OUR NEXT 100 YEARS STARTS HERE
Granite United Way is turning 100 years old on March 30, 2027!
Nearly 100 years ago, Granite United Way started taking shape in Merrimack County and has grown to cover more than 85% of the state of NH and Windsor Counry, VT. What began as a commitment to serving the needs of the community has evolved in to a leading force of change.
We are planning to celebrate in some big ways including sharing stories of impact over some key eras in our history, participating in events across the state, and offering a number of ways to take part in the celebration!
This is an exciting opportunity not only honor our past but to recognize the work that remains and recommit to building communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. The needs of tomorrow may look different from those of the past 100 years, but the power of people coming together will remain essential.
In addition to celebrating our birthday in 2027, we are launching our Centennial Campaign to ensure Granite United Way is well positioned to meet the needs of our community in the future.
Nearly 100 years ago, Granite United Way started taking shape in Merrimack County and has grown to cover more than 85% of the state of NH and Windsor Counry, VT. What began as a commitment to serving the needs of the community has evolved in to a leading force of change.
We are planning to celebrate in some big ways including sharing stories of impact over some key eras in our history, participating in events across the state, and offering a number of ways to take part in the celebration!
This is an exciting opportunity not only honor our past but to recognize the work that remains and recommit to building communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. The needs of tomorrow may look different from those of the past 100 years, but the power of people coming together will remain essential.
In addition to celebrating our birthday in 2027, we are launching our Centennial Campaign to ensure Granite United Way is well positioned to meet the needs of our community in the future.
next 100 Tour
From 603 to 802, we’re showing up where you are. Celebrate 100 years with Granite United Way across the state at community events and throughout the entire year.
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100 Years of Impact
For a century, the story of Granite United Way has been written by the people in our community. What began as neighbors coming together to streamline local fundraising has grown into a powerful statewide network tackling our community’s toughest challenges. Explore the eras below to see the different ways we have strived to improve the quality of people’s lives by bringing together the caring power of communities.
1927-1969
1927 – 1969
The Evolution from Community Chest to United Way
Charitable giving across New Hampshire was fragmented and overwhelming. Independent charities constantly flooded the same donors and businesses with repeated, competing requests, making it difficult to understand where help was needed most or how funds were being managed. To solve this coordination problem, hyper-local Community Chests were created to bring participating charities into a single, annual fundraising drive. Instead of fighting for resources, local leaders reviewed community needs collectively and pooled donations into a shared community fund. As the post-WWII economy grew, these Chests evolved into United Funds, introducing the revolutionary concept of automated workplace payroll deductions. For the first time, everyday workers could easily support multiple local causes through small, regular paycheck contributions—transforming individual generosity into a reliable, sustainable safety net for the entire community.
1927
The Concord Community Chest is Formed
The Concord Community Chest officially launched to pool donations from local businesses and residents, streamlining financial distribution to multiple charitable agencies helping neighbors in need.
1950s
The Shift to United Funds and Payroll Deductions
Community Chests merged into regional United Funds to partner directly with corporate human resources departments. Automated biweekly payroll deductions were introduced, expanding the donor base far beyond wealthy elite contributors to everyday workers.
1963
Rebranding to United Way
A nationwide movement united Community Chests and United Funds under the single “United Way” brand, pivoting the organization’s focus from purely raising money to solving systemic socioeconomic challenges.
1970-2009
1970 – 2009
Building a Statewide Infrastructure
During the latter half of the 20th century, New Hampshire experienced rapid suburban growth alongside shifting economic pressures as traditional manufacturing hubs evolved. Donors and community leaders increasingly demanded deeper accountability, moving away from passive fundraising and toward measurable community impact.
To meet this shift, regional United Way chapters across New Hampshire modernized their operations. Instead of simply distributing funds to whoever asked, they adopted data-driven allocation models to target root causes of poverty, health crises, and social isolation. This era also marked a massive leap in accessibility: regional United Ways collaborated to launch the 211 NH helpline to ensure any New Hampshire resident could find local health and human service resources with a single phone call.
1970s – 1980s
The Pivot to Community Impact & Data-Driven Funding
United Ways across New Hampshire evolved from simple fundraising pass-throughs into strategic planners. Chapters began requiring participating agencies to report measurable outcomes, ensuring donor dollars targeted the state’s most critical health and human service needs.
1980 – 1990ss
Expansion of Statewide Corporate Partnerships
Individual New Hampshire United Ways grew their workplace campaign networks, partnering with large employers, healthcare systems, and retail footprints across the state to scale annual fundraising and volunteer mobilization.
2008
Launch of 211 New Hampshire
11 New Hampshire United Ways partnered to launch the statewide helpline 211 NH, making help easier to find while directing non-emergency requests away from 911 and hospital emergency rooms.
