how to run a successful campaign

Learn about United Way’s work, the difference we make in people’s lives, and how we tackle tough issues through strategic investments.

Recruit a team of enthusiastic volunteers like a Campaign Chair, Leadership Giving Chair, and committee members to connect one-on-one with employees.

Get your CEO to actively show support and get someone to help at each business unit or location.

Work with your management team to identify employees who would be a good fit for your committee.

Promote teamwork as a professional development opportunity.

Ask a representative from each department to be involved.

Learn about your company’s community impact philosophy and goals and develop a campaign strategy to fit.

Set a start and end date. Some companies find two weeks to be a great timeframe.

Set and publicize your goals.

Work with your committee or CEO to establish a goal and be sure to publicize it within your campaign. Incentivize your goals and utilize emails, newsletters, and signage to help employees understand what United Way is and what we do to help the community.

Schedule a company-wide United Way Campaign Kickoff, or meet with your co-workers in groups or individually to share the United Way story. Discuss United Way Investment Volunteers, good stewardship, and our focus on results. Emphasize that United Way looks at the big picture to leverage the power of each gift.

Add a United Way message moment into regularly scheduled meetings and emails to employees. Distribute brochures, videos, posters, and table tents that tell stories of people’s lives we have changed.

Make sure education begins well before pledge information goes out.

Get your team together for a United Way Day of Caring volunteer project or a tour of the 211 Texas/United Way HELPLINE to listen in on live calls for help.

Ask a colleague who has been helped by United Way to share their personal story, share a United Way beneficiary story, or ask United Way to schedule a speaker for your group.

Encourage your colleagues to get involved through our leadership and affinity groups, like United Way LINC (30 and younger), United Way Young Leaders (45 and younger), United Way Women’s Initiative, and Stay United (United Way’s retiree initiative).

Being respectful that giving is a personal decision, have a member of your campaign team personally ask every colleague to support United Way. The number one reason people don’t give is because they are not asked.

Ask your company leadership to attend meetings and events, publicly endorse the campaign, and encourage employees to give.

Let employees know they can give via payroll deduction, check, credit card, direct billing ($250 minimum), or stock.

Work with United Way to develop a Leadership Giving strategy. Recruit a chair and a team of leadership donors to support the effort.

Make sure every donor knows how important their gift is by sending a personalized thank you letter to each individual.

Host a thank you event for employees to express gratitude, announce results, and celebrate.

Close out your campaign by submitting to United Way an electronic summary of donor results and information, including pledge card data, payroll summary data, and corporate pledge data. Include a hard copy with your campaign report envelope.

Provide donor contact and gift information to United Way so we can thank every donor. Compile a complete list of leadership donors so United Way can include them in donor recognition events and materials.

Appoint a Leadership Giving chair and team. Your chair should be a senior staff member who is also a Leadership donor, and your team should also give at the Leadership level so they can share their experience with peers.

Analyze past giving and develop a plan. Ask HR to identify prospective Leadership Donors: those currently giving $500+, those earning $50K+, longtime contributors, and retirees. Talk with them about the benefits of being involved with United Way LINC, Young Leaders, Women’s Initiative, Alexis de Tocqueville Society, Chairman’s Club, Impact Circle, and Leadership Circle.

Recognize Leadership Donors’ generosity: Send each individual a personalized letter from your CEO and Leadership Giving chair. Consider a special kick-off or thank you event or a salute in your company newsletter.

Your United Way representative or Loaned Executive is here to help guide your campaign.

unitedwayhouston.org has tools, brochures, Word and PPT templates, and success stories and videos you can use.

Posters, table tents, pocket cards, and many other printed pieces are available to download or distribute.

Download our campaign social media guide and follow, share, and tag @UnitedWayHouston on social media.