United Way’s Annual Events Day of Action and Advocacy Day Rally Volunteers and Advocates

ALEXANDRIA, VA (June 17, 2020) – United Way’s two annual June events: United Way Day of Action and Advocacy Day will both encourage individuals to support their communities virtually and remotely this year for the first time. Day of Action, occurring each year around June 21, is United Way’s annual volunteer activation in communities around the world. United Way’s Advocacy Day is an annual meeting for United Way staff and their Members of Congress to advocate for the issues most important to their local communities.

“Advocacy Day and United Way Day of Action go hand in hand in supporting the work that we undertake each and every day,” said Brian Gallagher, President and CEO, United Way Worldwide. “United Way is proud to stand up for the most vulnerable in our communities who we see even more clearly in the wake of the COVID-19 health crisis. I am inspired by our team’s innovation in offering virtual opportunities for people everywhere to support their neighbor in need. United Way should be defined not by what we have done, but what we are doing and will do.”

United Way Day of Action: United Way Day of Action is a coordinated network-wide global day of service that convenes people to give, advocate and volunteer to enrich their communities. From meal and supply distribution, to online tutoring and mentoring to conducting wellness checks for seniors and other vulnerable populations, in addition to many other important tasks, thousands of volunteers join United Way to make their communities stronger through Day of Action.  

Some examples of 2020 activities include:

• Leveraging technology, delivering meals, and performing home repairs for individuals age 65 and older to help them stay connected to their community and comfortably and safely age in place.
• Hosting virtual career fairs and volunteering to conduct mock interviews that engage young adults and job seekers across a variety of industries.
• Developing literacy skills and a love of reading for children by recoding videos of volunteers reading age-appropriate books.
• Creating notes of encouragement and care packages for individuals and families in isolation and those who are experiencing homelessness.

United Way Advocacy Day: The Annual Advocacy Forum is a convening of United Way leaders to conduct in person meetings with Members of Congress and their staff about the most pressing issues in their local communities. On June 18, the meetings will be conducted virtually for the first time. Investments in the policies and community supports that these leaders will advocate for will support the work of local United Ways in communities and enable financial stability for those who need it most. 

Among the top network priorities to be discussed are:

• Expanding and making permanent the charitable deduction
• Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC)
• Temporarily increasing the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (Medicaid FMAP) 

Sign up for a volunteer activity by visiting: unitedway.org/dayofaction  

Learn about United Way’s advocacy work by visiting: unitedway.org/public-policy

About United Way
United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors worldwide and $4.7 billion raised every year, United Way is the world's largest privately funded nonprofit. We're engaged in nearly 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit www.UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.