Four United Way organizations to merge into single unit to be known as United Way Golden Horseshoe

By Gazette Staff

March 29, 2025

Burlington, on

The new United Way has advised us that the four organizations pulled into a single organization didn’t have different payroll departments

Brant United Way

United Way Haldimand Norfolk

United Way Halton Hamilton

United Way Niagara

are being merged into what will be known as United Way Golden Horseshoe.  The effective date for joining together will be April 1st, 2026.

Why ? – efficiencies.  There will no longer be a need for four payroll department. Each United Way has a warehouse.  There will be just the one.

The annual fundraising drive will now have competitors from all four organizations – that should be quite an event.

The new organization will be 60+ staff members, as well as some seasonal staff who join either through the Canada Summer Jobs Program and their Sponsored Employee program.

The approximate population size of the new catchment area is 2.2 million people.

Brad Park will serve as the Interim President of the United Way Golden Horseshoe.

Brad Park will serve as the Interim President of the new organization: United Way Golden Horseshoe (UNGH).  The changes are the result of more than a year and a half of study and review.  Eliminating some of the overlap will allow the merged United Ways to put more people in the field.

Donations raised in each community will be spent in those communities.

The disbursement of funds will be done locally. UWGH has said there will be no changes in the 2026 distribution.  They want the organizational change to settle in and then begin looking at what, if any changes can or should be made.

The United Way sector faces the same financial realities that every organization faces.  It is getting harder and harder to raise funds while the needs grow at a rate that is also growing.

More as the United Way works its way through these changes.