United Way of Central Alabama


» Six Steps to a Successful Campaign Step 2 Develop A Plan For Success Developing realistic goals and a workable timeline up front is critical. Keep in mind that 80 percent of your time is spent planning and organizing your campaign; only 20 percent is spent running it. Take a close look at results of past campaigns. Then map out your campaign dates, goals and strategies. To analyze your campaign's potential, use the Campaign Analysis Worksheet as a tool. This will uncover opportunities for growth in your campaign and give you a basis for developing strategies to increase giving. Additionally, talk with previous year's campaign coordinator to learn what past strategies worked well and what areas are opportunities for improvement. Establishing and communicating a campaign goal builds enthusiasm and increases motivation throughout the campaign. You should have analyzed your previous campaign and obtained ideas for your goal already. To move you further along in that process, here are specific elements to consider when determining your goal: Overall employee giving Corporate giving Percent of participation Leadership giving Payroll deduction giving Average gift Non-givers or first-time givers Fair Share givers Look for trends by analyzing the results from various angles, such as by department, by location, by shift. Compare management to hourly employees. Use any or all of these metrics to set campaign goals for increasing giving during the new campaign. Once goals are established, share them with your CEO, Leadership Giving Chairperson, and campaign team. Once everyone is in agreement, communicate the goal to employees and set strategies to reach that goal. When you begin planning your campaign dates, consider this suggested checklist for including necessary tasks in your timeline: Campaign team training and meetings Meeting with and sending endorsement letters from CEO/Labor Meeting with your HR and/or payroll team member to confirm procedures Ordering Campaign Materials from United Way (brochures, posters, pledge cards, videos, leadership campaign materials) Personalize Pledge Cards (if appropriate for your organization) Securing Incentives Identify employees in your organization who have personal stories they would like to share. Display posters and other campaign information throughout organization Running your leadership campaign early to set the pace General campaign kick-off event Employee meetings with scheduled speakers and agency tours Send reminders about employee meeting dates and times. Use emails and/or voice mail in addition to posters or announcements. Announcements for campaign progress and totals Deadline for turning in results internally and to United Way of Central Alabama Sending or carrying out thank you gestures Final campaign celebration -announcement of final campaign results, internal recognition and awards Typically, smaller companies conduct campaigns in a one-week time period, while larger companies may take up to three weeks to complete their campaign. Think about the atmosphere of your organization and what will be most successful in creating your timeline. Be mindful of the timeline for the overall United Way Campaign Calendar (located in the Tools and Resources section). Running a leadership campaign early is the fastest way to reach your goal. Leadership Giving is an effective way for contributors to have a greater impact on our community. Company recognition, personal recognition, networking or social opportunities and helping impact the community are just a few of the benefits a Leadership Giver receives. Schedule a meeting with your United Way representative to discuss making your leadership campaign a success. What is leadership giving all about? Leadership Givers are individuals who contribute $1,000 or more each year. More than 5,000 individuals from over 350 companies give at the Leadership Level, which represents more than 42% of the annual campaign. The following are different levels of leadership giving: Red Feather Association $1,000 - $1,999 Silver Feather Association $2,000 - $3,499 Gold Feather Association $3,500 - $4,999 Builder's Society $5,000 - $9,999 Alexis de Tocqueville Society $10,000 and up Leadership Plus (+) Givers increasing their leadership gift by 10% or more A strong Leadership campaign is key to achieving your organizations goals. A Leadership Giving program is easy to implement in a company of any size and can be an excellent source of new dollars for your campaign. A few key strategies for leadership: If your CEO has not already appointed a Leadership Coordinator, ask him/her to appoint someone who is a respected leader in the organization and a leadership giver. The Leadership Coordinator should organize the leadership solicitation and include a special leadership meeting, peer-to-peer solicitation, follow-up, and a strategy to thank leadership givers. In addition, the following Leadership materials should be included: Leadership pledge cards United Way leadership video United Way leadership speaker Information on matching programs Ask your United Way representative to discuss ways to develop a Leadership Giving program that best fits your organization. He or she can tell you how to: Recruit and train a Leadership Giving team. Identify Leadership Giving prospects. Help your CEO visibly support your Leadership Giving effort. Personally visit and invite Leadership Giving prospects to contribute. Follow up with potential Leadership Givers. Develop and publicize the organization's goal for Leadership Giving. Thank the Leadership Givers. Report names and final results to United Way When finalizing your leadership solicitation methods, keep these groups involved: Employees who gave at leadership levels last year Employees currently giving $500 or more Employees earning $50,000 or more Employees receiving stock options as part of their compensation package Retirees who were leadership givers and long time United Way supporters Matching programs also have a strong impact on Leadership giving, allowing donors to plan increases in giving and make multi-year commitments. Many companies have internal matching programs using corporate dollars to assist individuals wishing to give at a Leadership level. Also, several foundations support individuals desiring to give to United Way at the Leadership Level and will match or supplement gifts. Try something new this year with your leadership campaign by using one or more of our Leadership Modules. These are simple ways to build on your leadership campaign for increased giving. You can also use our sample Leadership Letter as a way to solicit all leadership prospects (located in the Tools and Resources section). » Tools and Resources » Important Dates » Campaign Ads » Campaign Logos and Graphics » Videos » Reporting Forms » Speaker, Tour, and Agency Fair Forms