Spirit of America Award – apply by March 12!
Time is running out to apply for United Way of America’s highest national honor for corporate partners – the United Way Spirit of America® and Summit Awards. The application deadline is March 12, 2008. This award is a great opportunity to receive national recognition including an awards dinner attended by nearly 2,000 people, national press releases and advertisements recognizing your company and employees’ focus on social responsibility and partnership with United Way. Please let us know if you plan to apply so we can send you the required application materials!
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UPS company, employees and retirees raise $60.8M
 For the eighth consecutive year, UPS, its employees and retirees delivered record-breaking contributions and are once again United Way’s top national contributor, pledging $60.8 million during the 2007 United Way campaign for continuing support of those in need – a $1 million increase over their 2006 campaign contributions and a 3% increase over goal. In the 26 years UPS has supported United Way, the company and its employees have donated an astonishing $872 million. In addition, more than 246,000 UPS employees volunteered more than 960,000 hours of service worldwide in 2007 through the company’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor volunteer program and Global Volunteer Week. The generosity of UPS, its employees and retirees is truly making lasting changes in people’s lives with results that ripple out to the community, and the country, as a whole. Read the full press release.
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IBM releases CSR study
IBM Corporation released a new study which evaluates how companies understand and manage corporate social responsibility (CSR) expectations, as well as outlines steps that companies can take to strategically align their CSR objectives to core business strategy. According to this study, companies believe that when they make CSR a part of their business strategy they are more competitive, attract and retain the best talent, and gain access to new business opportunities – 68 percent of those surveyed focused on generating revenue through CSR activities and 54 percent believe CSR initiatives contribute to giving their corporations a competitive advantage.
United Ways across the country are hard at work tackling education, income and health issues in their communities. Through NCL companies’ commitment to corporate social responsibility and United Way, we are able to create strategic partnerships that make lasting changes furthering companies’ CSR goals and ultimately making communities a better places to live and work.
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NCL Advisory Council meets in San Diego
The NCL Advisory Council met in San Diego February 6-7 to discuss updates on the California wildfires long-term recovery efforts, including a bus tour of affected areas, United Way’s focus for 2008, campaign and year-round engagement best practices sharing, the new LIVE UNITED ad campaign, competition in the workplace research, re-imagining the workplace campaign, an update on United Way’s global work, and much more. Find out more including the full meeting notes, PowerPoint presentations and pictures from the meeting.
Thank you to attendees: 3M, Bank of America, Fluor Corporation, GE, Illinois Tool Works Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft Corporation, Nationwide, Pfizer Inc, Qwest Communications International, Inc., Texas Instruments, UPS, Wachovia Corporation, Wells Fargo, Williams and Xcel Energy.
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United Way Community Leaders Conference
Join NCL company representatives, community leaders and local United Ways May 14-16, 2008 in Baltimore for United Way’s Community Leaders Conference (CLC). Don’t miss this great opportunity for peer-to-peer learning and networking, educational sessions including best practices from Spirit of America and Summit winners, and renowned guest speakers such as Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu. Watch an invitation from Brian Gallagher and register today!
Schedule of events:
May 13-14 – NCL Advisory Council meeting
May 14-16 – Community Leaders Conference
May 15, 6:30-9:00 p.m. – Spirit of America Awards Dinner
Thank you to NCL companies UPS, The Boeing Company, Target, Williams, Xcel Energy and IBM Corporation for sponsoring this conference. Interested in sponsoring? Learn more and keep in mind that corporate sponsors receive complimentary registrations.
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Publix pumps up United Way Brand Forum
 More than 400 United Way professionals met in Jacksonville, FL for the annual United Way Brand Forum. Thank you to Publix for generously sponsoring the Host City Reception at the Jacksonville Stadium, home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. This event was not only a great chance for local United Ways from across the country to network, but also featured inspirational remarks from Wayne and Delores Barr Weaver, owners of the Jacksonville Jaguars and members of the United Way Tocqueville Society, and Alan Thomas, Northern Regional Director of the Jacksonville Branch, Publix.
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Rise in employee volunteer options
More and more companies are leveraging volunteerism to reward and retain employees. Read an article appearing in The Chronicle of Philanthropy on February 6 which discusses the benefits of employee volunteer programs and highlights Accenture for their focus on employee volunteerism.
