Gain Support from Top Management

Support from top management will make your job easier and your campaign more successful.  Find out what resources are available and strive for the following commitments: 

• Management allows time for you to coordinate the campaign.
• Request time and budget for campaign-related activities and incentives.
• Ask the CEO to write a letter endorsing the campaign.
• Invite management to make appearances and speak at employee meetings and events.

Employees will only be as enthusiastic about the campaign as top management.  Be sure to demonstrate top management’s commitment to United Way.

Develop a Strong Campaign Team

Having others assist you with the campaign will make it fun and easy for everyone involved.  Here are some tips for recruiting your committee: 

• Make sure to include representation from all areas of your organization.
• Include a member of management on your committee to work with the Leadership giving portion of the campaign.
• Recruit people who believe in United Way and will help others get excited about the campaign.
• Assign roles and responsibilities.

Plan & Prepare for the Campaign

Decide what will work best for your company’s environment.  The chemistry of your group should determine the type of campaign you plan. 

• Decide on a theme, activities, incentives, and a thank you event.
• Develop a detailed timeline and calendar.
• Set a challenging goal based on total dollars raised and/or percent of participation.
• Determine when employee meetings will take place.  These meetings provide employees with the most information about United Way.  (Be sure to check when the CEO or members of top management are available to attend the meetings.)
• Leadership Circle solicitation and a retiree campaign are two ways to involve sometimes forgotten groups.  Contact a retiree and a past leadership giver to serve on the committee and lead these solicitations, if possible.

 A Leadership Donor is an individual or family who donates $500 or more annually.  Spouses can combine their gifts to reach $500 and become leadership donors, even if they are employed at separate companies.  Leadership donors are recognized in an annual Leadership publication.

Promote United Way and Make the Ask

Educating employees about the value and work of United Way is the best way to gain their support.  United Way staff is an excellent source for finding out what materials are available and for helping you decide what to use. 

• Utilize United Way brochures and posters.
• Show the United Way campaign video at employee meetings.
• Invite a United Way representative to speak to employees at a kick-off/employee meeting about how their investment in the community can change lives.
• Hold a special event for leadership givers.
• Use technological resources, such as intranet, email and/or voice mail, to pass along information about United Way to all employees.
• Promote the ease of payroll deduction.
• Give small gifts to employees to recognize their efforts.

Share Information About Your Campaign

On the bulletin board:

• Report on last year’s campaign
• Tell employees how their contributions helped others
• Have an honor roll of campaign volunteers and donors
• List or display brochures from member agencies
• Show pictures from your previous campaigns
• Feature employees who volunteer in United Way agencies
• Display your progress toward the company’s campaign goal
• Thank co-workers for participating in the campaign

In newsletters:

• Recognize outstanding performance by a volunteer, or increased giving by Departments
• Relate stories of employees who volunteer at United Way agencies
• Tell the story of an employee who benefited from an agency
• Include a letter of support from the boss and employee campaign coordinator
• Interview an agency director about how United Way funding is used
• Thank co-workers for participating in campaign

Promote Year-Round Communications

The main campaign is done, but there are literally thousands of ways for your company to remain involved with United Way year-round.   When your employees are exposed to the United Way of Whitley County and its agencies on a year–round basis, it will make campaigning for pledges next year much easier! 

• Work with United Way staff to customize a New Employee program that is right for your company.
• Volunteer.  There are opportunities that fit your needs and interests.
• Include United Way stories in your company newsletter or send e-mails about the work that United Way is doing with the donors’ contributions throughout the year.
• United Way staff can provide stories and information for you.
• Contact the United Way office to arrange a tour or speaker to learn more about a community need and the work of an agency.

MAKING THE ASK

Asking people to give may seem intimidating at first, but once you read these easy tips you’ll feel right at ease. 

• Give before you ask.
• Ask for more, not less.
• Let people know ahead of time that you will be asking them to pledge.
• Let employees know how their donation will help in the community.
• Collect the completed pledge cards at the end of employee presentations.
• Implement a peer-to-peer ask.
• Strive to make the ask of all employees.

For easier tracking, ask all employees to return their pledge cards.  This ensures that everyone has had the opportunity to pledge.

If you cannot ask everyone, here are a few ways to encourage giving without directly asking.  Incentives are a great way to increase participation and make giving fun.  Here are a couple of ideas: 

• Create friendly competition between departments, other company locations or like industry companies.
• Offer incentives based on timely return of pledge cards, participation and/or specific giving levels.

Fun and prizes always make it an enjoyable campaign.  Make your campaign stand out by having some fun wile you help our community.

Remember…..

• Avoid extremely costly items
• Encourage people to give more than last year
• Don’t alienate certain levels of employees and/or certain departments.