CHANGE STARTS HERE LIVE UNITED 2019 CAMPAIGN AMBASSADOR GUIDE

Transcription

1 CHANGE STARTS HERE LIVE UNITED 2019 CAMPAIGN AMBASSADOR GUIDE

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS United Way Contact Information 3 Thank you 4 Role of the Ambassador 5 Why United Way? Campaign 7 Protecting Donor Rights and Privacy 8 4 Steps to Running a Successful Campaign 9 Step One: Prepare 10 Step Two: Ask 13 What will you do to Live United? 16 How Much Should I Give? 17 Step Three: Follow Up 18 Step Four: Submit Campaign Information 20 Frequently Asked Questions Online Resources 23

3 UNITED WAY CONTACT INFORMATION As a United Way Ambassador, you are the person closest to the donor. Your understanding of United Way and its funded partner providers will assist you in asking your co-workers for gifts that will change people s lives. This step-by-step guide will provide you with the basic principles of successful fundraising at your place of business. CONTACT US Katie Koglman Executive Director katie@uwwh.org Emily McNeil Administrative Assistant emily@uwwh.org Laura Newberry-Yokley Director, Resource Development & Marketing laura@uwwh.org Lisa Nyhart Director, Finance & Operations lisa@uwwh.org Carrolyn Salazar Manager, Impact & Marketing carrolyn@uwwh.org United Way of Wayne & Holmes Counties, Inc. 215 South Walnut Street, Wooster, OH

4 THANK YOU FOR SERVING AS AN EMPLOYEE GIVING CAMPAIGN AMBASSADOR! Thank you for accepting the charge to serve as your company s United Way Ambassador. If you are a returning Ambassador, welcome back. If you are new, thank you for agreeing to serve. It s a wonderful way to give back to your community. United Way mobilizes community resources to help people measurably improve their lives. As an Ambassador, you have the opportunity to help move people out of poverty. Thank you for being part of the team that helps make this happen. This guide will provide you with insights and quick tips to help you and your campaign team achieve success. United Way staff are your partners and are ready to assist you. We will be with you every step of the way. In addition, visit our online resources at uwwh.org/campaign. You ll find our one-stop shop for materials and resources to engage your colleagues and run a successful campaign at your workplace. You will also find campaign marketing materials, testimonials, photos, impact statistics, videos, logos and more. Thank you for inspiring others to take action. Thank you for helping people s gifts stay here at home where they belong. Live United! 4

5 ROLE OF THE AMBASSADOR Ambassadors are key to the success of every campaign. You are the frontline volunteers who approach your peers in the workplace to raise awareness about United Way s vital role in the community. You will provide your colleagues with an opportunity to make an informed choice about charitable giving by doing these three things: 1. Inform Explain to your colleagues the benefits United Way brings to your community (i.e., the impact or the why ). Describe how a donation to United Way provides flexible, stable funding that supports a diverse network of partner providers across the community (i.e., the strategies or the how ). Deliver a call to action (i.e., what you re asking them). Promote how their contribution will make a difference. Promote your campaign and activities. 2. Ask Ask your colleagues if they would like to support the work of United Way by making a donation. Collect completed pledge forms. Follow up by answering questions and visiting colleagues who were absent or undecided. 3. Thank Thank your colleagues for their time and participation. Thank you for volunteering your time to ask your colleagues about United Way! 5

6 WHY UNITED WAY? YOUR EMPLOYEE GIVING CAMPAIGN HELPS MOVE PEOPLE OUT OF POVERTY Change starts here at home. Change can start by giving to United Way. When your gift is combined with others, your employee giving campaign helps move people out of poverty. We mobilize community resources to help people measurably improve their lives. People change, processes evolve, and societal issues shift, but our mission is steadfast. We continue to partner with you and your organization because: Donors prefer to write one check and host fewer meetings with fundraisers. People want to give to many organizations all which help the people of our community and can be trusted. We make this easy! People want to volunteer and need reference to find the opportunities that match with their passions. We can help you find yours! We are accountable to our donors and committed to supporting our partner organizations. People want to give to organizations that are fiscally responsible and making a difference in the community. Our Request for Funding (RFP) and allocation process ensure contributions are being fully utilized by the most qualified organizations. We support our partner providers by hosting regular meetings to ensure we have a shared knowledge base, the least amount of duplicative services, and a collaborative approach to meeting the needs of our community. Donations received stay in Wayne and Holmes Counties. They are giving to organizations that provide services in Wayne and Holmes Counties. 6

