United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton Workplace Campaign Guide. Together, we are possibility.

Transcription

1 United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton Workplace Campaign Guide Together, we are possibility. Workplace Campaign Guide 2015

2 HAMILTON BURLINGTON Phone: Phone: Fax: Fax: United Way Contacts: Staff: Ext. Campaign Associate: Ext. Ext. Union Inquiries Ext. Payroll / Receipt Inquiries Dates to remember: 2

3 Welcome to the United Way Team! Thank you for making a difference. Your role as Employee Campaign Chair (ECC) is essential to the success of the campaign in your organization and ultimately, to the well-being of your community. Over half of all the donations raised by United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton come from the employees contributing at their workplaces. Thank you for taking on this role and leading your colleagues to give, volunteer and act. Your role as an ECC is to engage 100% of your colleagues in the opportunity to participate and give. In the best campaigns, ECC s support United Ways goal to ensure: 100% of employees are Involved Informed Inspired Approached Followed up Thanked Halton Food for Thought Employee Campaign Chair role description Lead and direct the United Way Employee Campaign within your organization Inspire employees to give Educate employees about what United Way does and how their contributions will directly affect their community Facilitate the collection of employee gifts and submit to United Way Benefits to you Opportunity to learn/develop leadership skills Lead a project from start to finish Develop fundraising skills Get to know your colleagues while contributing to a great cause Gain knowledge of other divisions/departments in your organization Make a difference in your community KEY TERMS CA = Campaign Associate ECC = Employee Campaign Chair Staff Partner = United Way Campaign Manager Leadership Giving = donation of $1,200 or more Find us online Find everything you need online to run a successful campaign, including: Campaign Video Success Stories Community Investment Guide Posters Special Event Guide General Pledge Form Making Choice Exercise and more.. uwaybh.ca 3

4 WHAT TO SAY ABOUT UNITED WAY Elevator Pitch The United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton serves as the most efficient umbrella not-for-profit organization, engaging individuals and mobilizing collective action to generate funds for those in need in our community. The Longer Version When we help others, our community is stronger. United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton invests in a community network of 65 human service agencies that deliver 119 critical programs and services that improve lives and strengthen the community. We are tackling the root causes of some of our community s greatest challenges: More than a third of low-income families in Hamilton are paying more than half their income on rent, which puts these families at risk of homelessness. United Way is committed to ensuring access to immediate supports for families and individuals in need. By investing in numerous programs that assist families/individuals to stabilize, avoid or move out of the cycle of poverty. You are part of a big team! Approximately 5,000 volunteers, 15,000 donors, 500 workplaces from across our community business, labour, private and public sectors, partners and organizations big and small join together to raise close to $7 million. Youth who do not complete secondary school have lower earnings, are more likely to experience incarceration and are more likely to become homeless. United Way invests in safe places and supportive programs where children feel they belong and find great role models so they become happy, healthy and successful. In Burlington, over a third of female seniors live in poverty and many of them live alone. Hamilton s senior population will grow by 93% by United Way invests in services that reach out to seniors and help them live independently in their own homes and communities. Seniors Friendly Visiting IMPACT OF YOUR DONATION Your dollars help improve access to social and health-related support services for isolated seniors such as; assisted transportation, caregiver support, training, information and education, friendly visiting or Meals on Wheels For example: Over 6,000 older adults were connected with supports they need, such as meals on wheels, transportation to medical appointments, social and recreational activities, in order for them to age actively at home, increase their personal wellbeing and safety and community engagement 4

