Campaign In A Bag

A Step-by-Step Plan for your United Way Campaign!

What is Campaign in a Bag?

“Campaign in a Bag” is a one-week United Way campaign; with activities planned for each day (five business days) complete with step-by-step instructions.  Everything you need to accomplish this campaign plan will be delivered to you in a bag (supplement to your campaign kit), or delivered to you by staff/co-workers!

 

Who Should Use Campaign in a Bag?

  • First-time Employee Campaign Coordinators
  • Busy Employee Campaign Coordinators
  • Anybody who wants to run a fun and successful campaign but needs a little extra help.

 

Schedule

  • DAY ONE:  Kick off meeting
  • DAY TWO:  Begin silent auction
  • DAY THREE:  Begin baby photo contest
  • DAY FOUR:  Give away United Way items or sell t-shirt cutouts for $1.00
  • DAY FIVE:  Wrap up

 

To-Do List 1-2 weeks before

  1. Schedule a Kick-off meeting for a Monday.  If this is not possible, ask your supervisor to give you some time during a staff/safety meeting. 
  2. Ask your supervisor to speak for a couple minutes about why s/he supports United Way.
  3. Plan your United Way campaign kick-off meeting, using our Sample Meeting Agenda.
  4. Schedule a United Way speaker to give a brief presentation during your meeting https://www.uwswac.org/speaker-request 
  5. Order your FREE logo items (https://www.uwswac.org/free-logo-items).  Order enough pens, post-it notes, lapel pins, post cards and book markers for each employee.  (While supplies last.  Items will be substituted.)  Also order extra posters if needed.
  6. Email employees about the Silent Auction and Baby Photo Contest (and T-shirt cut outs if applicable).
  7. Download and print:

 

Day One – Monday

  1. Take the campaign posters from your kit and hang them around your building.  If you need more, be sure to order beforehand. 
  2. Hold your United Way campaign kick-off meeting.
    • Hand out pledge cards and brochures to each employee. 
    • Have your supervisor show his/her support. 
    • Have a United Way speaker present to give another perspective.
    • Show the campaign video.
  3. If you like, you can:
    • Do a drawing for a lottery ticket for each employee who fills out a pledge card and hands it in at the end of the day.
    • Give away a free vacation day for a certain giving level (for example, one hour’s pay per month).
  4. Announce the Silent Auction and Baby Photo Contest (and T-shirt cut outs if applicable).
  5. Ask employees to bring a “white elephant” item to give away for the silent auction from Tuesday through Friday. 
  6. If your company has logo items, ask your supervisor to donate some for the silent auction as well. 

 

Day Two- Tuesday

  1. Begin your silent auction:
    • Put the items on display in the break room with “bidding sheets” for each item. 
    • Be sure to set a starting bid. 
    • Donate the proceeds to United Way at the end.
  2. Ask each employee/manager to bring in a photograph of themselves as a baby/child for Wednesday’s activity.

 

Day Three- Wednesday

  1. Hold your baby photo contest
    • Make photo copies and return them. 
    • On a poster board/bulletin board post the baby photos and number them. 
    • Using the “Baby Contest Voting Ballots” have staff guess who is who and have a prize for the employee who guesses the most correct answers. 
    • Be sure to charge an entry fee for each employee who plays the game and donate that to United Way.   
    • Continue until Friday.

 

Day Four- Thursday

  • Place a pen/post-it note set on each employee’s desk/work area.  If you like, buy a jumbo bag of candy and place a piece of candy with the items.

OR

  • Print the t-shirt cut-outs and collect $1.00 from each employee who signs one.  Pin them to a bulletin board or tape to the wall in your break room for all to see!

 

Day Five - Friday

  1. Tally the winner(s) of the “Silent Auction” and “Baby Photo Contest” and announce to the staff.
  2. Collect money from the Silent Auction.
  3. Distribute the Silent Auction items and prize from the Baby Photo Contest.
  4. Remind staff to hand in their pledge cards.

 

Afterwards

  1. Flip the campaign posters around to the “thank you” poster.
  2. For each employee who made a United Way contribution, place a lapel pin and thank you post card or book marker on each employee’s desk/work area. 
  3. Send an email blast to each employee thanking everyone for a fun and successful campaign!