by government agencies and courts, and all legally required tax and regulatory findings. If a donor’s gift is designated to another charity, we provide the name, contact information, and amount of the donation to that charity unless the donor requests anonymity on the current pledge form.