7 2019 CAMPAIGN GOAL: $1,300,000 THE CAMPAIGN DEADLINE THIS YEAR IS 12/31/18 Our campaign dates have changed this year. Over the years, this deadline has been extended into the following year. This year, because we have changed the pledge cut off date to 12/31/18, our campaign goal is a bit lower. We urge donors to get their pledge in by the end of the year. LEARN ABOUT UNITED WAY Thanks to our donors, our partner providers were able to change hundreds of lives in our community. Thanks to your efforts, United Way invested in organizations and programming that helps reduce local poverty: Workforce Development: $86,480 Youth Development: $244,862 Safety Net: $173,208 Health/Mental Health: $157,644 Holmes County: $7,069 7

8 PROTECTING DONOR RIGHTS AND PRIVACY WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AS A WORKPLACE VOLUNTEER Every year thousands of people from across Wayne and Holmes Counties join United Way s campaign to improve lives and build a better future. We deeply value the trust placed in us by our donors and the communities we serve. We are working hard to ensure that trust is well-founded. We adhere to strict policies that guide how we fundraise and how we protect the privacy of individuals and organizations. We thank you in advance for your support and cooperation in adhering to United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties fundraising and privacy practices. VOLUNTEER PRACTICES FOR DONOR ASKS Protecting donor rights and privacy has always been a key priority for United Way. All individuals making soliciations on our behalf must adhere to the following practices in accordance with our fundraising norms: Disclose that they are volunteers with United Way when making asks on behalf of United Way. Make every effort to respect donors/prospective donors when making asks and honor their requests for information and/or limit or discontinue solicitation when unwanted. Ensure that fundraising made on United Way s behalf is truthful and accurately describes United Way s activites and intended use of funds. Acts with fairness, integrity and in accordance with all applicable laws. Does not accept donations that are inconsistent with United Way s mission. Immediately discloses to United Way any apparent or actual conflicts of interest. 8

9 4 STEPS TO RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN PREPARE ASK FOLLOW UP SUBMIT Every workplace is unique, and every employee giving campaign is different. The most effective way of working with your organization is done face-to-face and peer-to-peer. In-person asking for United Way support can be done one-to-one or in a group. Shape your campaign around your organization s culture. Setting up and running a campaign is simple, and we can help every step of the way. Download our campaign planning tools on our website: uwwh.org/campaign. You ll find a calendar, communications samples, letters and s, thank you materials, and other tools. UWWH.ORG/CAMPAIGN 9

10 STEP ONE: PREPARE Build a team. As an Ambassador, you are not expected to do all the work. Recruit other enthusiastic and resourceful co-workers to help with the campaign. Involve them in planning a strategy and setting goals. Secure leadership support. CEO and leadership involvement promotes success inside of your company. Get your leadership team involved in all aspects of your campaign. Invite your leadership team to attend campaign events and communications. Work to obtain buy-in for company support, including challenges, company matches, and options for incentives that can be used to encourage participation and increased giving. Learn about United Way s work in the community. Attend an Ambassador training. Visit uwwh.org to find out how donations are used to make a difference, learn about community issues, and read stories of people who received help from a United Way supported partner provider or initiative. Watch a speaker video or listen to a United Way speaker if you have the opportunity. Participate in campaign events (kick-off, wrap-up, special events). Learn about your campaign. If you re a new Ambassador, ask someone who has participated in the United Way campaign before. Write down several objectives that you would like to achieve this year. They can be financial ($) or participatory (%). When will your campaign start and finish? How will you incentivize your colleagues to give? What s the schedule? Be prepared. Write down several objections that you might hear your colleagues say during campaign. Be able to answer these objections. As your United Way representative for assistance, should you require direction or reassurance. 10

