Four Truths About Workplace Campaigns

First and foremost, workplace campaigns are HOW people give to United Way and not WHY people give to United Way.

Not a single person gives to United Way because United Ways have workplace campaigns. If an employee does not know why they should give to United Way, they will not give to the workplace campaign. The critical question every United Way needs to answer is “Why should a donor give to United Way?”

What motivates donors to give more than anything else is knowing the impact of their contribution. They want to know how their community will be a better place because they gave to United Way. They want to know who will be helped by their contribution. Simply, they want to know how their contribution will change lives.

Issue focused United Ways work on impacting one issue, so it is super easy for donors to understand how their contribution will change lives. If your United Way does not focus on addressing a specific issue, you are missing out on donors because they will not see your United Way as addressing their cause.

Check out my recent blog post Give Your Donors Opportunities to Change Lives for more on why donors should give. 

Second, workplace campaigns are declining and will not return to previous levels.

The decline of workplace campaigns is well documented. It has been going on for years, it is system-wide, and there is no sign that it will change. In fact, there are probably more reasons it will get even worse. United Ways have no control over companies merging or closing, when organizations move management to another state, when employers choose to use a third-party processor, or even when companies decide to stop holding a campaign. The corporate environment has been changing for years and has been entirely reinvented due to COVID-19.

At the same time, donors have plenty of options for giving to the charities they want to support. They no longer need United Way to vet charities and decide which charities deserve their support. Online services like Charity Navigator or Guidestar provide donors with easy access information about charities, and they can easily make contributions to the charities of their choice anytime they want.

It is imperative for United Ways to intentionally work to diversify resources. Workplace campaign should be a fraction of your United Way’s total resources – no more than 50%. The remaining resources must come from grants, planned giving, events, and sponsorships.

Check out my recent blog post How to Grow Revenue Instead of Cutting Costs to learn more about what it takes to grow revenue.

Third, coercion is helping kill workplace campaigns.

Many United Ways are encouraging coercion without even knowing it. It seems logical to publicly recognize companies that have increased their workplace campaigns, added more leadership donors, or have high levels of employee participation. But it is often impossible to tell if employees were coerced into giving. We have conducted surveys with United Way donors for nearly 30 years. Every time we conduct a survey, there are donors who complain about being coerced to give. We see statements like these all the time: “The draconian practices of my employer regarding United Way contributions has soured my opinion of United Way and made me resentful of an organization I used to support freely.”

It is time to stop making everything about the money. Always say thank you but stop glorifying and rewarding companies for their fundraising efforts. There is no need for 100% participation awards, recognizing the largest increase, recognizing average gift levels per donor, or recognizing the number of leadership givers. Coercion occurs when companies start competing to achieve these types of awards. Our donor research has found the highest levels of donor coercion are always at United Ways that offer these types of recognition.

Check out our recent blog post Is Your Workplace Campaign a Dead Horse? to learn more workplace campaigns.

Fourth, workplace campaigns can still raise money for United Ways.

There is still a lot of potential for United Ways to raise money from workplace campaigns, however, it is important to keep a close eye on how much effort it takes to raise that money. When workplace campaigns start taking more time and begin to raise less money, these are red flags. The effectiveness and efficiency of workplace campaigns needs to be monitored and staff resources need to be allocated appropriately. The halcyon days of workplace campaigns are over.