NBC takes United Way to the extreme!
 GE/NBC Universal’s “Today Show” anchor Ann Curry bungee jumped live after viewers collectively contributed more than $10,000 to United Way and Save the Children as part of their “Today Gets Extreme” series. Ann Curry’s jump was broadcast live on Monday, December 17 – after two weeks of NBC promoting the jump during the weekly broadcasts and urging viewers to visit http://today.msnbc.msn.com to give (using United eWay’s Click & Give tool). Many thanks to GE and NBC Universal for their generous and creative support of communities through United Way.
NBC also sponsored an online auction of props, clothing and other items from several hit TV shows including “Heroes,” “30 Rock,” “The Office,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Las Vegas.” United Way stands to receive up to 15% of the proceeds from this auction, but moreover, has already benefited from the significant positive media exposure.
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 Happy Holidays to you and yours
On behalf of all the communities and people you have impacted this year, United Way thanks you. Please enjoy our Holday eGreeting and share it with your employees!
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 Target spreads holiday cheer
This month, Target is donating more than 4,500 decorated holiday trees – valued at $3 million – to 1,300 local United Ways across the country through the Target Share-a-Tree program. United Way volunteers will deliver Target’s trees to various nonprofit agencies and families including women’s shelters and those displaced by disasters, such as fires or hurricanes.
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Campaign increases!
Thank you to these companies and their employees for expanding United Way’s ability to impact communities and create lasting changes in people’s lives.
Company |
New Dollars |
Percent Increase |
Abbott |
$796,000 |
23% |
AT&T |
$969,888 |
3% |
Ceridian |
$555,730 |
108% |
Costco Wholesale |
$1,200,000 |
10% |
FedEx Corporation |
$1,612,442 |
12% |
International Paper |
$578,000 |
41% |
Kellogg Company |
$250,000 |
5% |
Merrill Lynch |
$1,800,000 |
12% |
Northwest Airlines |
$570,024 |
6% |
Principal Financial Group |
$1,166,562 |
21% |
Publix Super Markets |
$2,246,490 |
7% |
Shell Oil Company |
$1,214,640 |
13% |
USAA |
$231,206 |
3% |
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 United Way’s “Wild” night with Xcel
Xcel Energy recently hosted a United Way night at the Xcel Energy Center where the Minnesota Wild took on the Colorado Avalanche. Xcel invited their campaign volunteers to the game and also donated 100 tickets to the Greater Twin Cities United Way Emerging Leaders program. At the game, Xcel gave magnetic word poetry highlighting United Way Success By 6® to the first 5,000 fans and focused the on-ice intermission around Success By 6, including a Success By 6 video and an activity that squared two families off in a Success By 6 word scramble. The arena also featured United Way signage including 360 arena LED messages, external marquee signage, radio and TV commercials and program advertisements. "Our partnership with the MN Wild is the perfect opportunity to promote the great impact United Way has in our communities," says Nicholas Schmidt, Corporate Citizenship Representative, Xcel Energy. “United Way is to the community, what hockey is to Minnesota."
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Lilly uses Six Sigma to increase employee giving
In recent years, Eli Lilly and Company has used Six Sigma to drive significant improvements in business processes. This year, Lilly applied it to another important business activity: its United Way campaign.
Using Six Sigma, Lilly divided donors into segments, ranging from high-dollar donors to those who had not contributed in the past two years. It focused on campaign messages and frequency that would trigger participation from each segment. The result was a strategy that fostered a better understanding about – and connection with – United Way's work. The campaign focused on employee awareness via real-world examples; communications timing, frequency, and tone; and agency and donation education.
By all accounts, the strategy worked:
- More employee agency visits, more volunteers and beneficiaries sharing stories, and a renewed commitment from company leaders
- Increases in the average management gift and the number of non-management employees who gave
- 900 more employees gave than in 2006
- Double-digit increases in participation and size of average gift in several functions
The most telling indication that the strategy was successful is Lilly’s record-breaking donation of $10.8 million – $1.2 million greater than its goal, and an all-time high!
Contact your NCL Account Manager for more tips and strategies on segmenting your campaign to increase your results.