11 Set your strategy and goals. Setting specific goals and objectives helps measure progress and obtain desired results. Planning will help you determine where to focus your energy in a productive way. Consider these objectives that will boost your overall results: Increase employee participation. Increase donations through payroll deduction. Ask for a corporate match. Increase the number of donors by department. Ask employees to increase gift amount from last year. Consider including online giving as an option. More information can be found in the ASK section. Make your own gift. Consider your own personal reasons for giving and make your gift first. You will find it easier to ask others for contributions if you have already made your donation. Develop a plan. Review your list of colleagues and those who have given previously. Identify the people on your list who you know well. This will be a good place to start and will help you build confidence in your asking them to participate in the workplace campaign. Think through how you will be communicating with your colleagues and develop a communication plan. You will want to send out reminder s, schedule a kick-off event, present at staff meetings, or meet with them individually. Choose a campaign theme, determine the best communication channels and tactics for your workplace, and gather the materials you need. See our Sample Communication Guide online for help. 11

12 Establish engagement opportunities strategies. Plan engaging events that include United Way impact speakers, videos, and activities. Consider incentives such as holidays, United Wednesdays, Jeans Friday, raffles, auctions, cook-offs, and more. Arrange brief meetings. Call ahead or send an to arrange a brief meeting. You may wish to add yourself to departmental staff meetings for a quick presentation/reminder to increase presence and facetime for United Way with your colleagues. Try not to interrupt someone at an inconvenient time. Remember, if you make the effort to be as considerate as possible, there are very few people who will deny you a few minutes of their time. If you encounter a problem, remind the individual that you are a volunteer on behalf of the community. If you are still denied a meeting, advise your partners at United Way. Ask for help. United Way can help assess your campaign s strengths and opportunities. Together, we can set strong, achievable goals to maker your 2019 Campaign a success. 12

13 STEP TWO: ASK BECOME PART OF THE MISSION. Set the tone. Thank your colleague for agreeing to see you. Start with a friendly note by discussing something that interests both of you. Explain that the purpose of your visit is to talk about United Way, your workplace campaign, and to ask for a donation. State that, If you ve contributed to United Way before, thank you. Let me take a few minutes to tell you about the impact of your gift. Explain your own personal resasons for supporting United Way (i.e., have you or someone you know used a United Way partner provider?). Talk about a service area that you feel strongly about or discuss a certain partner provider that you have researched or visited. Outline the key facts about your organization s campaign (i.e., past achievement, your campaign goal, awards you have received, average giving amount, participation, etc.). State your case (customize your ask by leveraging one or more of the following): Explain the impact of the work that United Way is doing in the community. The money raised is reinvested directly back into our two county region, which included support for 25 organizations and 37 programs. A donation goes to support a diverse network of partner providers making a difference every single day, in every corner of our community. Donating directly to United Way is the best way to have an impact in our community. By giving to United Way, you help the people who need it the most, through services that provide opportunities to build a better life. 13

14 Share a success story. Sharing success stories helps connect employees to the people who have benefited from United Way. Stories can be shared through posters, s, and videos. Sometimes, companies have employees who have taken advantage of United Way supported services. Do your employees have their own powerful stories? Promote the benefits. Communicate campaign dates, incentives, executive support, engagement activities, gratitude, and success stories. Promote early bird prizes or other raffle drawings and incentives to encourage potential donors to decide sooner, rather than later. Talk about how their donation will leverage your organization s corporate match (if applicable). Kick off your campaign. Make your kick-off memorable and exciting. Hosting a kick-off event is a great way to raise awareness that your campaign is happening. Try a breakfast, luncheon, or special event. Be specific about how you ask. Did you know that one of the main reasons why people don t give is simply because they are not asked? Here are some tips on making the ask in your company: Give each employee a United Way pledge brochure. Refer to a specific dollar amount and what it can do. Ask every potential donor: Will you help me make our community a better place to live and work for everyone? If someone is unable to respond immediately, be sure to establish a date for follow up. 14

15 Answer questions. Let each person know that you would be happy to answer any questions they might have, now or at a later date. Listen carefully to any concerns. You will probably be able to respond to most concerns by referring to our FAQ page on uwwh.org/campaign. If you are unable to answer a question, place a note of it and tell your colleague that you will get back to them. Call your United Way contact to obtain a response. Invite your colleagues to participate in campaign events. Share the dates and times of all campaigne vents and encourage your colleagues to support the campaign by attending. Don t forget to participate and have fun! Say thank you! It s important to thank everyone, even those who choose not to donate. Thank people for their time as well as their participation. Remember that the impression you leave is the one people iwll remember when they think of United Way and your workplace campaign. 15