5 HOW WE INVEST YOUR DONATION MAKING PROGRESS IN THREE ESSENTIAL FOCUS AREAS Despite our unique differences, we all share certain requirements for a good life: a quality education that leads to a stable job, income that can support ourselves and our families through to retirement, personal wellbeing and a safe, supportive and thriving community. Each day, in almost every corner of our community, United Way funded programs and services are at work helping Burlington and Hamilton residents achieve success in three main areas: Moving people from poverty to possibility Meeting basic needs (food, shelter, employment) Helping families and individuals achieve income and financial stability Building strong communities Improving access to social and health-related support services Promoting resident and community engagement Supporting community integration and settlement Helping kids be all that kids can be Supporting early childhood learning and development Helping kids succeed and stay in school until graduation Making the healthy transition into adulthood and post-secondary education 5

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9 CAMPAIGN PLANNING CHECKLIST At-a-Glance Checklist Review last year s campaign Recruit your team Come to training with your team (or have us come to you) Meet with your United Way staff partner or Campaign Associate Set your goals and initiatives Create a Leadership strategy Host your Kick-Off!! Make the ask Hold a mid-campaign update meeting Follow up Say thank you! Submit your results to United Way Running a successful Employee Campaign requires diligent planning and the coordinated efforts of a strong, committed Campaign Team. We ve created a checklist to help you and your team during each phase of planning and implementation. Review last year s campaign (2 months prior to kick-off) Speak with past Employee Campaign Committee Chairs and members. Review files and results. Ask around about what worked and what could be improved. Then turn to page one in your Campaign Planning Workbook to review your previous campaign. Recruit your team (1-2 months prior) Your team should include members from all departments, levels and locations of your organization and union(s), if applicable. The Leadership Giving Chair is responsible for initiating the Leadership Giving Campaign in your workplace ($1,200+). Campaign Representatives make peer-to-peer solicitations, which is the most effective method of fundraising. Strive to recruit one representative for every employees. Be strategic about who might be best to ask specific employees or leaders. Example of a Campaign Team structure Campaign Chair or Co-Chairs LARCH After-School Program Leadership Chair Past ECC Advisor Campaign Committee Payroll Contact Executive Liasion Communications Coordinator Event/Prize Coordinator Union Rep (if applicable) Campaign Rep (1 per emp.) 9

10 Come to training with your team We offer Campaign Success Clinics for you and your team. Register yourself and your team to learn about United Way s role in the community and share ideas with other Campaign teams. Energize your Campaign Team by sharing United Way s work in the community. To register, contact Corinne at X 249 or croynon@uwaybh.ca Meet with United Way (I month prior) Call your United Way staff partner or Campaign Associate ASAP to get started! They will walk you through the next steps and support you throughout your campaign. At your first meeting, you will review last year s campaign, strategize for this year s campaign and learn about new tools and materials. Don t know who to contact at United Way? Call us and we will find the right person to help you. Set your goals and initiatives (I month prior) Be brave, as well as realistic, when setting your goals for the year. There are two key goals that drive friendly competition and results: 1) participation (% of employees who give); and 2) pledges (total $ raised). By focusing on participation, you increase your campaign dollars. It encourages people to give at the level they feel comfortable. It also ensures that every employee is asked to give. Identify strengths and opportunities for growth from your previous campaign. Work with your Campaign team to develop a detailed timeline and calendar of events. (See pages 3 & 4 in Planning Workbook.) Initiate Leadership Giving ($1,200+) campaign (2 weeks prior) This is our #1 growth strategy! A Leadership Giving campaign focuses on gifts of $1,200 or more. Find out how to implement this important strategy on pages 9 and 10. Talk to your United Way staff partner about maintaining your current Leaders, recruiting new ones, encouraging pre-leaders to join We come to you! Can t make the training? Talk to your United Way staff partner about customizing a training clinic at your workplace for your whole team. Engage new employees! Assign someone to talk to new employees within their first week. Leading the Campaign solo? We are here to help! Utilize your staff partner and/or Campaign Associate and our website as much as you can to help you find what you need. Timing is everything The times suggested on these pages are for running a successful Employee Campaign for a medium sized organization ( employees), with one office/site. Canada Border Services & Service Canada Integrity Campaign Co-Chairs meet with United Way Campaign Associate 10

