Greetings Employee Campaign Managers and welcome to United Way’s first ECM blog!  I hope you will find this to be a helpful campaign resource during the upcoming weeks.  I encourage you to become involved by asking questions and posting related comments for the benefit of all ECMs.

This year will be my seventh campaign as ECM of Pioneer Bank and each year I try to find ways to shake things up, but at the same time implement ideas proven to be effective from previous campaigns.  Following is one idea you may find helpful for your own campaign.

Every year, Pioneer’s campaign includes a Team Leader meeting.  Our Team Leaders comprise of employees at all different levels, from entry level to managers, and each one represents their department/branch.  They assist with the campaign by distributing materials, encouraging donations from other employees in their group, and collecting pledge forms.  We have 17 Pioneer locations and because our employees are decentralized, it is difficult to gather 300 employees for a meeting.  Therefore, we address this challenge by designating these Team Leader representatives to bring the message back to their work location.

Our meeting gives Team Leaders the opportunity to learn more about United Way and their role in the campaign, so my goal is to make sure we generate enthusiasm by making the meeting fun and informative, without breaking the bank (no pun intended).  Following are just a few simple, low cost ideas that have helped us carry out a successful meeting:

Food

  • We provide either a catered hot breakfast or simple coffee, juice, and donuts

Guest Speakers

  • United Way Representative ~ Provides UW facts and explains how those in need are assisted.
  • Direct Recipient ~ Last year, a woman spoke about how UW funds directly impacted her life (very effective!).
  •  CEO ~ It is important for employees to know that support for the campaign comes from the top.
  • Employee Donor ~ Choose an employee who you know gives generously and would be willing to explain why they contribute.

Incentives

  •  We thank our team leaders by holding a gift card raffle drawing at the meeting.


The Team Leader meeting is just one component of our campaign, but certainly an effective one.  Again, please feel free to post your comments/questions relating to the above. I hope you found this to be helpful and best wishes with your campaign!

Michele Lindow, Pioneer Bank