16 WHAT WILL YOU DO TO LIVE UNITED? Participating in a United Way campaign helps move people out of poverty. It will also give your organization the opportunity to learn firsthand about the needs in your local community provide rewarding team building experiences. Volunteer projects, collection drives, special events and impact speakers rally and motivate your team to support the impact work of United Way! Volunteer. Visit GetConnected.uwwh.org. Adding volunteering to your campaign is easy by visiting Get Connected, an online volunteer match service. You can reach out to a GetConnected Partner and schedule group or individual volunteering experiences. Some organizations grant a certain number of hours for employees to complete volunteering projects as a way to improve morale, build satisfaction and increase retention rates. It s also a great way to build leadership, step out of your comfort zone, and try something new. Bridges Out of Poverty. Bridges Out of Poverty is a framework for understanding how local poverty shows up. You might wish to send your employees to one of our public workshop (continuing education and graduate credits are available) that are held quarterly or host a Bridges Out of Poverty lunch-and-learn inside your company. You may want to start a book club and read Bridges Out of Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities by Ruby K. Payne, PhD, Philip E. DeVol, and Terie Dreussi Smith. Our next community workshop in December is Wednesday, December 12, AM-4PM. RSVP on uwwh.org. United Way 365. Stay engaged all year long. Check out how we are impacting the community at uwwh.org and on United Way social media. Save the dates for MLK Day of Service & Learning (January 21, 2019) and Heart & Sole Community Walk Run (August 19, 2019). You can form a team and race to reduce poverty! Facebook: facebook.com/uwwhc Instagram: uwwhbop YouTube: uwwhbop@gmail.com 16

17 HOW MUCH SHOULD I GIVE? At United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties, we believe that charitable giving is a personal decision. During the course of the campaign, you will likely be asked, How much should I give? Here are a few options you may want to consider when answering this question: Averages can be used to help people decide how much to give. Ask your United Way contact for the average annual gift of your organization. Some organizations build suggested gift amounts into the campaign theme and compare donations per pay to everyday purchases. For instance, ask employees to consider giving the cost of a coffee per day to United Way. Feel free to use comparisons that are relevant to your employees (i.e., cost of a drive-thru meal, cost of a soft drink, cost of a movie, one day s wages, one percent of your salary, etc.). Tell people about the impact their gift can make. See examples below. Ask your United Way contact for more examples. $1 per week ($52 per year) provides: Job coaching and certification manuals. Quality industrial training to 10 individuals for just over an hour. Nearly 3 full days of after school academic instruction for 1 student. 52 meals at the soup kitchen. $5 per week ($260 per year) provides: Transportation to workshop classes, mentoring sessions, peer support groups, and job interviews. Access to the most up-to-date youth and adult risk assessment protocols and manuals. 5 Thanksgiving dinners for a family of five. 1 month of utilities. $10 per ewek ($520 per year) provides: Summer camp for 5 kids. 58 hours of adult education instruction (like GED, ESL). 16 days of shelter for a homeless individual. 17

18 STEP THREE: FOLLOW UP Trust is improved by small promises kept over a long period of time. Make sure to follow up with answers to people s questions. Get in touch with anyone who was out of time office or away during United Way presentations or meetings. Send thank you notes/ s to everyone you meet with or talk to about United Way. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me to talk about United Way. Once you have asked your colleagues and followed up with people in your organization, report results and any feedback to your United Way contact. See the Submit section for more information. TIPS The number one reason people don t give is because they were never asked. Be sure to ask everyone assigned to you. Be yourself. Your enthusiasm and commitment will motivate others to give. Don t take things personally. If someone says no, try to determine why and address their objections. Be fearless! You are not asking for yourself you are asking for the community. 18

19 STEP FOUR: SUBMIT Submit it! Report your campaign results to United Way. Be sure to include: Total number of employees. Number of gifts and dollar amount for payroll. Number of gifts and dollar amount for direct bill pledges. Number of gifts and dollar amount for cash or check gifts. Number of gifts and dollar amount for credit card gifts. Total dollars contributed for corporate gift. Total dollars raised from hosting special events. Complete the total dollars contributed. Complete your campaign envelope, making sure the totals match what is included inside. Your totals from pledge card data, including: payroll summary data and corporate pledge data need to match the envelope. United Way can collect your final envelope, upon request. Conduct a debrief session. Meet with your campaign team to go over what went well and what needs improvement. This helps you be prepared for next year s campaign! 19

