About the Program
Next Engaged Leaders United Committee Meetings
• Thursday, November 5 at Pioneer Bank (Adams Street)
• Thursday, December 10 at Pioneer Bank (Adams Street)
About Engaged Leaders United
Engaged Leaders United is a program for adults aged 50 and under who donate or pledge a minimum annual gift of $250 or more or a combined minimum annual gift of $500 or more with their spouse. Being an Engaged Leader will allow you to discover and expand your philanthropic passions through volunteering, networking and community involvement. Anyone who qualifies for the Engaged Leaders United program AND checks the box on their pledge form will be invited to participate in these opportunities.
The "ELU" Committee...
This group is coordinated by Greater Mankato Area United Way staff.
Important: We are actively seeking ELU members to be active members of the Engaged Leaders United Planning Committee.
To learn more or to become part of this group, contact Rachel McGregor at 507-345-4551 or rachelm@mankatounitedway.org
Other Engaged Leader Opportunities...
• Volunteer for various community projects with other leaders.
• Meet corporate and community leaders as well as other young leaders who will help you grow both professionally and in philanthropy.
Upcoming Events
Next "Tour of Giving" Speaker Series - Literacy Focus
October 22, 2026 - 12pm - 1pm - Confer Community Room, Shared Spaces, 127 S. 2nd St., Mankato. Learn more here!
2027 Fire & Ice Gala
Saturday, December 5, 2026 @ 5:00 PM - 11:30 PM, Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center Grand Hall!
Dinner! Fun! Games! Live & Silent Auctions! Live music! Cash bar! Purchase tickets here.
Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
Engaged Leaders United Spotlight
Engaged Leaders United Spotlight: Meet Emily Schanbacher
Emily Schanbacher, a member of Engaged Leaders United, is the creator and organizer of Kato Fun Run, a new community-led 5K fundraiser benefiting Greater Mankato Area United Way’s youth mental health and suicide prevention initiatives. The first Kato Fun Run will take place May 22, 2027, in North Mankato and will bring together a fun run, live music, activities, and community resources while raising money and awareness for an important cause.
Emily previously worked as the Marketing Coordinator for Greater Mankato Area United Way, where one of the campaigns she worked on focused on youth mental health. However, the pieces that eventually became Kato Fun Run started coming together much earlier. Losing one of her best friends in high school, creating an unimaginable number of funeral arrangements for children while working as a florist, and later watching her students grieve the loss of a peer to suicide were all very different experiences, but they left her with the same feeling.
“I just felt the need to do something more. I'm a marketing person, I'm creative, and apparently, I feel the need to organize things, so this is what that turned into. Somebody else's version of that might be completely different. You don’t need to create a new fundraising event from scratch to help the community in a way that feels fulfilling to you. For me, Kato Fun Run is a perfect fit. I found one piece of the mission that really stuck with me, and I wanted to invest more of myself into it.”
Emily created Kato Fun Run to celebrate life and all the joy that comes with it. She hopes that a strong turnout for the event’s inaugural year will show kids how their community will be there to love and support them.
Registration is now open at katofunrun.com!
Thank you, Emily!
