• How long should a campaign run?
• What time of year should a campaign run?
• Can employees pledge online?
• How can I increase participation?
• How can I increase employees' average contributions?
• How can I get my CEO/management more involved?
• What are some special event ideas?
• How can I schedule a tour? How long does it take?
• How do I schedule an agency speaker? How long does it take?
• How do I schedule a volunteer opportunity? How long does it take?
• How much of my contribution goes to helping the community?
• Who can I call for donations like pizza and prizes?

There is no certain length of time a campaign should run; the duration of the campaign depends on various factors such as employee meetings, leadership meetings, special events, and other activities. Generally, you should work with your company’s leadership team and your Community Investment Advisor to establish a time frame (a week, a month, or just a few days) and communicate that to employees. Remember, the length is flexible and can be shortened or extended if needed!

Good planning is vital to the success of your workplace campaign. A well-planned campaign will ensure efficient use of your time and maximize the interest of your employees. If your company runs on a national level the dates of the campaign are determined by your corporate office. Otherwise your company can run your campaign during the most convenient and effective time. To determine the best time of year for your organization consult with your CEO, management team, and Human Resource Department.

Yes. United Way of Salt Lake’s online pledging system requires that you give your Community Investment Advisor a working email address for each of your employees. As the administrator of the online pledging system you can send reminders, track your progress in real time, and see your final results instantly. United Way of Salt Lake does not use the email addresses provided for any other purpose.

• 100% Ask! Make sure every employee is educated about how United Way of Salt Lake is addressing our community’s most pressing problems and how their contribution is making a difference.
• Ask each employee to submit a pledge form (paper or online) even if they do not contribute. This ensures they have had the opportunity to review the form and make an educated decision.
• Use incentives to encourage employees to return pledge forms by a certain date.
• Promote competition among departments.
• Offer retirees an opportunity to contribute.
• Ask new employees to contribute as they are hired.
• Encourage your company to match employee contributions and publicize the match to your employees.

• Invite your Community Investment Advisor to conduct educational meetings with your management team prior to your campaign kick-off.
• Invite your Community Investment Advisor to conduct educational meetings with all company employees.
• Use employee testimonials in employee educational meetings.
• Dedicate your meetings entirely to United Way of Salt Lake – experience shows that meetings are less effective when combined with open enrollment or other pre-existing meetings.
• Make meetings mandatory – experience shows that when meetings are mandatory, both participation and contributions increase.
• Promote payroll deduction over one-time contributions and special events.
• Offer incentives to encourage giving at higher levels, including leadership giving.
• Encourage employees to give one hour’s pay or a certain percentage of their salary.
• Encourage your company to match employee contributions and publicize the match to your employees.

Ask your CEO or management team to visibly and personally support the campaign by:

• Making a personal leadership-level contribution and naming a senior-level person to implement a separate leadership campaign
• Giving the necessary time to plan and run a workplace campaign and allowing time for employees to attend educational meetings and special events
• Sending a personal e-mail or letter to employees encouraging them to participate, find a sample letter in the Sample Letters section of the Tool Box.
• Appointing a campaign vice-chair who will serve as the next year’s Employee Campaign Manager
• Speaking in support of United Way of Salt Lake at employee meetings and special events.

Hundreds of special event ideas can be found in the Campaign Planning Ideas section of the Tool Box.

Providing a volunteer opportunity to your employees is a great way to extend your partnership with United Way of Salt Lake year round. Work with our Volunteer Coordinator to schedule a volunteer opportunity. Advance notice of 3 weeks is required.

How much of my contribution goes to helping the community?

United Way of Salt Lake does not deduct any fees from donor contributions. United Way of Salt Lake’s costs of doing business are fully covered for 2009/2010 by Cornerstone Partners, which are corporations and foundations that direct an annual investment toward underwriting United Way of Salt Lake’s costs of doing business. United Way of Salt Lake will continue to seek additional corporations and foundations to participate in this program and encourage existing partners to increase their current level of support. However, securing corporate and foundation grants to solely cover operating expenses is becoming increasingly difficult. It could be that at some point United Way of Salt Lake’s Cornerstone Partners will not cover 100% of the costs of doing business.

Who can I call for donations like pizza and prizes?

Many area businesses are willing to contribute prizes for special events and activities that benefit United Way of Salt Lake. Restaurants, movie theaters, activity centers, sporting goods stores, boutiques, and family-owned businesses are good prospects! Find a sample incentive donation request letter in the Sample Letters section of the Tool Box.