Entrepreneur Minute – Sara Fawcett, United Way of the Midlands

The Who’s on the Move, Entrepreneur Minute is an interview in support of the undeniable impact that entrepreneurs have on our communities. In this series you will see a diverse group of entrepreneurs, including some incredible innovators from the non profit world.

We would like to thank our sponsors of this video series:

• NP Strategy
• First Community Bank
• City of Columbia’s Office of Business Opportunities
• The Riley Institute at Furman University
• SCRA

Sara Fawcett, President & CEO, United Way of the Midlands

United Way of the Midlands is excited to introduce the Campaign for Good, a significant initiative inspired by an extraordinary $10 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott—the largest individual gift in the organization’s history. This campaign aims to match the generous contribution by rallying community support to reach our goal of matching Scott’s $10 million gift with local contributions, funding programs that address key challenges in education, employment, healthcare, and housing. United Way sees this as an opportunity to strengthen its long-term mission to create generational change in the Midlands.

The Campaign for Good builds on United Way’s legacy of nearly a century of service, during which it has balanced immediate support for health and human services with long-term community development. The impact of Scott’s donation has already been significant, enabling a $4 million investment in the WellPartners program for free vision and dental care, and a $4 million investment in affordable housing, including initiatives such as the “Village at Winnsboro” project for teachers in Fairfield County School District. By matching this gift, United Way aims to scale its efforts and deepen its impact in the community.

As United Way of the Midlands approaches its 100th anniversary in 2025, the organization invites the community to play an active role in shaping the future. President & CEO Sara Fawcett emphasizes that the Campaign for Good represents a transformative opportunity for the Midlands, helping families achieve economic stability, supporting higher education attainment, particularly for young men of color, and expanding workforce development. Community involvement in this campaign will help sustain United Way’s mission and create lasting change for future generations.

To date, the community has raised over $9 million dollars. To donate, CLICK HERE.

Below is our full conversation with Sara Fawcett, President & CEO, United Way of the Midlands. You can also listen to this as a podcast on Apple and Spotify. Just search for the WhosOnTheMove SC podcast and please consider subscribing.