Six Steps to Success
Establish Leadership
Involve your CEO and union president (if applicable).
Their support and enthusiasm can be contagious. Ask them to personally solicit senior management in advance of the company-wide kick-off. Their eadership sets an example for other contributors. Ask them to endorse the campaign in a letter to all employees (see sample letters).
Their participation in your company’s employee campaign meetings will emphasize the importance of the campaign to both your organization and the community.
Recruit a campaign committee representative of your organization. Include management as well as hourly employees. Include people with special talents, such as marketing, communications, personnel, accounting, or data processing. Choose co-workers who are committed to United Way.
Set a Challenging Goal and Develop a Strategy
- More Leadership Givers ($1,000+ gifts)
- Increasing participation
- Increasing pledge amounts
- Offering Incentives
Plan Carefully
Strive to conduct a short, intensive company campaign - it will keep enthusiasm at a higher level. Develop a timetable for your campaign including the time and place of kick-off and schedules for agency tours, speakers and group meetings.
Assess your campaign resources: budget, facilities, communication tools and volunteers. Personalize pledge forms in advance. Establish a record-keeping and reporting system. Appoint solicitors and provide a program to train them. Your United Way staff member can assist you.
Plan promotion using your intranet site, bulletin boards, newsletters, payroll stuffers and memos. Hold a special kick-off breakfast or luncheon. Offer incentives such as participation in raffles.
Select Your Approach
Group solicitation: The Twenty-Minute Program. The most successful way to ask employees to contribute is through group solicitation. Bring small employee groups (20-40 people) to view the United Way Campaign video, hear a speaker and receive United Way literature. Employees are asked to make their pledges at the close of the meeting.
One-on-one solicitation. Provides a more personal approach, and involves the asking of one employee by another—preferably a peer.
- Recruit a solicitor for every 10 employees.
- Recruit solicitors who are committed to United Way.
- Train recruits with the help of the United Way staff.
- Follow up on absentees and part-time employees.
- Remember to invite retirees to your campaign events and ask them to contribute.
Report Results
Make sure all pledge forms are returned. Relay final results to the entire company as soon as results are available. Summarize employee gifts on the campaign report form. Evaluate your results and prepare written recommendations for next year’s coordinator and Washtenaw United Way staff.
Thank Contributors
Hold an employee reception for all contributors with the CEO offering personal thanks. Ask the CEO to send a thank you letter to each contributor.
Blanket the bulletin boards, newsletter, cafeteria, and intranet site with thank-you messages. Don’t forget your committee members and solicitors; plan a special event or give a special thank-you present.
