United Way of King County is proud for the opportunity to celebrate a successful campaign year, led by Chris Capossela and Leigh Toner.

As campaign co-chairs, this duo helped United Way surpass our goal of $41 million in donations, starting with their own generous gift of $1 million. Thank you, Chris and Leigh!

Their enthusiasm for supporting our community showed all year long. At the November 2019 Eat, Drink & Be Generous event, Chris led the paddle-raising portion of the festive evening. This start led to more than $540,000 being raised for community programs that night.

Together, they helped United Way launch Change Makers, a new giving community for donors of $100/month. We quickly saw a huge number of Chris’ fellow Microsoft employees step up and become Change Makers!

Both Chris and Leigh also spoke at, hosted or led numerous other events for United Way and our donors, including Emerging Leaders 365 networking and volunteer events, workplace events, and fundraising dinners. We at United Way know this takes a lot of work, and we’re so grateful!

Overall, with all of their excitement and energy, Chris and Leigh spread the message in a way that compelled many to donate to United Way for the first time ever, including Champions-level donations.

About This Great Campaign Team

Chris Capossela is the Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President at Microsoft, an early corporate supporter of United Way’s ParentChild+ program. This program helps King County parents nurture the skills and confidence to become their children’s first and best teachers, letting kids from every background arrive at kindergarten ready to learn and thrive.

Leigh Toner is a committed community volunteer, presently serving on the Board of Trustees at Seattle Girls’ School. She and her husband are proud parents to two young daughters.

Words That Led Their Campaign Year

When asked about their decision to serve as campaign co-chairs, Leigh explained that United Way spoke to their deep belief in education as a path to economic opportunity and social equity.

“Chris and I have had so many opportunities, and they trace back to chances we had early in life to discover and develop our potential,” explained Leigh. “Every young person deserves that.”

Thank you, Chris and Leigh, for sharing so much of your time and passion this year to build a community where people have homes, students graduate and families are financially stable.