For 80 years Trident United Way has been an impactful agent of change in fulfilling its mission of uplifting our community. Since we were established, we have refined our mission focus twice. For the past two decades we've focused on the three impact areas of education, financial stability and health.
We have once again reached a moment in time where we are looking to our community to reevaluate our work based on the current needs of our neighbors and our capacity to best serve and support them. After more than a year of research, discussion and consideration, Trident United Way’s board and staff have voted to shift our mission work away from the three-pronged approach to a single focus: Financial Stability for Tri-County families.
In the coming months we will continue this transition by finalizing a Bold Community Goal with the input and support of our nonprofit partners. We look forward to embracing this new direction and are eager to share the finalized bold goal and strategic plan, as well as our updated mission and vision statement, with our community.
As an organization, we are confident that with the continued dedication and passion of our staff, board, nonprofit partners and the greater community, we will continue to make a profound impact on the lives of households living below the ALICE® Threshold in our community.
Mission
Trident United Way is a catalyst for measurable community transformation in education, financial stability and health.
Vision
To be the leader in uniting our community to improve lives.
Our Direction
Trident United Way is proud to work with all its donors, partners and volunteers. Your commitment and contributions make a positive difference in people’s lives through education, financial stability and health in the Tri-County region. Our collaborative efforts are more than simply philanthropic – they are also strategic and data-driven. Together we are working to improve educational outcomes for all students, improve opportunity for all people to enjoy a quality standard of living, and improve the health of all individuals. Trident United Way's approach gives everyone involved the opportunity to unite and make real strides in creating lasting change right here at home.
Who we are
Community Connector
Strategic Partner
Volunteer Engager
Grantor
Organizational Equity Statement
We recognize structural racism and other forms of oppression have contributed to persistent inequities which United Way seeks to understand and address. We acknowledge that these inequities are the result of policies and practices that have worked, intentionally and unintentionally, to marginalize people of color. We unequivocally denounce racism and race-based discrimination because it undermines the well-being and vitality of our communities.
United Way strives to listen and take action, especially along with those whose voices have traditionally been marginalized. We work with residents and public and private partners to co-create solutions that ensure everyone has the resources, supports, opportunities and networks they need to thrive. We commit to leveraging all our assets (convening, strategic investments, awareness building, advocacy) to create more equitable communities.
Source: United Way Worldwide Equity Framework developed in collaboration with local United Ways.
CY PRES AWARDS
Cy Pres is a doctrine that permits a court to award any unallocated, unclaimed or undeliverable funds from a settlement or judgment to a nonprofit organization. Trident United Way accepts cy pres awards and is grateful for the support that these awards contribute to our community.
Trident United Way works to assist communities to promote an equitable and sustainable quality of life so that every person can achieve their greatest potential. We focus on improving the education, financial stability and health of Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties. Trident United Way works to bridge people, local nonprofits, corporations and resources so individuals and families can thrive in the Tri-County. Our efforts in many substantive areas, such as employment, housing, disaster recovery, community resilience, health and well-being, and education, provides a connection to most types of class action cases.
If you are considering making a cy pres award to Trident United Way, please contact Danielle Trauth-Jurman, Director of Planned Giving and Endowment Strategy, at dtrauthj@tuw.org or (843) 740-7756.
Our History
Trident United Way was established as the Community Chest in 1944 in Charleston, S.C. The organization worked to raise funds through one general annual campaign and distribute to member agencies.
Previous iterations of the philanthropic organization in Charleston included the Social Services Exchange, established in 1922 to reduce duplication of services and competition for resources. The Social Services Exchange became a member of the short-lived Community Chest in 1925.
Community Chests had increased in number across the United States, with about 1,000 in existence by 1948. The rise in popularity of war bonds paved the way for payroll deductions as a method for raising funds for philanthropic purposes. Community Chests eventually became United Ways and adopted this practice nationwide.
Charleston's Community Chest underwent several name changes throughout the years, including Community Chest of Charleston County, Community Chest Red Cross, United Fund and United Community Services. When services were expanded in the 1970s to include Berkeley and Dorchester Counties, the organization was renamed Trident United Way.
Despite several name changes, the purpose of Trident United Way has always been clear: to be a constructive agent of change in fulfilling its mission of helping people. Today, Trident United Way focuses on three impact areas: education, financial stability and health. It uses a combination of program funding for other agencies in addition to serving as the backbone in collective impact initiatives that bring organizations from across the Tri-County together to solve problems that no one organization can solve alone.
Former Board Chairs
Mark Lewis
Wendy Kopp
Tim Grow
Stephen K. Polston
Fleetwood S. Hassell
Robert F. Fei
PJ Browning
Edward A. Rose III
Bruce Hoffman
Todd Galllati
Don Kassing
Charles Patrick
Lonnie N. Carter
David L. Dunlap
Bill Finn
Len Hutchinson
Larry Tarleton
Jesse Dove
William A. Moody, Jr.
A. Thomas Hood
Anita Zucker
David Q. Soutter
S. Cal McMeeking, Jr.
James C. Murray
Mary Thornley, Ed. P
Y.W. Scarborough III
Paul G. Campbell, Jr.
Elizabeth Marshall
Kenneth R. Ford
John M. Jordan, Jr.
True G. Applegate
George J. Bullwinkel, Jr.
Henry J. Blackford III
Henry J. Lee, Sr.
Marvin Johnson
John H. Allen, Jr.
N. Winfield Sapp, Jr.
Daniel L. McKnight, Jr.
Mgen. James A. Grimsley
Dr. Gordan B. Stine
Hugh C. Lane, Jr.
Vernon B. Strickland
Harold S. Pettit, M.D.
Leonard C. Fulghum
O. Johnson Small
W.B. Chisholm
C. Ronald Coward
Wilmot Gibbs
O. Rhett Talber, M.D.
Dr. Theodore S. Stern
John M. Settle
John E. Huguley
John G. Seabrook
Henry B. Smythe, Sr.
G.K. Livingston, Jr.
James B. Bagwell, Jr.
Thomas E. Thornhill
Richard B. Grimball
Henry Deas, Jr.
Frank S. Henley
Lloyd S. Liles
David T. Coleman
William P. Brennan
J. Conrad Zimmerman, Sr.
Batson L. Hewitt
Newton F. Hancock
Hugh C. Lane, Sr.
J. Edwin Schachte, Jr.
Horace G. Adams
W. Harold Butt
John M. Rivers, Sr.
Julius Schroeder
Harold A. Pettit
Y.W. Scarborough, Sr.
C.W. Legerton
C. Bissell Jenkins