United Way of North Central Florida (UWNCF) unveiled its new brand and strategy for community involvement on Wednesday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.  

Since April 2023, the nonprofit has worked with its parent organization, United Way Worldwide (UWW), one of the largest nonprofits in the world, to analyze its work and to plan for how it will operate in the future.  

Amber Miller, CEO of the UWNCF, said everyone had their heads down working since the COVID-19 pandemic, but she said it was a good exercise to work through the nonprofit’s role and ask how the work could improve.  

She said United Way started as an organization to support and help raise funds for nonprofits. Now, she said a lot of nonprofits have set systems for fundraising. 

Miller said United Way has expanded its service territories, now focusing on a healthy community, youth opportunity, financial security and community resiliency. She said a primary focus will be ALICE households (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed). These are working families who barely live above the federal poverty line but still struggle to make ends meet.  

Miller said 52% of United Way’s territory (Alachua, Bradford, Dixie, Gilchrist, Levy and Union counties) live within the ALICE thresholds.  

The shift in focus meant leaving other work to other organizations. Earlier this year, United Way decided to stop being the lead agency for the Continuum of Care in the area that coordinates homelessness services.  

Miller said the nonprofit will also focus on community resiliency after Hurricane Idalia last year. 

“We were thrust into some work that we had not done before, and we made connections and built relationships and learned a lot from that experience,” Miller said.  

With the new focus comes a new motto: United is the Way.