This post was written by Chief Philanthropy Officer Lindsay Harper. In May 2025, Harper was recruited to take a new role at Galvanize USA, leaving United Way after two powerful years of team development. Read her farewell note here:

There are moments in every journey when it becomes clear you’re not simply turning the page—you’re handing it forward. You’re making room for what’s next, while honoring what was built.

This is one of those moments.

After two years serving as Chief Philanthropy Officer at United Way of King County, I’ll soon be stepping into a new role—one that brings me deeper into the national conversation about justice, civic power, and belonging.

This next chapter is rooted in the same values that brought me here, but it widens the scope. It calls me to respond to this moment in our country—one where democracy feels fragile, truth is often challenged, and shared humanity is under threat.

But before I go, I want to pause. Not to say goodbye, but to say thank you. This post isn’t about closing a door. It’s about reflecting on everything we made possible together.

What Drew Me In

I didn’t come to United Way of King County because of its size or reputation. I came because I saw real potential—potential to move from transactional fundraising to transformational engagement. Potential to show up for community in deeper, more authentic ways.

What I found was extraordinary.

Donors who care not just about giving, but about giving with purpose. Volunteers who lead with conviction. And a team that was truly ready to evolve—to challenge outdated models and build something better.

Together, we began asking different questions.

Instead of “How do we raise more money?” we asked, “How do we build more trust?”  We looked at what it would take to share power instead of holding it. We examined what it means to center community—not as a slogan, but as a practice. And you, our community, said yes. You leaned in. You led alongside us.

We created Our Neighbor Fund, a new annual giving strategy designed to reflect a commitment to stand with—not above—our neighbors. We moved away from stories that relied on pity or crisis, and instead told stories grounded in dignity and shared purpose. And donors didn’t just adjust—you embraced the shift. You gave generously, but more importantly, you gave differently. You gave with curiosity, humility, and accountability.

We also laid the foundation for Bridging the Wealth Gap, a long-term strategy that doesn’t just respond to urgent need—it responds to historical inequity. This is not a quick campaign or a feel-good initiative. It’s a commitment to change the underlying structures that have held people back for generations. And I believe it will be one of the most important legacies this organization offers the region.

What Matters Most

When I reflect on this chapter, it’s not the strategies or metrics that stand out. It’s the people. This work has always been about people.

To the community leaders who showed up in rooms where decisions were being made, even when it was uncomfortable—thank you.
To the volunteers who gave your time, your presence, and your voice—thank you.
To the donors who didn’t see equity as a risk, but as a shared responsibility—thank you.

Your willingness to rethink, to reimagine, to let go of control in service of something greater—that’s what creates real change. You made space for transformation, not just in what we do, but in how we do it. And that is the most meaningful kind of impact.

What Comes Next

As I transition from United Way of King County, I do so not with sadness, but with hope. I leave believing in the power of the people who remain, in the initiatives still in motion, and in the relationships that will carry this work forward.

The next step for me is an expansion of this same commitment—work that will focus on building collective voice, advancing civic belonging, and deepening pathways to justice on a national scale. The context shifts. The values remain.

And I bring with me everything we’ve built together.

This moment reminds me of something I wrote during another period of change: that anxiety can be a signal, a fire alarm in the soul. But the real work is what we do with it. We don’t run from it—we run toward it. We turn that urgency into movement. Into action. Into purpose.

That’s what we’ve done here. And I will carry that with me, always.

Keep Going

To those still in the work: keep going.

In a world that rewards silence, keep speaking the truth.
In a culture that races toward quick wins, keep choosing the long game.
In a system built on scarcity, keep acting from a place of abundance.

And when the pressure builds—and it will—don’t back down.
Meet it head on.
Together.
Like a herd of buffalo moving through the storm.

To everyone who said, “What if we did this differently?”
To everyone who pushed for more courage, more equity, more honesty—
You shaped me. You shaped this organization. You are shaping the future.

As Toni Morrison once said, “You are your best thing.”

To our partners, our donors, our neighbors, our dreamers—you are our best thing.

Lindsay Harper’s last day with United Way of King County was Friday, May 16, 2025. Chief Impact Officer Regina Malveaux has stepped in as the interim Chief Philanthropy Officer. The CPO job posting can be found here.