Giving Compass' Take:

• The Independent Sector profiles the United Way of Greenville County and interviews Meghan Barp, President and CEO of the organization, to demonstrate how the organization best serves community needs. 

• United Way invests in programs aimed at breaking cycles of poverty and building "Cycles of Success." Does this model center community members at the core of developing solutions and opportunities?

• Read more about community development: strategies that serve. 

IS members represent nonprofits, foundations, and corporations engaged in every kind of charitable endeavor, with missions that reflect the nearly infinite ways of working for the common good.

New member United Way of Greenville County has a vision of a cycle for success for everyone in Greenville County, South Carolina. To build this cycle, United Way leads and supports partnerships to address shared community challenges. We spoke with Meghan Barp, President and CEO of United Way of Greenville County.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your career path and how you arrived at your present position. 

MB: I have had the privilege of being in the nonprofit sector for my entire career, and I’ve done that in great cities around the country. I started my career overseeing the youth programming at the YWCA of the city of New York in Midtown Manhattan. My time in this role really shaped my understanding of social justice, urban poverty, youth, and families and the role of the nonprofit sector in creating solutions.

Q: Describe some of the programs or services your organization runs.

MB: We invest in over 70 programs and initiatives that work together to break the cycle of poverty and build what we call a Cycle of Success. This includes strategic funding in our community fighting for the education, income, and health of all.

Q: What are you most excited about this year?

MB: There has been an increased intentionality around diversity, inclusion, and equity and we are ready to take this to the next level as an organization and as a community.

Read the full article about United Way of Greenville by Lindsay Marcal and Micah Nelson at Independent Sector.