Mission & Values

We believe that our greatest strength is our ability to bring people together, from all walks of life, to build a better region. This is supported by our well-earned reputation for trust, transparency and integrity. Of course, we wouldn’t be who we are without each one of us—employees and volunteers alike—living and breathing a set of common core values. We make it a priority to recognize employees who exemplify these values, and we’re often recognized for upholding them as an organization: we’re proud to be among MediaCorp Canada’s GTA Top 100 Employers again this year!

At United Way, our mission is to meet urgent human needs and improve social conditions by mobilizing the community’s volunteer and financial resources in a common cause of caring. Here are the core values that guide everything we do:

Working collaboratively with the community is at the heart of our work. Because, when people come together, we can accomplish so much more than we ever could alone.

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. This includes addressing the belief systems and attitudes, systems, policies, practices that privilege some and disenfranchise others, including Indigenous and Black people who have specifically faced historical disadvantage, the impacts of which continue today. Our commitment to reconciliation and equity means changing our organization’s policies, processes and practices that systemically exclude or disadvantage these groups.  It means working in closer partnership with the people and communities that our work is intended to benefit. Our vision includes communities where Indigenous sovereignty is honoured, where people’s unique identities, experiences and voices are valued, celebrated, and protected and where all have the resources and social capital to ensure their wellbeing and prosperity. 

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion also means we embrace different abilities, perspectives and experiences and we work actively to welcome, celebrate and value the contributions of all.

We deeply value the trust that the community has placed in us, and we work tirelessly to ensure that this trust will always be well founded.

Devoted to excellence and innovation, we strive to go beyond expectations, always seeking new and better ways to achieve our shared goals.

We are motivated by a strong commitment to service—to our donors, our neighbours and our region. Our achievements are defined by the collective success of the communities we serve.