All partner agencies provide assistance in the areas of health and human services. Most of them offer many programs, but United Way provides funds to only some of them. 

United Way also operates five local services that benefit the community. 

United Way will provides funds to about 75 specific programs at its partner agencies and elsewhere in the community in these eight action areas beginning in 2010 (from funds pledged to United Way during 2009 and thereafter): 

1. Quality Early Child Care includes the services, opportunities, and supports provided to children from the prenatal stage through entry into kindergarten. Programs in this area may include licensed child care centers, family child care providers, head start, early head start, home visitation programs, parent education programs, and family resource centers.

2. Youth Mental Health includes those services, opportunities, and supports designed to help young people effectively deal with life stressors, develop positive social interactions, and learn effective decision making skills. Programs in this area may included screening, diagnosis, non-crisis services, and positive youth development programs. 

3. Chemical Dependency Prevention includes those services, opportunities, and supports designed to keep individuals from engaging in the abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Programs may include educational programs, media campaigns, social norm change activities, and positive youth development programs.

4. Physical Fitness and Wellness includes those services, opportunities, and supports designed to promote physical activity and proper diet. Programs may include educational programs, individual and group instruction, fitness centers, organized sports, nutrition/meal programs, and social norm changing activities.

5. Health Access includes those services, opportunities, and supports designed to promote and enable access to primary medical services. Programs may includes transportation services, educational programs, screening programs, facilitated enrollment programs, media campaigns, and social norm change activities.

6. Service Access for Elders includes those services, opportunities, and supports designed to promote and enable access to a wide range of services designed specifically for individuals over the age of 65 years. Programs may include transportation services, educational programs to inform seniors about available services and how to use them, media campaigns, and social norm change activities.

7. Safety Net / Basic Needs includes those services, opportunities, and supports designed to respond to the issues of hunger, homelessness, employability, income, and victimization. Programs may include transportation services, feeding programs, food pantries, emergency shelter, transitional and supportive housing, affordable housing, literacy, job training, domestic violence services, and victim services.

8. Community Needs includes those services, opportunities, and supports designed to respond to concerns and issues identified by the community which are not covered in the seven previous action areas. Programs may include non-crisis mental health services for adults; caregiver support; family violence prevention; pregnancy prevention; family planning; adoption services; civic engagement; offender diversion; child abuse, neglect, and abuse prevention; chemical abuse treatment; volunteer placement; and juvenile justice.

United Way partner agencies and the programs funded by United Way are concerned with community needs for all age groups from infants through older adults.

United Way provides Venture and Special Assistance Grants to about 12-15 local agencies each year—both partner and non-partner agencies.

The mission of United Way of Broome County as stated in the By-laws is to operate for charitable purposes only and have as its goal the development of Broome County as a community where the health, recreation, and welfare needs of all people are met equitably and thoroughly regardless of race, religion, or economic status.

In Broome County, the "united" concept of helping people dates back to at least 1918 with the formation of the Binghamton United Relief Organization. Nationally, the organization now known as United Way began in Denver, Colorado, as an effort to consolidate fund raising activities among local charities in the 1880s.

The partner agencies and direct services programs supported by United Way assisted local people more than 179,000 times in 2008

The Day of Caring program, coordinated by United Way, provides an opportunity for employee groups and others to participate in one-day volunteer projects at local non-profit agencies. Since 2002, Day of Caring has been held as a yearly event on or near the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Each year more than 1,000 volunteers participate.

United Way also helped develop a Citizens Corps Council to help the community prepare for emergencies. United Way also services on the local Federal Emergency Management Aid (FEMA) board, which helps allocate resources to the community during emergencies.

United Way is involved with the Aging Futures Partnership, which helps to identify the needs of local seniors and determine which community programs can best help fill those needs. This coalition of local organizations identified seven needs of the local aging population and has been awarded a four-year, grant to help fund strategies to address the top three issues affecting seniors: supporting caregivers, managing chronic illnesses, and reducing social isolation.

Teaming for Technology, a United Way-funded program, helps local non-profit organizations with their computing and technological needs through the distribution of computers donated by IBM and other companies, and the technical assistance provided by the program’s two staff members.

In collaboration with other organizations, United Way supports the annual "Keeping Kids Warm" coat drive for children in Broome County. About 1,000 coats are collected, cleaned, and distributed through local human service agencies, schools, and churches each year.