When you give to United Way, you join a network of more than 20,000 donors committed to changing lives and strengthening communities. Much of that support comes from the region’s workforce.
In traditional United Way fashion, the 2022-23 Workplace Campaign season bonded the region’s private and public sectors through a commitment to fuel lifesaving, transformative initiatives across Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey.
More than 270 companies, organizations, and institutions participated in workplace campaigns in support of United Way and to foster a culture of philanthropy amongst staff.
Leading the force from United Way were Fran Gress, director of campaign services, and John Hess, campaign services associate. The two tag-teamed the range of regional employers, orchestrating successful—and fun—campaigns with workplace ambassadors.
“Workplace campaigns always served to cultivate generous and team-oriented corporate cultures. This has never been as evident as it was this year when return-to-work also brought return-to-workplace campaigns,” said Hess. “Bringing teammates together—many of whom had never met before in person—to laugh, learn, and give … there’s nothing like it!” they added.
More than 270 companies, organizations, and institutions participated in workplace campaigns in support of United Way!
We believe that the secret to a successful workplace campaign is a passionate campaign leader who can advocate for an altruistic workplace. Coined Employee Campaign Coordinators (ECCs), these ambassadors got creative in getting their coworkers in on the giving action. (Check out how Lincoln Financial Group and UGI ran their campaigns!)
“The most rewarding part of running these campaigns is witnessing tens of thousands of people across the nine counties we serve—in the region’s business community—who believe in taking care of their neighbors,” said Gress. “There’s an unparalleled sense of pride in our region, and people put their pride into action by supporting the United Way way of fighting poverty.”
At United Way, there’s no shortage of pride in city and workplace. Nearly 100% of staff ranging in rank supported our own internal workplace campaign. Like our supporters, gifts were made in one-time or recurring increments by way of payroll deductions.
One staffer said that small, recurring gifts was their go-to way to give, like a Hulu subscription, and that those gifts can add up to a lot over time.
To up the ante and incentivize giving to our mission, teammates placed bids on raffle prizes sponsored by colleagues. Tickets to regional attractions, one-on-one facetime with leaders over lunch, and handmade goods like knitted apparel were among the prizes.
How did your Workplace Campaign go? We’d love to hear from you on social media. (We’re on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram!) Post and tag #PhillySJUnited to share what was memorable about your experience this year.
As ever, we are humbled by the generosity of our supporters—this campaign season and every season. With your support, together we are driving real change throughout the region.
To learn more about what your gift can do, visit unitedforimpact.org/causes.