11 Kick-off your Campaign!! This is your chance to inspire your colleagues to give with a largegroup kick-off event, lunch & learn presentation or a Seeing is Believing tour(s). Book an Agency Speaker, someone who will tell your workplace first-hand the impact that donor dollars have had on their lives or those of their clients. Show a video or challenge management to get involved by dressing up. Can t get people out of their office? Ask to get on the agenda of pre-existing meetings (e.g. Senior Management, department huddles, safety meetings or union member meetings) to speak about the United Way Campaign. Make a personal ask People don t give if they are not asked. One-on-one, peer-topeer is the best way to make the ask for support. It allows you to ask questions about their interests and inform them how their dollars relate to their community. Strive to ask 100% of your organization s employees and retirees to donate to United Way. Wescam United Way Planning Committee prepares for their kick off with United Way staff partner Engage a union rep If your workplace is unionized, ask your union executive to appoint an influential member to the committee Sample Ask: I just wanted to come by and drop off this United Way pledge form. This year we are striving for 100% employee participation (and any gift you make will be matched by the company, if applicable). If you have any questions about United Way, please let me or any of the Campaign Representatives know. Otherwise, thank you for your thoughtful consideration to pledge this year. Sub in any of the following: Prize draw due date Personal story about why you believe in United Way Promotion of corporate/sector challenge goals or results Promotion of Every Day Hero Tip for 500+ employee companies Diversify your team to expand your reach. Get Campaign Reps from all departments, sites and all levels of the organization. We ve got the tools you need! Go online at uwaybh.ca for logos, photographs, stories and other useful materials. Spread United Way s message via intranet, , voice mail, management/union endorsement letters, newsletters, desk drops, and/or notices included with pay cheque! 11

12 Using an online E-Pledge System? Be sure to also include personal, one-on-one elements to ensure success. Your United Way staff partner or Campaign Associate can offer advice on how to keep employees actively engaged in your campaign. Is your workplace competitive? Light that competitive fire in your colleagues with friendly departmental, floor or team challenges. Challenge your competitor companies or even your whole industry! Monitor the progress of your campaign Book a meeting for the middle of campaign with your committee and your United Way staff partner / Campaign Associate. At the mid-point of your campaign, dollars pledged should be around 70% of your campaign total. This meeting is an opportunity for problemsolving, motivating your team and thanking them for their efforts to date. It creates action steps to ensure you reach your goal. Submit money and reports at mid-campaign and again within two weeks of the end of your campaign. Early submission ensures your colleagues gifts are processed and donors are thanked in a timely manner. Say thank you to donors and volunteers! Download United Way Thank You Cards online. Request a thank you certificate for your Campaign Team. Hold a wrap up / thank you event for employees with a presentation or a tour of a United Way funded program. Ask your United Way staff partner about being nominated for a Spirit Award. Visit uwaybh.ca for more information on the Spirit Awards. Follow up with donors It is much easier to renew a gift than it is to acquire a new gift. Personal check-in reminders are appreciated by donors and help to ensure all previous donors have been given the opportunity to give. Keep your workplace informed of your progress. Regularly submit your Employee Campaign Report and all pledge forms to your United Way staff partner or Campaign Associate and report final results to employees. Hamilton Workplace Campaign of the Year (over 250 employees) HWDSB Education Centre Burlington Workplace Campaign of the Year (over 250 employees) L-3 Wescam 12

