By Andi Gates
A United Beginning
United Way of Lancaster County has been making an impact in the Lancaster community since 1925. Then known as the Welfare Federation of Lancaster, they recognized the need for an organization that could coordinate, maintain and finance the human service agencies throughout the county. The organization’s very first campaign was held in fall of 1925 with 12 organization representatives. That campaign raised a total of $197,794 for the community.
The Eras United
The Great Depression struck and starting in 1929 the Welfare Federation began working with city and county agencies to meet the growing needs of the community. This support then evolved at the start of World War II when the War Chest was established.
Started by the Chamber of Commerce, the War Chest was a fund established to support the war effort abroad and the community back home.
Following the ending of World War II, Lancaster County saw their first million-dollar campaign. Contributions skyrocketed to over $1.02 million dollars from the 24 agencies that were involved.
With the start of the 1960s, the organization starts celebrating the campaign kick-off with parades, fairs and contests. In 1961, the organization continued to grow and made the move to 630 Janet Avenue in Lancaster. Campaigns and donations continue to grow over the years.
On January 1, 1973, the Welfare Federation of Lancaster and the Community Council merged to form the United Way of Lancaster County we know today. This allowed United Way to broaden the base of its services across the county, and the organization took on active roles in agency relations and community planning.
1975 marked the 50th anniversary of United Way of Lancaster County where they adopted the tagline “Fifty Years of People Helping People.” At this point, the organization continued to grow and by 1979 there were 44 agencies under the “United Way” umbrella.
With the 1980s came the important fundraising milestones. By 1980, United Way of Lancaster County reached their first $3 million campaign. This record was shortly shattered when the organization raised $4.2 million in 1985 and then shattered once more the following year when they raised $4.6 million.
In 1986, United Way of Lancaster County bid farewell to Executive Director Gilda H. Markoski as she retired and said hello to the new leadership of President Susan C. Eckert.
Also in the 1980s, United way of Lancaster County released their first Community Needs Assessment report, merged with Lancaster Information Center and became one of the first United Way organizations in the nation to respond to the AIDS crisis by committing $25,000 to AIDS-related programs in Lancaster County. Additionally, United Way Worldwide celebrated the United Way’s National Centennial.
In 1990, United Way of Lancaster County launched their donor choice campaign which allowed donors to choose where their funds were designated. The 90s also launched the Annual Day of Caring which brought 350 volunteers together. Other volunteer activities ensued such as Super Saturday which was a day-long effort where volunteers could meet with agency representatives and work to brainstorm ideas of how to best allocate funds to meet the needs of Lancaster County residents.
At the turn of the century, United Way of Lancaster County shattered yet another donation goal and raised $8.5 million in 2000. This large fundraising year contributed to the $160 million total investments since United Way of Lancaster County began in 1925.
2000 to 2010 was another notable decade for the organization as they established two new programs, planned big and grew Day of Caring. The Women’s Leadership Council was established in 2005 and had over 2,200 women leaders collaborate for change. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program was developed in 2007 and is still around today!
In 2008, Elva Boyd Wilson became the first Lancaster County resident to join the national Million Dollar Roundtable after her historic one-million-dollar contribution to United Way of Lancaster County.
It was this year that United Way of Lancaster County implemented a 10-year plan to eliminate homelessness. They expanded the “Heading Home” initiative which became the Lancaster Coalition to End Homelessness which was an independent collaboration of many organizations. The organization also leveraged a federal government investment of $2.5 million into the 10-year plan.
Day of Caring started to expand in 2010 to a 2-day collaboration with the community. On Friday, 30 projects were completed for local organizations by over 100 volunteers. That next day, more than 2,500 volunteers, including representatives from 92 local business and civic groups, completed 120 projects for the Lancaster community.
2011 saw the establishment of Circle of Honor which strived to improved quality of workplace campaigns, employee support of and participation in United Way activities, and other non-monetary support. Lancaster Information Center also changed in 2011 after it was contracted by PA 211 Collaborative to become a call center for seven countries in eastern Pennsylvania.
United Way of Lancaster County then experienced some leadership changes starting in January 2012 when Susan Eckert retired as CEO. Patrick Jinks served as CEO of United Way of Lancaster County from 2012 until 2014 when Dr. Carol Phillips stepped in as interim CEO from 2014 to 2015 when Sue Suter moved from her position as CEO of United Way of Southern Mississippi to become United Way of Lancaster Count’s CEO in January of 2015.
While leadership changes were happening, United Way started “Collective Impact” and invested $2.85 million in their first 17 community impart partnerships and became involved in more than 100 different groups.
A year later in 2016, 211 got a big upgrade and users could now access information and referral services via text message.
More program updates happened down the line in 2019 when VITA had a record year. Volunteers for the program prepared 11,000 tax returns. United Way of Lancaster County’s Women’s Leadership Council (now known as Women United) saw updates. The program implemented new grant processes which involved voting for organizations as a group. The first vote took place at Zoetropolis in Downtown Lancaster.
Prior to Covid-19 striking, United Way of Lancaster County moved to their current location on Harrington Drive and changed leadership. Sue Suter left as CEO and Kevin Ressler began.
In response to the pandemic, the Lancaster Cares Covid-19 Response Fund was launched and aimed to give money back to those in need in the community. One United Lancaster, United Way of Lancaster County’s online news publication, also started in response to the pandemic and was led by journalist Tim Stuhldreher. The publication started as a comprehensive pandemic resource and had become the go-to source for news on local nonprofits, government, and community-driven causes until its closure in June 2025.
In January 2021, United Way of Lancaster County launched Project SOS (Share Our Stimulus). The organization also joined the Steinman Foundation to form the Lancaster Partnership for Learning Equity which served as a remote learning program for the summer months.
Later that year, United Way of Lancaster County started “Give at Work,” an internal campaign that has since been used by 20 different companies to donate through their paychecks.
A United Future
Today, United Way of Lancaster County continues to serve the community through its long-standing programs and dedicated staff, uniting individuals, businesses, and organizations to create lasting change. The organization has continued to adapt to the times, striving to improve the lives of individuals and families in Lancaster County by focusing on education, health, and economic mobility. They’ve most recently done this by creating the Food and Shelter Fund, a fund made to fill the ESFP funding gap following federal cuts and funding uncertainty in 2025.
Here’s to a Century United and many more years of people helping people to come.
