United Way of King County launched in 1921—some 18 U.S. presidents ago—yet folks still ask what we’re all about. For a quick and detailed answer, check out one of our most recent social media posts on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. It offers a brief crash course about our organization, including our programs and the people we serve.

United Way recognizes the impact of social media in keeping King County communities abreast of our programs, services, events, and advocacy. Stop by our LinkedIn site regularly, and you’ll learn how United Way works with local businesses and nonprofits. Our Instagram site is a bit more casual and creative, while our Facebook site offers long-form posts of a more general nature.

We also amplify and promote the work of our partners and grantees, and we disassociate ourselves from social media sites that promote divisiveness. In November of 2023, United Way of King County closed its account on the social media website X (formerly known as Twitter) amid X CEO Elon Musk’s hate speech and vitriol, culminating in his anti-Semitic posts.

We’re proud to say that our social media sites are growing in popularity, having garnered 4,910 new followers since April 30. We’ve also seen increases in engagement, impressions, and link clicks.

“United Way does a lot of fantastic—and very complicated—work,” said Kayla Dunn, United Way’s Marketing Strategist. “We operate multiple programs in-house to support our food security, housing security, and education work, but we’re also partnered with 143 local nonprofits in financial or facilitatory ways.

“And to keep that work sustainable, we have an entire fundraising team that works tirelessly with local companies. They write grants and plan community events. And all of this has more nuance that I didn’t dive into, but that’s the beauty of social media: social media allows us to discuss our work in bite-sized pieces.”

Dunn took over United Way’s LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook pages in May. Since then, Dunn has worked to see how much growth and engagement could increase without ads by simply putting out different styles of content.

“I post about events, but also how the government’s decisions affect our work. I post about our hunger work, but also how we think about hunger as a community. United Way of King County does a wide breadth of great work, and it’s vital that our social media reflects that.”

But there’s a long way to go. For an organization as large and long-standing in the community as United Way, its audience on social media doesn’t reflect that. United Way works with thousands of people daily, and we need to engage them through online conversations.

What can web surfers expect to see on social media sites in the coming weeks? More content about events, volunteer opportunities, our work (food, housing, education), philanthropic partnerships, fundraising partnerships, and the government.

“If you’re interested in the community or United Way’s work, follow our social media. Comment with your questions,” Dunn said.” Share our events with your friends. United Way is about community, and so is our social media,” said Dunn. “Be part of that growth with us.”