22 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JULY 2019
CORNER OFFICE
UNITED WAY OF LI PRESIDENT & CEO THERESA REGNANTE LEADING THE WAY BY JAMES BERNSTEIN
Theresa Regnante is President and
CEO of United Way of Long Island,
the region's largest philanthropic
organization, which works with
more than 100 community partners
to support education, health care,
career training, and housing needs
of thousands of people in Nassau and
Suffolk counties. She first worked for
United Way of Long Island in 1986,
leaving in 2003 to take a position
with the EAC Network. She returned
to United Way in 2009, as President
and CEO. She was raised in West
Islip and graduated from High Point
University in North Carolina.
How do you approach companies
and individuals for donations in
this age of Twitter and everything
digital? It has becoming increasingly
difficult in the age of technology to
gain support where we do not have
easy access to direct interface. The
best way for us to steward our donors
is by meeting with people one-on-one
and discussing United Way’s impact.
What has been the biggest change?
Twenty years ago, our revenue
stream was dominated by large
companies. Since then, Long Island’s
corporate and economic landscape
has changed so our fundraising
strategy has also changed. Today we
obtain grants from federal and state
government and foundations, and
we receive gifts from high net-worth
individuals. While we have enhanced
our revenue portfolio, we still rely on
loyal individuals in the workplace to
support United Way.
Then you are still growing? Today,
our budget is around $18 million. Ten
years ago, our budget was $15 million.
Have you been impacted by President
Trump’s tax overhaul? It’s
difficult to measure if the change
in the tax status has impacted our
organization. Regardless of who is
leading the country, we must raise
the revenue needed to impact results.
Can you talk about the $1.1 million
federal grant you were recently
awarded to help operate Youth-
Build in Hempstead? YouthBuild is
a program for men and women ages
18 to 24 to work toward their TASC
High School Equivalency Diploma,
while earning essential job skills.
Graduates are placed in career
apprenticeships or a college degree
program. There are more than 200
YouthBuild programs nationwide
and, in 2018, United Way of Long Island
was one of 81 recipients across
32 states to receive a U.S. Department
of Labor YouthBuild grant.
Do you think most people on Long
Island are aware of the work you
do? The more than 300,000 people
who receive services certainly understand
our impact. United Way
operates programs directly, makes
grants and works with community
partners, so we are not easily
understood. Organizations
with a singular focus,
like Habitat for Humanity,
have a clearer
understanding in
the public eye.
How do you basically
describe
yourself to
people? United
Way provides
and connects
people to resources.
We
help all of our neighbors, including
the unemployed and working families.
We help veterans get on their
feet through Mission United, we
help families through times of financial
difficulty with Project Warmth,
Long Island’s only non-governmental
emergency fuel fund, we provide
career training through YouthBuild
and VetsBuild programs, and we
provide support to more than 100
partner agencies across Long Island.
Tell us about your efforts in housing.
United Way has been building
homes for 20 years. For the past four
years, we’ve been the Grand Winner
of the U.S. Department of Energy
Housing Innovation Awards in the
area of Affordable Housing. We just
completed
our first home in partnership with
the Suffolk County Landbank in East
Patchogue. Our housing model is to
develop homes that prioritize energy
efficiency and low operating costs.
Do you plan to build more Zero
Energy-Ready Homes? Our goal
is to lead the nonprofit housing industry
in the latest technology and
detailing in order to build healthy
and high-performance homes.
What’s coming up that’s important
for Long Island’s needy population?
The U.S. Census, which helps
determine how federal funds are
allocated, for health and welfare, so it
is important to make sure this region
is not undercounted. We’ve got to get
it right or the dollars don’t come in.
Would you consider doing something
else with your life? Every
day is a different journey. I am
challenged by the opportunities
across the region to affect positive
change and use my creativity
to build partnerships. It’s a
position that’s very rewarding,
to know that we are helping many
Long Island families.
“United Way fights for the health, education and
financial stability of every person
in every community.”
United Way of Long
Island President
and CEO Theresa
Regnante is a
local philanthropic
powerhouse.
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