2010 – 2013
2010 – 2013
The Formation of Granite United Way
Prior to this era, eleven independent United Ways opperated in New Hampshire paying for their own separate administrative overhead, office rent, auditing, and software. In an effort to create the greatest impact in our community, six United Ways chose to merge into a single entity: Granite United Way. This new organization was able to modernized statewide giving, launch targeted data-driven initiatives and invest a larger percentage of donor dollars towards the commmunity’s greatest needs.
2010
Introduction of Statewide Online Giving (ePledge)
Granite United Way rolled out ePLedge, a secure digital giving portal, allowing statewide employers and corporate partners to streamline payroll-deduction campaigns across multiple offices in real time.
2012 – 2013
Investing in Financial Stability & Literacy
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) tax-prep pilot was expanded statewide to help filers claim millions in federal refunds and credits. Reading Plus, an advanced web-based reading platform, was introduced into classrooms, significantly boosting reading proficiency levels in young students.
2013
The Concord Plan to End Homelessness
Granite United Way took stewardship of the capital region’s housing initiative, acting as a community convener to align local shelters, housing authorities, and municipal leaders toward permanent, sustainable housing solutions.
2014 – 2016
2014 – 2016
Strategic Community Investment
With the regional mergers successfully completed, Granite United Way was uniquely positioned to lead complex statewide initiatives and drive broader change in education, financial stability, and health. Rather than acting solely as a pass-through fundraiser, the organization transformed into a philanthropic investor and back donations with clear success metrics.
When local public health challenges and community crises strained state resources, Granite United Way stepped in as a trusted coordinator. By leveraging corporate relationships, fundraising power, and public-private partnerships, we aligned schools, police departments, healthcare providers, and local nonprofits to tackle the root causes of poverty and health inequities across our communities.
2015
Launch of the Neighborhood Health Improvement Strategy
Partnering with the Manchester Health Department and Amoskeag Health, Granite United Way helped co-lead a neighborhood-level initiative to co-locate health services and basic care like the Leader in Me program inside schools, drastically reducing truancy and tackling childhood poverty root causes.
2015
Securing Fiscal Agency for Regional Public Health Networks
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services selected Granite United Way to serve as the fiscal agent for three Regional Public Health Networks, deploying community health improvement plans, mental health workshops, and permanent 24/7 prescription drug take-back boxes.
2016
Investing in the Substance Use Crisis and Safe Station
To combat the escalating opioid crisis and overcrowded emergency rooms, Granite United Way invested over $1 million, helping to launch the Safe Station model with the Manchester Fire Department and Hope for NH Recovery to give individuals immediate, 24/7 access to treatment entry points.
2017 – 2019
2017 – 2019
Total Community Impact & Building Crisis Infrastructure
By now, Granite United Way was so engrained in the comunity that it was engaging 1 in 3 New Hampshire residents as a donor, volunteer, or program beneficiary. As complex societal challenges like the opioid crisis and educational achievement gaps strained local resources, the organization shifted its model from traditional campaign fundraising to Total Community Impact.
Instead of measuring success purely by annual dollar totals, Granite United Way evaluated the impact of it’s entire ecosystem of resources including campaign donations, state and federal grants, private corporate challenge matches, and volunteer hours. This holistic framework allowed us to build permanent public-health lifelines, anchor regional crisis response networks, and target root causes of poverty through expanded youth and educational initiatives.
2017 – 2019
Scaling Reading Plus & Leader in Me as Youth Supports
The Leader in Me curriculum was expanded to all elementary and middle schools across Manchester’s West Side proactively teaching children self-regulation, emotional resilience, and personal accountability. After Reading Plus was expanded to the Berlin Middle School and successfully increased the percentage of students reading on-track from 20% to nearly 63% it was also expanded to all students across Manchester middle schools.
2018
Launching the Youth Enrichment Partnership
Granite United Way created a “hub and spoke” network bringing together 15 youth-serving agencies in Greater Manchester, embedding Amoskeag Health professional mental and behavioral health counselors directly into safe after-school environments.
2019
211 NH Designated as the Statewide Hub for “The Doorway”
As Governor Chris Sununu and the NH DHHS launched “The Doorway” program to establish regional treatment hubs for substance use disorder, the state designated the 211 NH helpline as the centralized, 24/7 entry point to route callers to care, helping thousands navigate substance misuse resources.
join us at our centennial celebration
November 6, 2027 | Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa
Stay tuned for more information about how to RSVP to our celebration.
Be Part of the celebration
There are many ways to take part in Granite United Way’s next 100 years.
Share Your Stories of Impact
Add your voice to our 100 Years of Impact timeline.
Attend an Event in Your Community
Celebrate with us at fun events across the state.
Volunteer Your Time & Talent
Join Volunteer United & sign up for Day of Caring.
Become a Founding Investor
Give to Centennial Campaign to support the next 100 years.