What is a Workplace Campaign?

Without a doubt, the workplace campaign is the most high-profile United Way fundraising activity across the world, representing a significant portion of the funds we gather to invest in changing community conditions. Workplace giving is an easy and effective way to help employees make a difference and show them that their workplace is actively supporting the local community’s most important issues. Employees of a company are given an opportunity to support United Way by donating a portion of their paycheck. In many cases, the donations from employees are pre-tax pay, and many companies match their employees’ donations, which makes their charitable contributions go further. Whether you're a small business, major corporation, or even a nonprofit, you can join the dozens of local businesses and organizations that run workplace campaigns in Baytown and Chambers County each year. 

The support raised through Workplace Campaigns creates hope for families and individuals who have nowhere else to turn. When you give to United Way, you create a stronger tomorrow and a brighter future for countless people in Baytown, Highlands, and Chambers County.

The Value of Giving

It makes a difference. Employees are making an investment that benefits the entire community, not just one program, issue, or population, and this leads to a stronger, more sustainable place to live and work. United Way provides expert management of donor investments and brings the right people, ideas, and resources together to solve the most pressing needs of the community and finds innovative solutions for lasting change. United Way leverages the contributions by combining it with others and strategically investing in results-driven programs and initiatives to maximize the impact we have in the community. Our team of volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that donor dollars are being used to support the most effective programs in our community. Spreading giving throughout the year via employee payroll deduction makes it easier to increase someone’s donations while still staying within their personal budget.

Benefits of a Workplace Campaign 

More and more, employees and customers are attracted to companies that are committed to the community and create opportunities for them to connect with the causes they care about most. Employee campaigns are a great opportunity to engage employees, build a spirit of teamwork, and increase morale all while making an impact on the community.

Benefits to Employees

• Education: Campaign information about charitable organizations expands employees’ knowledge about their community. 
• Enhanced Employee Relations: Running a campaign provides a way for employees to improve their community. Also, participation in a campaign committee or events can help develop teambuilding skills and boost morale as employees learn to set goals, work together, and achieve positive results. 
• Investment: Companies and their employees may be able to receive tax deductions and/or credits from charitable giving as well as enjoy the ease and convenience of payroll deduction. 
• Satisfaction: Allowing employees to donate to an organization that addresses issues that are important to them provides greater employee satisfaction. For example, United Way provides many choices to employees through education, financial stability, and health areas included on pledge forms as well as a variety of special local United Way community initiatives.
• Workforce Development: Running a campaign provides leadership opportunities for the campaign, committee, or event leaders as well as those aligned with affinity groups that empower employees to create new strategies to reach their networks. 

Benefits to Company 

• Community Leadership: Creates a bond of interest between employer and employee; each knowing the other is working for the community’s best interest. Companies prosper in healthy communities and tend to stay and increase their employee base. Companies outside the area are more likely to invest in communities with a well-educated workforce, attractive and safe neighborhoods, a strong educational system, and social services that address and reduce health and human service needs. 
• Corporate Recognition: Campaigns demonstrate to employees, customers, and the public at large that community service, impact, and leadership are a company priority. Companies that participate in campaigns are often recognized in events, media, marketing materials, and other platforms. Companies receive third-party recognition from United Way and other nonprofits and can also use campaign participation and results in their own internal and external communications such as websites, press releases, and annual reports. 
• Easy Administration: Workplace campaigns are efficient and easy to administer. Payroll deduction is easy for employees and spreads giving throughout the year producing larger employee gifts. 
• Improved Customer Relations and Loyalty: Market research shows that customers are more likely to purchase goods and services from companies that support their local community. Supporting nonprofit organizations and the community through the campaign shows that a company provides more than a product or service — it provides support for the local community as well — creating good community relations.

Benefits to Community 

• Education: In many cases, employees (and their friends and families) are unaware of the programs area organizations provide. Running a campaign provides an easy way to bring the community together, convey educational messages and expose employees to resources they may have never known about. 
• Expanded Outreach: The workplace provides new and expanded avenues for community outreach, making it easier for more employees to give and take an active part in vital community service activities. 
• Increased Partnership: Employee campaigns encourage cooperation and collaboration among charitable organizations, as well as between companies and nonprofits. These partnerships help reduce duplication and build more meaningful community coalitions. 
• Delivering Impact/ Getting Results: Funds raised during workplace campaigns go directly back to the community to improve lives.
• Service: Involvement with United Way enters you into a world of volunteering with our volunteer platform, Volunteer Connect.

Interested in running a United Way Campaign at your workplace?

If you would like to get involved and run a workplace campaign with your company, email United Way GBACC's Campaign Manager Jacob Ickes for more information. There are many ways to run a workplace campaign! United Way GBACC will partner with you to develop a customized workplace campaign that aligns with your corporate values, as well as the interests of your employees. We will provide guidance and support to assist you in building your fundraising team and running an effective campaign.

Click the button below to view our campaign toolkit, which includes resources that

can help anyone run a successful United Way GBACC Campaign.

Employee Campaign Coordinator (ECC) awards are always a high point of recognition. ECCs are the individuals who bear the main responsibility for engaging, coordinating, and often educating employees in their workplace about United Way. These are the individuals who organize schedules and meetings, who send out communications about the campaign events and deadlines, and who encourage their coworkers to participate with United Way, whether as a donor, a volunteer, or an advocate.