2016

EMPLOYEE

CAMPAIGN

COORDINATOR

TOOLKIT

Workplace Ambassador (WPA) Responsibilities:

  • Make your campaign FUN!!!!!!
  • Work closely with management and United Way to develop an effective campaign plan.
  • Recruit and coordinate a team of volunteers to assist you.
  • Coordinate your company’s kickoff and special events.
  • Coordinate the distribution of campaign materials to co-workers.
  • Make your pledge.
  • Promote payroll deduction.
  • Promote the campaign throughout the company.
  • Report campaign progress to co-workers frequently.
  • Collect all pledge cards even if co-worker doesn’t want to participate.
  • Thank your donors and volunteers.
  • Evaluate and make recommendations for next year. Keep a notebook for next year!

Greater Longview United Way Responsibilities:

  • We are here to assist and support you as an WPA. We can help with the following:
  • Establish a plan for your campaign.
  • Help you set a campaign goal.
  • Provide you with necessary United Way materials to run your campaign.
  • Make arrangements for speakers, meetings, tours, etc.
  • Provide creative ideas to maximize your campaign effort.
  • Provide guidance and support for all aspects of your campaign.

STAY CONNECTED.

Advancing the common good is about helping one person at a time, and about changing systems to help all of us. We are all connected and interdependent. We all win when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, and when people are healthy.

A quality education is essential to obtaining and keeping a job with a livable wage and health benefits. An income adequate to pay for today’s necessities and save for the future will help families become financially stable. Connecting to affordable health services keeps children on track in school and adults productive at work.

Your support of Greater Longview United Way is the most powerful investment you can make in our community. No other single organization has the scope, the expertise, and influence to bring together hundreds of human services agencies, government, businesses, private foundations, and dedicated volunteers around a common vision of creating maximum impact and achieving long-lasting results.

COMPLEX ISSUES REQUIRE STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS

Imagine what we can do together to improve the quality of life for members of our community.

EDUCATION: Provide educational opportunities to individuals, of all ages, concerning life skills that will assist in making well-informed choices towards a successful life.

INCOME: Meet the basic needs of people: enhance their ability to build assets, become self-sufficient and attain a better quality of life.

HEALTH: Empower individuals by providing guidance and resources (information, programs and treatments) that will allow decisions leading to a healthy productive life.

  1. USE YOUR TOOLS

There are several tools that you can use to communicate the work of United Way, encouraging employees in your company to participate in campaign events and make a pledge to the campaign. Some of these tools include:

Video GLUW Campaign Presentations

Incentives Brochure

  1. INVOLVE YOUR CEO

The support of your CEO can really transform a campaign. When your CEO commits his or her support, it sends a powerful message about United Way and our important work. There are several ways to include your CEO and keep them involved:

  • Establish a timeline and budget with their feedback.
  • Confirm your company’s corporate gift.
  • Provide a letter or email from your CEO endorsing the campaign.
  • Ask your CEO and other company management to make appearances at rallies and presentations.
  • Talk to your CEO about authorizing payroll deduction if this is not already an option.
  • Ask your CEO to join you in kicking off the campaign by making the first pledge.
  1. RECRUIT YOUR TEAM

Build a diverse team of employees from your organization to assist and help broaden your reach. Recruit team members from all departments, levels, locations and professional talents. Involve people with creativity and enthusiasm, as well as good planning and tracking skills. Remember to include your United Way staff contact in team meetings so you can tap into their expertise. Your team should review prior campaign practices and share new ideas. Be sure to establish specific duties for each member and develop a strategy and timetable for reaching your fundraising goals.

  1. SET A GOAL

Setting a goal gives your company something tangible to work towards. Your United Way contact can provide you with guidance and support as you target an internal goal.

  • Review past statistics and trends.
  • Work with management and United Way to establish an appropriate goal.
  • Set a time frame for meeting that goal (ex. 2-4 weeks)
  • Communicate that goal and all progress to United Way and your employees
  1. EDUCATE AND COMMUNICATE

You are the ambassador for United Way at your organization. To provide the best information about United Way to your company, please consider these steps:

  • Provide educational opportunities such as a company-wide campaign kickoff meeting, volunteer projects, rallies and partner agency tours.
  • Identify an employee who is willing to provide a personal testimony in print or at presentations/rallies.
  • Use employee publications, intranet, voice mail, announcements, bulletin boards, email, management endorsement letters, newsletters, paycheck stuffer and social media to spread the United Way message.
  1. HOLD RALLIES AND MAKE THE ASK!