20 2019 CAMPAIGN INFORMATION FINANCIAL GOAL: PARTICIPATION GOAL: CAMPAIGN WILL START ON: CAMPAIGN WILL BE COMPLETED BY: MY OUTREACH WILL BE DONE IN THE FOLLOWING FORMAT: One-to-one/Peer-to-peer Group meetings/presentations with personal follow-up INCENTIVES (EARLY BIRD RAFFLES, 10% INCREASE, FIRST TIME DONORS): RETURN PLEDGE FORMS TO: FOR ASSISTANCE, CALL: UNITED WAY OF WAYNE & HOLMES COUNTIES GOAL: EVENT SCHEDULE: Event Date Time Location Features Kick-Off Special Event Special Event Wrap-Up COMMUNICATION SCHEDULE: Mode Date Audience Content Launch Reminder Call Thank You Note 20

21 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS How much does United Way spend on fundraising and administration? United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties strives to ensure that every dollar raised, as much as possible goes to the community. Last year, United Way s fundraising and administrative costs were %. According to The Non-Profit Times, the average American believes that a charity should spend no more than 23% on overhead. In actuality, charities spend on average 37 cents on the dollar. What makes an organization elegible for United Way funding? For United Way funding, an organization must: Be a nonprifit, registered charitable organization. Provide programs and services that help move people out of poverty. Meet a vital, local community need that aligns with United Way s community impact strategies. Be operated by a volunteer board of directors that reflect the community it serves. This board must be resonsible for the development, delivery and evaluation of services and the efficient and effective management of the agency s programs and budget. Be supportive of United Way, our operating policies and campaign efforts. How does a person in need find the best place to get help? By dialing or Picking up United Way Street Cards at United Way. These sheets list organizations and contact information. Why do partner providers have their own fundraising drives? United Way does not fund the entire budget of any of our partner providers. All partner providers are encouraged to seek out a variety of funding sources. For major expenses and initiatives, such as large-scale renovation, agencies often conduct their own fundraising drives. 21

22 What are United Way s main strategies for moving people out of poverty? We analyze a wide range of research that identifies broad trends, demographics, and data, to give us a clearer picture of the unerlying conditions that lead to social problems, including local poverty. United Way s strategic plan includes strengthening our community in four significant ways: 1. Health & Mental Health: Dollars are invested to assist families with access to physical health care, mental health care, and help those who are in need of substance abuse treatment. 2. Safety Net: This area of investment focuses on organizations that assist those in poverty who require access to food, shelter, and assistance with utilities. 3. Workforce Development: Investments in this area work to increase earnings or benefits for the underemployed individuals. Programs supported work to retain employment for at-risk employees and decrease turnover for employees, while assuring that individuals have access to substance abuse treatment. 4. Youth Development: This area helps increase future successes for Wayne and Holmes Counties most disadvantaged youth affected by poverty and its contributed factors: kindergarten readiness, increasing academic achievement, decreasing absences, increasing the graduation rates. 5. Holmes County (only): These funds assist programs in Holmes County. Funds stay in Holmes County. 22

23 ONLINE CAMPAIGN RESOURCES CAMPAIGN CENTRAL IS UNITED WAY S ONLINE CENTER FOR CAMPAIGN RESOURCES. VISIT UWWH.COM/CAMPAIGN. Communications. Your campaign communication strategy will need to fit in with your internal public relations strategy. A sample communications plan on our website will help you plan your messaging and timing. Incentives. See a list of successful incentives used by local campaigns at our website. Incentives are your opportunity to add a little something extra to your campaign. Not only can they raise additional money, but also they can be instrumental in team development, morale boosting, creating excitement and educating about United Way. Impact Speakers. It is indeed moving when your employees can connect to how United Way has personally helped individuals move out of poverty, gain stability in their lives, or experience success. Consider joining our speaker bureau yourself! Activities & Events. Including fun activities is a great way to generate enthusiasm, employee participation, and additional dollars to your campaign. Pair them with your campaign theme or use them on their own. We have included online a list of creative in-person events and activities to give you some ideas. Community Engagement. Key engagement strategies that include GetConnected volunteer events are easy ways to engage your colleagues in order to give back to your community. Tip: Access our online campaign planning tools at uwwh.org/campaign. 23

24 215 S. Walnut St., Wooster, OH uwwh.org