Workplace campaigns with United Way of Rutland County is what you want to make it. Our customizable, flexible, and creative options are rooted in meeting businesses and individuals where there at. 

1. Employee Payroll Deductions +/- Corporate Match
   1. Traditional model workplace giving
   2. Establish a payroll deduction process to streamline your donations to UWRC through your employer. 
   3. Encourage your employer to match employee contributions to maximize the impact of your donations.
2. Corporate Annual Gift
3. Event Sponsorships
4. Workplace Fundraising Events
   1. Hold events in your workplace like yard sales, silent auctions, raffles and coat drives that benefit UWRC’s annual campaign
   2. Work alongside UWRC to host events that benefit UWRC and the Rutland community.
5. In-Kind donations
   1. An alternative to traditional giving, support the United Way by providing necessary materials for UWRC events, programs, and initiatives.
6.  Designated Giving
   1. Is there a specific community organization, program or cause you have in mind your business and employees would like to support? UWRC can connect you with local organizations and facilitate your giving.
7. Targeted Impact Sponsorship
   1. Streamline your donations to support UWRC’s Targeted Impact Programs: Happy Feet and Welcome to Winter.
8. Customized Giving
   1. Do you have an idea of how you want to get involved with UWRC? We love that! Tell us how we can bring your idea to life.

Interested in establishing a traditional workplace campaign (employee deductions and corporate contributions)? This is fantastic news! Below are the next steps to make your campaign official!

1.REVIEW YOUR ORGANIZATION’S PAST CAMPAIGNS

• We can provide your organization with a giving history for the past 2-5 years.
• Set up a meeting to talk about past campaigns, to consider how this year’s campaign can be positively influenced by the work you do, and to set a goal.
• Email [email protected] or call 802.773.7477 for assistance or information.

2.ENCOURAGE SUPPORT FROM MANAGEMENT OR YOUR CEO

• Talk with your company’s leadership about approving a campaign committee, budget and allowing time for meetings and activities.
• Ask your management team and CEO to publicly support the campaign, endorse and participate in events. Management participation helps to set a positive tone for the campaign and thank-you emails are appreciated by employees.
• Discuss implementing a program that matches a percentage of employee gifts.
• Leverage corporate social responsibility – your organization is helping to create strong communities throughout your region!

3.BUILD YOUR CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE TEAM

• Recruit a team from all departments in your organization. The best candidates are people who are organized, enthusiastic, creative and interested in improving our community.
• Get management approval for meetings, events and gatherings to support your campaign.

4.PLAN AND PREPARE

• Meet with your committee to plan fun activities and events, create incentives, and choose strategies that are best for your organization’s culture.
• Set your campaign goal or goals. Whether you aim to boost fundraising or drive increased participation, your goals matter. Reach out to your United Way contacts for valuable insights on past campaign targets and creative ideas. Work with us to ensure you have pledge forms and other materials you need for your campaign.

5.PROMOTE AND KICKOFF YOUR CAMPAIGN

• Invite all staff to a kickoff event to highlight campaign goals, campaign activities, management support, and how to give.
• Ask UWRC staff or a community speaker to speak to your staff – by sharing personal stories about how our work has touched the community.
• Communicate and Celebrate – use your company’s newsletter, intranet, internal emails, or website to share stories, sample emails, and promote campaign activities and accomplishments.

6.MAKE THE ASK

• Contributing is a personal matter and should be confidential. Make your pledge to the United Way before you encourage your team to give. It’s easier to ask if you’ve already given.
• For suggestions about how to ask without pressure, ask your United Way contact or email us at info@uwrutlandcounty.org.

6.MAKE THE ASK (continued)

• Take time to help employees understand how giving to UWRC impacts their community.
• Ensure your staff knows where to find pledge forms, access e-pledge forms, and where and when to return them after they’ve been filled out.
• Ask everyone to contribute a gift through group events, meetings, or personal conversations.
• The #1 reason people state for not giving is that they were never asked.

7.MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS

• Keep a running total as pledges are collected.
• Check in mid-campaign to track your progress against your goal and follow up with those who did not return pledge forms.

8.SHOW YOUR GRATITUDE

• Report final totals to your employees and thank everyone! Use campaign posters included in your packet on bulletin boards, or lunchrooms, say thank you in your newsletter, and send personal letters or emails from you or the CEO.
• Hold a Thank You event.
• Meet with your committee to evaluate the campaign, say thank you, and wrap up!
• Congratulate yourself on a job well done!

Not interested in a traditional workplace campaign? No problem! Here are some next steps when exploring some of our other workplace giving options. It is most important to get in contact with us. We would love to hear from you and help visualize, plan, and execute your ideas focused on community betterment.

Brainstorm and/or choose what kind(s) of workplace campaign(s) you would like to initiate at your establishment.

Not sure yet? That’s okay! You don’t need to have it all figured out just yet. 

1. Get in touch with us.
   1. We would love to chat directly with you about you ideas, visions, and how we can make the workplace campaign process easiest for you. 
   2. Email Tina, Executive Director at [email protected]
   3.  or CALL 802.773.7477
2. Establish a Key Person for your workplace.
   1. A key person is an individual or small group of staff within your organization that act as campaign managers for your workplace during the United Way of Rutland County’s giving season. Key People are representatives and go-to communicators for their workplace, and aid in advocating for workplace participation in the United Way of Rutland County’s annual campaign.  
3. Getting things started
   1. Receive, review, and distribute campaign materials to your staff, organizational board, and anyone else who are interested in contributing to your campaign!
   2. United Way of Rutland County encourages all work places to schedule a time, typically over a lunchbreak, that we can present and speak directly to your team to inform them about United Way’s efforts and express our gratitude while you begin your United Way campaign journey.