United Way of Greater Warren County and United Way of Knox County are proud to announce that effective September 1, 2025, they will be merged and re-named United Way of West Central Illinois. According to United Way Worldwide, forty-six United Ways in the nation merged last year.
Both United Way boards agree that by combining efforts, United Way of West Central Illinois will provide more resources to local nonprofits, reduce administrative costs, and respond more effectively to community needs. This merger is the result of months of careful planning, with guidance from a professional facilitator and support from trusted partners at the Galesburg Community Foundation. Five current board members from Knox County have joined the existing board from Greater Warren County, which ensures a continuum of knowledge and leadership.
“This merger is not only a strategic move destined to enhance the power of impact for the non-profits we care about. More importantly, this is an opportunity for donors to see maximum impact from every gift,” said Jeannie Weber, who will be continuing as executive director. Weber, who has served for 10 years at Greater Warren County, was elected by both boards to continue serving as executive director for West Central Illinois. Under her leadership, United Way has grown extensively since she returned to the area in 2015.
This year as Weber served as executive director of Greater Warren County, she has also served as interim director of Knox County since March. She also participated with representatives from both boards in the merger process. United Way of Knox County had been predominantly focused on programming. Weber has worked diligently with Knox County’s board of directors to ensure that all of the programming provided was seamlessly redirected so that no services were lost as a result of this merger.
As United Way of West Central Illinois moves forward, the only change that will take place will be the expansion in United Way’s ability to provide resources to the region. The organization’s offices will remain in Monmouth, which is also central to the four counties now being served. The Len G. Everett endowment will continue to be restricted to offset local administrative expenses, which will allow the United Way to disburse much more funding to local nonprofits.
The majority of nonprofits that have been supported by both United Ways have been serving the four-county area for years. The current United Way of Greater Warren County has been supporting many of those services in Warren, Henderson, and Mercer counties for the last three years. The opportunity merging with Knox County brings to the region will positively impact all of the nonprofits, because more funding will be available to all of them. This means that every community in the region will be stronger.
“We are very excited about the influence our fundraising will have on nonprofits who need our help more than ever,” said Weber. “This just makes sense. We have always been neighbors. And the highway between our counties connected us. Now, that connection will do more than ever to support all of us!”
***Courtesy of the United Way of West Central Illinois***
