Whether this is your first year running a campaign or you are a seasoned pro, these materials will help you understand why your campaign is so important and show you the impact your dollars make. Learn about:

• United Way of Dane County’s mission and our impact.
• Our new Plan for Community Well-Being, helping more families and individuals get what they need in the areas of early childhood, income and health.
• United Way 211, Dane County’s more comprehensive health and human services database.
• Our commitment to racial equity – United Way of Dane County publicly recognizes racism as a public health crisis, understands racism as a root cause of inequity in our society, stands in total opposition to all acts of racism and discrimination and is actively working to become anti-racist.

Resources

2022 Community Impact Report

Agenda for Change Snapshots

Early Childhood

Education

Income

Health

United Way 211 Snapshot

United Way 211 Call

 Commitment to Racial Equity

Recruit a team to help make your campaign as successful and stress-free as possible. Team members provide great ideas, support for your campaign and will help you create a more engaging and compelling message. Recruit from all areas in you organization.

• Include different departments
• Consider unique skills such as communication, creativity and energy
• Include varying seniority levels on your team
• Ask your CEO and other leaders throughout your organizations to help on your campaign team

Setting your timeline and nailing down how you will share your content should be done as early as possible to ensure a smooth campaign.

Set Your Campaign Timeline

• Set your start/end dates and kickoff events and communicate them with your United Way Liaison. Determine the length of your campaign, whether you will host in-person or virtual events and the dates for those events.

Determine Pledge Platform

• Provide convenience for your employees through ePledge or prep a data file for personalized paper pledge forms to share with your Loaned Executive after your first meeting.
• If employees are making a pledge through payroll deduction, to the extent allowed by your employer, United Way of Dane County can accept pledge forms that have a digital signature. Please include both sides of the pledge form when submitting. Pledge forms can be emailed to donate@uwdc.org or mailed to: PO Box 7548 Madison, WI 53707-7548

Resources

  ePledge

  2023 Pledge Form

  2023 Fillable Pledge Form

  2023 Pledge Form (Spanish)

  2023 Fillable Pledge Form (Spanish)

Use the resources below to create a successful campaign. A strong campaign should include an educational element, an empathy-building element and an exciting element. Keep it simple and fun using the tools below:

Special Events

• Special events motivate and promote team spirit, raise awareness around community needs and raise money to support family well-being. Consider including in-person or virtual special events to bring employees together, support our community and have fun! Click here for ideas!

Engagements

• Educate and engage your employees by utilizing a customized engagement. These have been built to help employees understand the obstacles our neighbors in Dane County live through each and every day.

Volunteering

• Provide a volunteer opportunity for employees. Encourage your employees to attend  Community Kickoff at Breese Stevens Field, August 21 at 3:00 pm, utilize VolunteerYourTime.org to find opportunities or request information about corporate volunteer opportunities through the Business Volunteer Network.

Incentives

• Incentives motivate and promote giving, advocating and volunteering. To encourage participation, consider adding incentives for attending meetings, submitting pledge forms or increasing annual gift.

Resources

2023 Limited Resources Engagement: Activity Sheet

2023 Limited Resources Engagement: Facilitator Guide

2023 Special Events Guide

2023 Special Events Recipe Book

2023 Incentives Guide

It’s important to communicate to all groups at your company throughout the campaign. Use these tips to thank donors, encourage participation in United Way groups and engage new audiences.

Thank Past Donors

• Thank past donors at the beginning of the campaign. Past donors are the base of your campaign, let them know you appreciate their support and encourage them to renew and increase their gift.

Promote Donor Networks and Affinity Groups

• Promote donor networks and affinity groups throughout the campaign. These groups are focused on bringing together link-minded people and making a difference in Dane County.
• Lead United is our new donor network cultivating community-minded individuals to lead in their workplace, in our community and through their philanthropy. This group of local leaders is invested, compassionate and focused on understanding Dane County’s critical issues and achieving professional growth. Donate $1,000 or more per household to become a member of Lead United. donors can also join through the Lead United Step-Up Program – donors give $500 this year and commit to grow their gift to $1,000 over 3 years.
• Women United is a diverse circle engaging women as an emerging and powerful philanthropic force. This group is impacting and investing in the future of the community through education.
• LINC (Lead. Impact. Network. Change.) is a volunteer-driven group that learns about the issues facing our community and personally helps make a difference. It is an opportunity to elevate your community, connections and calendar through unique volunteer events, then connect over food and drinks!

Engage Retiring and New Employees

• Retirees – Invite retirees to continue giving with your organization’s campaign to keep them connected with your events and increase the impact of your campaign.
• New Hires – Include campaign information and a pledge form when onboarding new employees. This shows your company’s social responsibility and invites new employees to start participating before your annual campaign.

Resources

Lead United

Women United

LINC

All Donor Networks and Affinity Groups

Having a clear communication plan is key to a successful campaign. Use the tips below to keep your campaign fun and top of mind with your employees.

Develop a Communication Plan

• Decide how often and what type of communications you’ll be sending. Some examples include CEO Endorsement Communications (could be an email, letter or video), invitations to United Way Events or craft an email campaign.

Use Social Media

• Use Social Media to spread the word about your campaign. Follow and tag us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn

Update Employees on Campaign Progress

• Send participation levels and dollars “in” to date to keep working towards your campaign goal through your intranet or an email. If you have successes, share on social media and tag @unitedwaydaneco!

Resources

2023 Telling the United Way Story

2023 Sample CEO Endorsement Letter

2022 Donor Questions

2023 Communications Toolkit

Congrats on your successful campaign. Connect with your United Way Liaison about results and next steps.

• Take Time to Celebrate! Because of you and your hard work, your company has raised funds that will help create lasting change in our community!
• Report Results to your United Way Liaison to debrief final results, document your campaign results and identify campaign strengths and opportunities. Take a moment to enjoy this time, it’s a great opportunity to celebrate your successes and start planning for next year.
• Conduct Follow-Up with any individuals who missed the campaign deadline or were out of the office during the campaign. Ask your Liaison if you need donor details.
• Thank All Donors through personalized messages or by hosting an event. As we mentioned before, employee donations are the base of your campaign. Make sure everyone feels appreciated and happy with their participation in the annual campaign.