13 LEADERSHIP GIVING CAMPAIGN Very simply, a Leadership Giving Campaign is the part of your campaign that focuses on recruiting, retaining and growing Leadership donors. The objective is to encourage and recognize annual personal contributions of $1,000 or more. SIX STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP GIVING CAMPAIGN These best practices, together with our online resources, are effective tools for your campaign. 1 Recruit and train a team Recruit one rep for every 10 Leadership donors you have to make a personal ask of. Attend a Leadership Giving training session or we can come to you. Ask your United Way staff partner. 2 Develop a plan Speak with past Leadership Chair and/or ECC. Review files and results. Set goals and work with your United Way staff partner to develop a plan to achieve your goals. 3 Schedule the Leadership Giving Campaign Schedule your organization s Leadership Giving campaign one or two weeks prior to the kick-off of your general campaign, encouraging and inspiring others to join the momentum of the campaign. Organize group meetings or an event for Leadership donors and prospects, either in your organization or at a special location (e.g. a United Way partner agency); piggy back an existing meeting. 4 Make the ask The one-on-one ask is the most important part of the Leadership Giving Campaign. Determine the best way to make the ask in your organization: - visit with Leadership donors and prospective donors one-on-one to ask them for their support - if a one-on-one ask is not possible, ask for donations at a group meeting - United Way will provide personalized letters for all donors giving at least $1,200 in the last two years. 5 Monitor the progress of your campaign Track and monitor pledge returns regularly. Follow up with outstanding donors in case they have forgotten or misplaced their pledge form. Submit pledge forms and a list of donors to United Way as soon as possible to ensure a timely thank you to donors. Send regular updates to your assigned Campaign Associate and/or United Way staff partner. Say Thank You 6 All donors giving at least $1,200 will receive a formal thank you from United Way. Make personal thank you calls or send personal notes to all Leadership donors. Hold a thank you meeting/reception. Following the campaign, invite a United Way staff partner to speak on the impact of Leadership gifts or arrange for a Seeing is Believing Tour for donors and volunteers. 13

14 A Leadership Giving Campaign doesn t have to be complicated. It can simply be one event prior to the regular campaign targeting Leadership and pre- Leadership donors with a specific message and ask. One-to-one asks and incentive prizes help to bolster a Leadership Giving Campaign. We are all blessed to be living in this time and in these communities and this country! I know we are bombarded daily with negative issues, comments, reports and most of the news but when we look around with clear eyes we can see that the work of the United Way partners is really making a difference. Think what our communities would be like without them and then dig a little deeper. If you have the ability to make a difference, do it! Leah Casselman, Retired Executive Director Hamilton OHCOW Clinic $23.08 per week ($1,200/year) will provide 10 at-risk youth with a safe place to go evenings and weekends for a year. Did you know. Over 10% (12,009) of Burlington s residents live in poverty which is higher than the national average. For more and more Hamiltonians, working is no longer the reliable way out of poverty. Minimum wage is currently $11 per hour, which for a 35 hour work week is only $20,020 per year. Last year more than 16,500 individuals and families in Burlington & Hamilton who did not have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food were able to access food supports.an example your United Way dollars at work. 14

15 PLEDGE-BASED SPECIAL EVENTS Special events are a great way to educate your workplace and build enthusiasm. The strongest campaigns encourage all staff to participate and learn about United Way while driving pledge submissions. Create a theme Be sure your theme reinforces the look, feel and message of United Way Linking United Way to successful themes: The Dream Team Making Dreams Come True - Teams create a video, skit or song about your dream community Super Hero theme Real heroes work here! Be a Lifesaver Give to United Way - Hand out lifesaver candies with pledge forms Seasonal: Back to School, Halloween, Thanksgiving - Costume contest participants and judges are only those who have submitted their pledge form The Voice, Survivor, Minute to Win It - Challenges include skill testing questions about United Way, children or seniors issue areas Special events should be: Limited in number Special events can be time consuming for you and your committee members to plan and often result in low returns on participation and dollars raised. Having a few pledge-based events is a better choice. Fun and free Make pledge forms the entry ticket to events so staff are not being asked repeatedly to give. Events that cost money (e.g. silent auctions) should always be held at the end of your campaign. Awareness-builders The best special events educate about United Way and your employee campaign. An example is a Lunch & Learn with a community/agency speaker. Go to the Campaign Toolkit at uwaybh.ca for more ideas! How to make special events work! Nickel and diming: Betty pays $5.00 to enter into the Office Olympics golf game, $7.00 for raffle tickets and $2.00 for Jeans Day. Betty feels like she has already made her donation and so she does not submit a pledge form. Total donation: $15.00 City of Hamilton Truck-Pull Pledge-based Incentives: Betty is encouraged to fill out her pledge form to get an All Access Pass which includes entry into all of the office Olympic games, Jeans Day and 5 free raffle tickets. Betty pledges $1 /day to become an Everyday Hero and freely enjoys all the fun. Total donation $ Gain for your campaign = $