The number one reason people do not give is they were never asked. Employee meetings or rallies are the most effective way to reach all employees and encourage them to invest in United Way. Rallies can take as little as 10 minutes. A step-by-step guide:

  • Consider holding a campaign kickoff or smaller meeting to tell employees about United Way. This can be an added agenda item to an already scheduled meeting.
  • Offer incentives to attend a rally, like food or special drawing.
  • Make sure employees know the purpose of the meeting in advance.
  • Distribute brochures and pledge cards as employees arrive.
  • Invite a United Way staff member to speak at a staff meeting.
  • Ask your CEO to attend and publicly endorse the campaign.
  • Showcase videos and client success stories.
  • Keep the meeting lively, informative and fun.
  • Make the ask!
  • Thank employees for their participation.
  • Follow up with employees who were not able to attend.
  1. STRATEGIZING AND USING INCENTIVES

There are several ways to energize your campaign.

Strategies to increase participation:

  • Set participation rate as a company goal.
  • Hold a raffle for everyone who donates (prime parking spots, days off, gift cards, etc.).
  • Hold competitions between stores/branches/locations/departments based on participation rate.
  • Offer a casual day to everyone who donates.
  • Offer an opportunity to win United Way items if people participate.
  • Host a wrap up party and thank everyone who participated.

Strategies to increase average gifts:

  • Hold a raffle for those who increase their gift by a set percentage or dollar per week amount.
  • Solicit retirees.
  • Set an average gift goal for your company and incorporate an incentive.

Strategies to increase Leadership giving:

  • Identify potential employees earning more than $50,000 and/or current employees giving $500-$999.
  • Special leadership solicitation/recognition event (lunch with a VIP, volunteer day at nonprofit of their choice).
  • Include names of leadership donors on the intranet/newsletter/etc. and provide to GLUW for campaign recognition (with their permission).
  1. MONITOR YOUR CAMPAIGN AND REPORT RESULTS

It is critical to follow up with employees and report results.

Make sure your campaign team has had the opportunity to speak with all employees. Publicize campaign results throughout your organization.

Follow up with all employees. Have all pledge cards returned to you, even those on which the individual has not made a gift. This helps you track the campaign.

Double-check that pledge cards are filled out and signed and that the total amounts are accurate.

Keep regular totals and give progress reports to your team, the GLUW staff and your CEO. Turn in checks and cash with related pledge forms to GLUW on a regular basis to account for these immediate donations.

Give completed report envelopes, including signed pledge forms, to the GLUW staff by 5:00pm December 31, 2016 in order to have your company’s donors to qualify for tax credits on their 2016 donation. The campaign can continue past this deadline, but anyone needing acknowledgement for a charitable deduction in 2016 must have it turned in no later than December 31th.

  1. SAY THANK YOU

It is just as important to officially close the campaign and thank people, as it is to begin the campaign. Since Greater Longview United Way is working with thousands of donors, we need your help to thank everyone for their time and financial contributions.

  • Thank employees for their participation, time and support.
  • Issue a thank you letter to participants from the CEO.
  • Recognize your team and others who volunteered their time.
  • Publicize your results via email, voicemail, intranet, newsletters, social media, etc.
  • Celebrate your success!
  1. CONSIDER ENGAGING EMPLOYEES YEAR-ROUND
  • The Greater Longview United Way works year round to provide lasting community change, and there are many ways to stay connected with us throughout the year.
  • Gather feedback from your CEO, campaign committee and United Way staff.
  • Identify next year’s ECC if you are able and share their information with us.
  • Start a new hires program that gives new employees the opportunity to make a contribution when they join your organization (we can help you get started).
  • Implement a year-round communications program that shares the impact of United Way’s work in the community (consider forwarding information from GLUW’s website, facebook, twitter, etc.)
  • Consider participating in Day of Action. It’s a great volunteer opportunity held each year in June.
  • Visit a United Way partner agency to see your contributions at work. Call GLUW at 903.758.0191 for more information.

August 31 -Pacesetter campaign finalized

September 2 - Pacesetter report envelopes due in GLUW office

September 15 - Kickoff, 11:30am, Maude Cobb

October21-22 - Corporate Softball Tournament

November -Seasons of Caring

April 2017 - Campaign Celebration/Annual Meeting

Contacting the Greater Longview United Way:

(903) 758-0191

Donna Sharp, Executive Director