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Merrill Lynch shares their approach to global philanthropy
 Martin Wise, Senior Vice President of Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. and Head of Global Client Coverage joined United eWay and CreateHope as the keynote speaker for the Corporate Connections Forum where United Way professionals and business leaders from across the country came together to discuss the role of philanthropy and employee engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility. The event focused on sharing best practices and challenges; leveraging technology in support of global programs; and technology solutions available today as well as emerging solutions. Michael Pappadio and Peter Graham, both of Merrill Lynch, also presented at the United eWay Users’ Conference. When asked, “What is the key to the success of the Merrill Lynch campaign?” Peter Graham responded, “We approach our campaign in the same way as we would approach any business activity.” The commitment to their campaign coupled with partners such as United eWay enabled them to create a campaign website that spoke to their employees. Powerful partnerships and powerful tools helped Merrill Lynch to raise $18 million globally.
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United Way text-to-give ad featuring Tom Brady
 United Way of America, through its partnership with the NFL, launched a first of its kind mobile donation campaign allowing millions of viewers to donate instantly by sending a text message from their mobile phones. The animated ad featuring Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, first unveiled during the Super Bowl, encourages people to support United Way’s youth fitness programs by texting the word “FIT” to 864833 (“UNITED”). More than 2,000 people took advantage of this text-to-give campaign raising more than $10,000 for youth fitness. United eWay enables this program with its partner Mobile Accord, and is excited to help our youth succeed and to improve their health through the use of groundbreaking technology. Read the full press release.
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2-1-1 covers 75% of the U.S.
On February 11, United Way celebrated 2-1-1 Day with the public launching of 2-1-1 in New Hampshire and Northern Virginia (completes Virginia's statewide coverage), as well as counties in the San Francisco Bay area. 2-1-1 is now accessible to 75% of the US. Read more about 2-1-1 or read a story about how 2-1-1 provided critical assistance during Hurricane Katrina.
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 Success stories
Thanks to the generosity of your company and employees, United Way is creating opportunities for a better life for all. Read these real-life examples of how your investment in United Way is creating lasting changes in people’s lives with benefits that ripple out to the community as a whole. Newest success stories include Boston, MA, Seattle, WA, Newark, NJ and Anchorage, AK.
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 Gatorade supports United Way young adult engagement at Super Bowl
Gatorade partnered with United Way on a cause-related campaign designed to make a difference off the field. With the help of online visitors along with media and professional athletes who participated in the G2 Super Bowl Off-the-Field Bowling Challenge, Gatorade contributed $150,000 to United Way to support campus-based young adult engagement programs. The G2 partnership with United Way demonstrates PepsiCo's commitment to sustainable growth, defined as Performance with a Purpose, which is based on the fundamental principle of giving back to communities the company serves. People were encouraged to participate in “Performance with a Purpose”, a short online ad that allows viewers to click on buttons to have Gatorade donate one dollar to United Way. Pictured: Gatorade Brand Executive Morgan Flatley, United Way of America President and CEO Brian Gallagher and NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana.
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JCPenney Afterschool Fund awards grant to United Way for youth development
The JCPenney Afterschool Fund has awarded a $300,000 grant to United Way of America to engage local United Ways and thought leaders in community-wide youth development outcome visioning and pilot the process in two communities. To accomplish this, United Way will partner with the Forum for Youth Investment to help implement the “Ready by 21™: Youth Achieving Their Potential” project to ensure that all youth are ready for college, work and life.
The Forum’s goals are a natural fit with United Way’s community impact work and $1 billion annual investment to help children and youth achieve their potential. The long-term goal is to assemble a robust, well-tested set of tools, training and technical assistance around the Ready by 21 Approach so that the program can be expanded nationally to United Ways in 2009.
Brian Gallagher, United Way of America President and CEO, spoke at the Forum’s “Ready by 21” Launch event on February 27 which officially announced the partnership.
JCPenney has taken a leadership role in the youth development field and is working with United Way to bring together national experts to identify the most innovative strategies to help communities achieve better outcomes for youth. JCPenney and the JCPenney Afterschool Fund have invested more than $70 million in youth development since 1999, including $1 million for after school programs through United Way in 2006 and $1.7 million in 2007 and 2008. |
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