Donna Ng did not arrive at United Way of San Joaquin County with a plan.
In the summer of 1976, she was a teenager in a youth employment program, sent to an organization she had never heard of. The assignment was simple: help assemble pledge forms for workplace giving campaigns, sometimes working in the basement of a neighboring building.
“I literally worked in the basement … and worked my way up,” Ng said.
At the time, it was just a summer job, one of many small beginnings that come and go without much thought. She did not expect to stay.
Fifty years later, Ng is still at United Way of San Joaquin County, now serving as donor relations director and holding the distinction of the longest-serving United Way employee in the country. Her milestone comes as the local chapter marks another: its centennial year, 100 years after it was founded in 1926.
The overlap of those timelines — a century-old institution and a half-century career within it — tells a story not just about longevity, but about continuity, memory and trust.
“There would be no United Way without Donna,” said Kristen Spracher-Birtwhistle, the local chapter’s president and CEO.
United Way is one of the largest philanthropic networks in the world, with chapters across the United States and in dozens of countries. In San Joaquin County, its work is often less visible than the organizations it supports, but central to how those organizations function.
The local chapter raises money and redistributes it to nonprofits, often as unrestricted funding, allowing them to meet needs that are not always covered by grants or government programs. It also serves as a convener, bringing together nonprofits, public agencies and community partners to respond to crises and ongoing challenges.
“We are the Chamber of Commerce of nonprofits,” Spracher-Birtwhistle said.
That role has meant mobilizing during moments of urgency — from public health crises to conversations around youth violence — while also sustaining the quieter, ongoing work that rarely draws attention.
Over decades, the details of that work have changed. Technology has replaced manual systems, funding models have evolved, community needs have shifted. But inside the organization, one thing has remained steady.
“(Ng is) the steadiness of United Way. … She is the keel of this organization,” Spracher-Birtwhistle said.
Ng’s career has unfolded alongside those changes. What began as a small office with fewer than 10 employees gradually expanded, adapting to new expectations and new demands.
Her understanding of the organization did not come immediately.
“It was like a lightbulb,” Ng said. “I thought, Oh, I get how this works now.”
She came to see United Way not only as a workplace, but as a system, one built on relationships, trust and repetition.
“I always thought of United Way kind of like a wheel,” she said. “It just goes around. … Every season has a different component to it.”
That rhythm — constant, but never static — is part of what kept her there.
“I never had that feeling like I didn’t want to get up and go to work,” she said. “It was always … you got to meet a lot of people in the community. It was never boring.”
Over time, her role shifted into donor relations, placing her at the center of those relationships. Many in the community came to know her not only as an employee, but as the person who answered the phone, welcomed visitors and connected people to the resources they needed.
“Donna has always been the very first person people see when they walk into United Way,” said Angie Sanger, a colleague of 42 years. “She has a really warm personality. She reaches out to people, she cares about them, and they know that she cares.”
Sanger said Ng’s role extends far beyond her title, helping orient new staff and volunteers, organizing internal operations and ensuring that the group runs smoothly.
“She was involved in every aspect,” Sanger said. “She’s the person who gets people established and helps them understand the organization.”
Even the smallest details have become part of her job.
At one point, Ng coordinated the distribution of donated chocolate to local organizations and events, a role that earned her a nickname.
“She’s the chocolate lady,” Sanger said. “She made sure people had what they needed, and that left a really warm, happy feeling.”
Ng’s work has also extended beyond the office. Through partnerships with community events such as StocktonCon and Grape City Con, she has helped support outreach efforts that connect United Way to broader audiences.
“It’s a great chance to give back and get the opportunity to help others,” Ng said.
For Ng, that work has always been about something larger than the organization itself.
“Throughout my time here, I’ve worked with many great local leaders, businesses and nonprofit organizations that make it a priority to provide services and support to improve the well-being of our community,” she said. “We are truly better when we all work together.”
That perspective — focused on connection rather than recognition — is part of what has defined her role.
“Over the years I’ve known Donna, I’ve found her to be one of the most hardworking and honest people I’ve ever met,” said Doug Wilhoit, retired CEO of the Stockton Chamber of Commerce. “She’s unassuming, but she’s someone you can count on.”
Wilhoit said Ng’s consistency over decades has made her a trusted figure across both the public and private sectors.
“She’s someone we’ve relied on over the years,” he said.
Spracher-Birtwhistle said that trust is what makes Ng indispensable.
“I don’t think United Way is known as United Way. … It’s Donna,” she said. “Donna is United Way.”
She described Ng as someone who carries both the institutional memory of the organization and an instinctive understanding of the community — someone who knows how to connect people, mobilize volunteers and respond when needs arise.
At a recent event in Stockton, Ng helped organize hundreds of Easter baskets for local families, one example among many efforts she has quietly supported over the years.
“She quietly mobilizes people unlike I’ve ever seen,” Spracher-Birtwhistle said. “When Donna calls, you come.”
Ng does not frame her work in those terms.
“My main mission is to continue to be an advocate for our community partners and to connect people with the services offered in San Joaquin County,” she said. “There will always be more community needs … so we can’t stop here.”
Even after five decades, she does not speak in terms of legacy. The idea feels distant, secondary to the work itself.
When asked what she hopes people remember, she pauses.
“I never thought about that, really,” she said.
Then, simply:
“I just do what I do because I care.”