About uS

A territorial acknowledgement is an important way of honouring the land on which our successes have been built, and the Indigenous people who have been living on and caring for this land for thousands of years.

We offer this acknowledgment an act towards reconciliation between non-Indigenous Canadians and Indigenous peoples in Canada. We also continue to mourn the many children who died at residential schools across Canada, and the ongoing trauma of the residential school system. We will continue to work alongside our partners in supporting change, and we commit to listening, learning, and unlearning. We also commit to looking deeply at and altering our own practices that harm, reinforce systemic racism, and contribute to the ongoing legacy of colonialism.

We acknowledge that the land on which we live and work is the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee (Ho-den-oh-show-nee), the Anishnaabe (Ah-nish-naw-bay), and (Chi-nawn-ton) Chonnonton People.

We acknowledge the enduring presence of the Indigenous people with whom we share this land, their achievements and their contributions to our community.

We want everyone who visits our website to feel welcome and find the experience rewarding. We want this to be a positive place for everyone and we’ve been working hard to make our content accessible for people with disabilities, and user friendly for everyone. 

Our Promise 

We recognize that the information on our website may not be accessible to everyone. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We will work with you to provide information about our work in a way that works for you. 

Let us know what you think… 

Call us at 519-888-6100

We recognize that improving the lives of everyone in the communities we serve means we must explicitly focus on removing barriers for those most harmed by them. Harm has been done through our history of colonialism, systemic racism, and other intersecting oppressions. It has resulted in persistent barriers, exploitation, and limited access to opportunities for people identifying as Indigenous, Black, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, persons of differing abilities, and other marginalized groups causing long-term social, economic, and health disparities.

In our work, we listen deeply to the community and aspire to address belief systems, attitudes, policies, and practices that privilege some and oppress others. It is only through this intentional work that we can aspire to create the conditions that allow everyone the opportunity to thrive.

We are committed to doing the work that removes barriers, which means changing our organization’s policies, processes, and practices that systemically exclude or disadvantage these groups. And it means working in closer partnership with the people and communities that our work is intended to benefit.

We can and will use the principles of reconciliation and equity to make clear and measurable changes to eliminate systemic racism and discrimination from our work.  In doing this, we will continue to demonstrate commitment to fighting poverty in all its forms.

Philanthropy is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:

– To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.

– To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.

– To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.

– To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.

– To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.

– To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and confidentiality to the extent provided by law.

– To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.

– To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.

-To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.

Feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.

Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), all rights reserved.  Reprinted with permission from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

United Way Waterloo Region Communities is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals, corporations and clients by complying with all applicable privacy legislation as it affects its employees, volunteers, donors and agencies.

We understand that corporate and individual donors care about confidentiality of personal information and that the protection of personal information is a good business practice. To this end, we strive to protect the confidentiality of all personal information we collect and use.

Under the terms of our Privacy Policy, a member of our senior management team is responsible for ensuring the following practices:

1. The purpose for collecting personal and/or corporate information will be identified at or before the information is collected.
2. When personal or corporate information is to be used for a purpose other than the original intent, consent of the individual or representative of the corporation will be obtained.
3. Personal information shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other than for which it was collected.
4. Personal information shall be accurate, complete and up-to-date.
5. Upon written request, an individual or corporation shall be informed of the existence, use and disclosure of personal information and given access to that information.
6. Personal and corporate information will not be published without consent.
7. The collection of personal and/or corporate information shall be limited to that which is necessary for the purposes of United Way WRC.
8. Access to sensitive personal and corporate information will be limited to senior staff members.
9. Personal and/or corporate information will be removed from any mailing lists at the request of the individual or representative of the corporation.
10. Complaints regarding safeguarding, accuracy, consent, disclosure, retention, destruction, use or access to personal and/or corporate information will be directed to the Privacy Officer.
11. All complaints will be investigated and responses provided in a timely manner. United Way WRC will take appropriate measures to correct information and/or information-handling procedures, practices and procedures.
12. All staff and volunteers will be trained to ensure accurate and consistent implementation of the privacy policy and practices.
13. The Privacy Policy and practices will be integrated into staff training and volunteer orientation.
14. All staff, Board of Directors and Committee Volunteers must read and sign an agreement of confidentiality.
15. Each year, United Way Waterloo Region Communities shall conduct a privacy audit to ensure that the above practices are being implemented.