16 Campaign Kick-Off Inform and inspire your employees with a presentation from United Way. It s also a great chance to announce your goal and unveil your goal thermometer. Who should attend your kick-off: CEO and Management Team Labour Representative ECC and Committee Leadership Chair United Way staff partner/ Campaign Associate Community or Leadership Speaker All Staff Presentations should include: United Way video United Way staff partner / Campaign Associate Community or Leadership Speaker Leadership message Campaign details / logistics Can t get your colleagues to an event? Try a coffee cart. Campaign Reps hand out free coffee and pledge forms while starting conversations about United Way - great for employees that work shifts or can t leave their desks for traditional events. Go to an existing meeting. Ask for five minutes at your senior management, departmental, union or all staff meetings. City of Burlington volunteers cook up a feast! Students get into the spirit with their Red & White Day for United Way Incentives Offer Early Bird incentive prizes for pledge forms returned by a specified deadline. Consider approaching customers or suppliers for prizes. Try one of these ideas for raffle or participation prizes: Vacation day(s) Coveted parking spots Lunch with the CEO Restaurant gift certificates Tickets to movies, sporting or cultural events Company merchandise Donations from your organization s vendors Unionized Workplace? Engage your union leaders in the campaign Ask the union to appoint an influential union representative to cochair the campaign committee Invite your union representative to speak at your kick-off Seek prizes from union networks, or partners Ask to attend and present at a preexisting union members meeting Visibly thank union leaders for their support 16

17 CAMPAIGN TOOL KIT Go online to uwaybh.ca and search Campaign Tool Kit to find all these materials and more tips. To convey a consistent, accurate message, we encourage you to utilize United Way s campaign marketing tools. Your United Way staff partner or Campaign Associate can assist you to select items to best serve your needs. Personalize pledge forms Catch their attention! Add their name; attach a chocolate and an educational pamphlet to the United Way Employee Pledge Form so it doesn t get lost on someone s desk. Campaign Representative Guide Like this guide, the Campaign Representative Guide offers specific advice on how to approach co-workers and encourage their support. Leadership Giving Guide The guide will provide details and advice on building/growing leadership gifts in your campaign. Get Noticed Posters Banners Thank you cards Mid-campaign reminder Videos Stories Did You Knows United Way merchandise (t-shirts, gifts, etc.) (please note there will be a charge for some of these items) Endorsement letters from national, provincial and local Union leaders. People who are here to help Staff Partner Your United Way staff partner is here to help you every step of the way, all year long. Campaign Associate Will be your biggest helper and advisor during the campaign. Agency or Leadership Presenters Invite a speaker to inspire your workplace. Speakers are influential community members impacted by the United Way. These can be booked through your Staff Partner or Campaign Associate. Labour Participation We have a staff person to support the navigation and engagement of your union leaders and workers. Contact our Director Labour Community Services with questions any time at ext Engaging Retirees Encourage your retiring colleagues to stay connected to United Way by giving through our community direct mail program and/or considering a planned gift in their will. We welcome inquiries. Please speak with your United Way staff partner for more information. Slather your workplace with United Way swag! Talk to your United Way Staff Partner. 17

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20 Hamilton Office: 177 Rebecca Street, Hamilton, ON L8R 1B9 PH: Burlington Office: 3425 Harvester Road, Unit 107, Burlington, ON L7N 3N1 PH: