United Way of Buffalo & Erie County announces final 2022 campaign revenue

United Way of Buffalo & Erie County (UWBEC) announced this week a grand total of $11,538,985 in campaign revenue for its 2022 fundraising campaigns. The total comes from a combination of individual donations, workplace campaigns, corporate and foundation support, special fundraising initiatives and endowment and planned giving.

Of those total dollars raised, more than $2.4 million are attributed to two special disaster funds: The Buffalo Together Community Response Fund, a collaboration of local funders dedicated to long-term revitalization of east Buffalo following 5/14; and the Community Resilience Fund, UWBEC’s evergreen response fund launched in the wake of the December 2022 blizzard.

“In each of the crises our community has faced these last few years, our network of partners immediately turned to us as a source of information, collaboration, and vehicle for deploying donations into the community,” said Trina Burruss, president and CEO of United Way of Buffalo & Erie County. “It is a testament to the value of United Way’s reach and visibility, and we are proud to have been able to play such a role in mobilizing resources in difficult times.”

The remaining $9.1 million in total fundraising is attributed to United Way’s campaign, which includes both donor-restricted pledges as well as the unrestricted funds that fuel United Way’s direct community impact work and program investments.

While this number represents an approximately 10% decline, the organization said it remains optimistic.

“The fact is that over 24,000 donors and 500-plus organizations came together to make life better for our neighbors through the United Way Campaign last year,” Burruss said. “We see things like Wegmans, who for the fifth consecutive year raised over $1 million. We see over 100 years of partnership with leading community organizations like M&T Bank, who has been part of UWBEC since our founding in 1917. Those numbers are inspiring.”

The 2023 United Way campaign will officially kick off in August. However, community members are invited to give back anytime at uwbec.org.

For over 100 years, United Way of Buffalo & Erie County has fought to improve the health, education and financial stability of people in the community. Learn more at uwbec.org.