Local Nonprofits Unite to Strengthen Advocacy in Winchester

Written By Katie Vance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Nonprofit Collaborative
Advocacy@UnitedWayNSV.org

Local Nonprofits Unite to Strengthen Advocacy in Winchester

New Task Force Elevates Essential Services as Economic Infrastructure

Winchester, VA | 9/23/2025 — At a time when too many families in Winchester are struggling just to make ends meet, local nonprofits are stepping forward with a unified voice. The newly established Nonprofit Collaborative brings together frontline organizations to advance fair public policy and safeguard the sustainability of services that keep families stable and the economy strong.

We are not charity. We are infrastructure. From housing to health care, from crisis response to workforce support, nonprofits are the scaffolding that holds communities together. When they are destabilized, the ripple effects are felt in emergency rooms, schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, and law enforcement systems across Winchester.

Why This Matters Now

The numbers tell a stark story:

  • The median household income in Winchester is just $64,648.1

  • According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a household of four (two adults, two children) in the Winchester, VA metropolitan area requires $125,007 annually to meet basic living expenses without assistance 2

  • That means many families fall short by more than $40,000-$61,000 annually.

This is not something we can fundraise our way out of through dated views of charity. The scale of the challenge far outpaces bake sales, banquets, or emergency appeals.

  • Added together, Winchester families face a collective shortfall of tens of millions of dollars each year.

  • That is money not being spent in local grocery stores, on rent that stabilizes neighborhoods, or on doctor’s visits that keep workers healthy.

  • It represents lost revenue for businesses, diminished productivity for employers, and higher costs for taxpayers when preventable crises show up in emergency rooms, shelters, law enforcement, or jails instead of being solved upstream.

When families fall short, the whole city feels the impact. The workforce contracts, schools and health systems strain, and Winchester’s economic growth stalls. This is not just a social problem. It is an economic one.

That is why Nonprofit Collaborative exists: to move beyond the myth that nonprofits alone can patch the cracks, and instead champion system-level solutions that strengthen community infrastructure, expand opportunity, and build resilience for every household.

“Nonprofits are not a safety-net afterthought,” said Andy Gail, a local nonprofit leader and task force media contact. “By working together, we can shape policy that reflects local realities, ensure fair access to resources, and build the resilience our community needs to thrive.”

Mission and Vision

The Nonprofit Collaborative’s mission is to unite nonprofit organizations to amplify their collective voices, advance fair public policy, and safeguard the sustainability of vital community services.

The coalition’s vision is a thriving Winchester where nonprofits are recognized as professional and vital, fully supported, and empowered to:

  • Shape public policy that reflects local realities through nonpartisan advocacy.

  • Guarantee reliable access to resources for every household.

  • Build stronger, more resilient communities that serve all residents.

Guiding Principles

Nonprofit Collaborative is committed to:

  • Collaboration and Solidarity: Rising together with shared purpose.

  • Collective Action: Engaging, sharing knowledge, and mobilizing for meaningful change.

  • Community Over Politics: Focusing on people, families, and neighborhoods, not partisanship.

  • Integrity and Respect: Ensuring all voices are valued, especially those historically underrepresented.

Shared Values, Shared Future

Founding members include AIDS Response Effort (ARE), CCAP, Concern Hotline, Laurel Center, Our Health, Sinclair Health Clinic, United Way NSV, and WATTS. Together, these groups and others who have joined are the backbone of Winchester’s stability, keeping families housed, safe, and connected to opportunity.

“Every nonprofit in this coalition is doing more than filling a gap. We are strengthening the local economy and ensuring Winchester’s resilience for the long haul,” Gail continued. “The Nonprofit Collaborative calls on policymakers, funders, and local employers to join in advancing solutions that stabilize families and strengthen Winchester’s economy.”

About the Nonprofit Collaborative

The Nonprofit Collaborative is a grassroots coalition of nonprofit organizations in the Winchester area. Through collaboration, shared advocacy, and unified messaging, the Nonprofit Collaborative strengthens the impact of nonprofits and the communities they serve.

Media Contact: Andy Gail | agail@unitedwaynsv.org | 314-749-1419

Footnotes

1.       United for ALICE, Virginia County Reports (interactive map, “Virginia | United For ALICE”), accessed October 2025 — https://www.unitedforalice.org/county-reports/virginia#13/39.1677/-78.1687

2.       Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Living Wage Calculator: Winchester, VA Metropolitan Area (2024 Update). Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Retrieved October 2025 from https://livingwage.mit.edu/metros/49020

Katie Vance