MEET NED MONTGOMERY, LONGTIME SUPPORTER, ADVOCATE, AND ACTIVE REGIONAL BOARD MEMBER.
“I have been a donor of United Way, or as we used to call it ‘The Community Chest’, since college. When I was moved to Philadelphia to Chair Mellon Bank, I became more actively engaged with our local United Way. Shortly after, I became Chair of the Corporate Giving Division and in 1989, I became Chair of the Annual Campaign. To this day, I’m still proud of our accomplishment of raising $58 million that year.
In August 1989, I retired from Mellon Bank and spent most of my free time working closely on United Way’s Annual Campaign. In 1990, as an active volunteer, I was approached by the Board to work for United Way. While I enjoyed my retirement and being a volunteer, my daughters insisted that the best way to create lasting change would be to join the organization from the inside. They were right!
For the next three years, I worked as United Way’s SVP of Resource Development and donated my salary back to the organization. In the following years, I held different roles including leading outreach efforts to grow our Tocqueville Society, and I’m pleased to say that we grew the largest chapter in the US. I also had the pleasure of hiring and serving alongside President and CEO Christine James-Brown, who then became President and CEO of United Way International and now serves as the President and CEO of the Child Welfare League of American (CWLA).
I have now worked for United Way for 31 years, as a staff member, management, team participant, board member, and volunteer. I love United Way – its employees, donors, and board members – but especially its mission of helping those who need help the most in our community. Our vision is to save and change lives.
I have given up trying to retire, because there’s still so much we can accomplish by LIVING UNITED and addressing the pressing problems poverty has created in our communities.”
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