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United Way meets with NCL companies in India
The United Way Expansion Initiative, launched with a $250,000 grant from Barry Griswell, CEO of The Principal Financial Group, made major progress last month when United Way International President and CEO Teresa Hall Bartels and United Way of America President and CEO Brian Gallagher met with corporate and society leaders in India to share plans for establishing a United Way in Delhi and to review the vision for community stakeholders working to solve local problems in Delhi and cities across India. Other attendees included: Agilent Technologies, Inc., AT&T Communication Services India, Bank of America, Cargill, Chevron Petroleum India Pvt. Ltd., Citi Global Transaction Services, Exxon Mobil Gas Pvt. Ltd., Fluor, IBM India Limited, Johnson and Johnson, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., Microsoft Corporation Pvt. Ltd., PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Raytheon International and Wal-Mart.
Learn more about the United Way Friends of India Program offering opportunities for individuals and corporations to engage in the United Way expansion process to improve local conditions and provide communities with more organized support.
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 United Way makes its debut on
"The Office"
United Way made its debut on NBC’s “The Office” on November 15 when character Kevin Malone appeared in a shot with a plaque from United Way of Lackawanna County honoring the Dunder Mifflin paper supply company with an Outstanding United Way Campaign award. Of course the characters on this hit TV show are proud United Way supporters! |
 Shell employees
"Do Something About It"
The 2007 Shell and Motiva United Way Campaign recently wrapped up, but not before employees pulled together to help "Do Something About It" in their local communities. As part of their campaign, Shell and Motiva employees participated in the Houston citywide United Way Day of Caring. Dozens of volunteers spent a day painting, landscaping, cleaning and organizing at United Way community partner, SEARCH House of Tiny Treasures – Houston’s first licensed early childhood development center exclusively serving young homeless children and their families. Following the Day of Caring, a small group of employees returned to organize classrooms and host a fall party for the students. Read more about Shell’s successful United Way campaign.
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Spirit of America application available
The twenty-first Annual United Way Spirit of America® Award and Summit Awards application is now available. The Spirit of America Awards program has been enhanced to feature a corporate social responsibility component and focus on sustainability and community impact. The application deadline is March 12, 2008. Please let us know if you have any questions or plan to apply so we can send you additional required application materials.
Congratulations to the Spirit of America winners from the past five years, Xcel Energy, The Principal Financial Group, 3M, Valero Corporation and FedEx Corporation.
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 Capitol Hill Day – United Way Women’s Leadership Council
On Thursday, February 28, 2008, members of United Way Women’s Leadership Councils from across the United States will descend on Washington D.C. to meet with their Members of Congress to talk about what matters to communities. Learn more and register or contact Linda Paulson to find out how your company can get involved.
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Archived webinar on new United Way ad campaign
Watch the archived webinar to learn about United Way’s messaging strategies and the new advertising campaign launching in 2008, including market research, timing for debuting the campaign and information on when the new tools and resources for NCL companies will be available.
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| Cause marketing – an effective investment |
The recent 2007 PR Week / Barkley Cause Survey reinforced similar findings from other research that a company’s philanthropic activities can drive business success:
- 72% of consumers say that they have purchased a brand because it supports a cause they believe in
- corporate respondents reported positive PR (65.3%), an increase in sales/retail traffic (26.7%) and an enhanced relationship with their target demographic (52%), as a result of their cause marketing efforts
- 90.7% of consumers said it's important for companies to support causes and charities
- 56% of companies with cause marketing programs saw heightened staff morale and retention and 14.7% "strongly agreed" that they have an easier time finding top-notch recruits
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| Corporate Connections Forum 2008 |
Join United eWay and CreateHope on February 12-13, 2008 in Arlington, VA for the opportunity to discuss the role of philanthropy and employee engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility. This event focuses on sharing best practices and challenges; leveraging technology in support of international programs; and technology solutions available today as well as emerging solutions. Whether you currently use United eWay, CreateHope, neither, or both – this event will have plenty in store for you. Register or find out more.
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Williams gives teens a United Way voice
Williams has developed an innovative partnership with Tulsa Area United Way and YMCA of Greater Tulsa to involve teenagers in community work, teaching them leadership skills and showing them the importance of philanthropy and community involvement. Through the United Way Teens Way program, students from several Tulsa high schools raise money for United Way through student-led programs such as karaoke contests and penny drives.
Williams donates $100 gift cards to each school group to help kick off their fundraisers and matches all student-raised funds dollar-for-dollar to double the impact these young people are making in their community. At the end of the year, Teens Way members decide where to invest the funds they have raised based on a community needs presentation from Community Service Council, a United Way community partner. |
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