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Learning from the Past

Last year, 650 workplaces prepared campaigns to support the work of United Way. Leading these campaigns is the volunteer Employee Campaign Chair (ECC) who is given an important task to complete and continually rises to the challenge.

Two previous ECCs from Enbridge Pipelines Inc., Angela Risdon and Crystal Benoit, with the help of their volunteer committees, led their organization’s through successful workplace campaigns - Angela in 2006 and Crystal in 2007. It is past ECCs like Angela and Crystal who can let current ECCs, like you, know what made their campaigns a success, what pitfalls to avoid, and what it meant to each of them.

As an ECC, you may be participating in organizing a workplace campaign for different reasons. It may be personal or professional, but the answer is unique for everyone, as it was for Angela and Crystal.
 
Crystal Benoit volunteered because she was aligned with the cause and doing good work for the community. It was also a great leadership opportunity that she could use to develop herself professionally as well as trying something new.

Angela Risdon did it for completely different reasons. Not only did she have a personal attachment to the Core Network of Services of United Way, but she found that with her busy life she had been forced to cut down the amount of time she had to dedicate to volunteering. Becoming an ECC allowed her a convenient and meaningful way to volunteer.

After you’ve found your reason, keep it in the back of your mind because it will probably guide the way you approach your campaign.

Leading both Angela and Crystal through their campaigns were seven words – “If you build it, they will come.”

At some point in the term of all ECCs is a moment where you may question if you’ve created a campaign that is designed for success. In the experience of both Enbridge ECCs their answers were given to them quickly. You realize that you are part of something that is much larger than one person or one workplace campaign. People participate because they are passionate about helping their community. It is something that people want to be a part of and as an ECC, you are giving them an outlet to act on it. It becomes not a question of, “Will we meet our goal?” but a question of “By how much can we exceed it?”

This isn’t to say that the campaign runs itself. Angela notes that her level of involvement in the campaign was very high, but it is also necessary. It’s what you need to pull everything together, to understand your role and be able to rally great people around you.

And of course, you aren’t alone. United Way will provide as much support as possible. Both Angela and Crystal agree on several points that will help any new ECC.

We’re Here to Help – ECC Orientation Sessions
Both Angela and Crystal cannot stress enough the importance of attending an ECC Orientation Session. The direction, material and tips received in these sessions are the first step to leaving any anxiety behind.

People Power
The second piece of advice they give is to surround yourself with people, lots of people. When it comes to a workplace campaign, it is important to make it fun and personal. The more people are involved, the more ideas are generated and consequently, the more ownership of the campaign they take. A person is more likely to become involved if they have personally contributed to its overall success.

Guide to Success
The third tip is to use the ECC Guide. Inside you will find a step-by-step approach to running your campaign, how to set-up a strong committee, and how to effectively canvass. These are proven methods for success. United Way provides this as a framework and encourages creativity within your campaign. Don’t be afraid to tailor it to your co-workers, you know them better than anyone!

Don’t Be Your Own Worst Enemy
Trust yourself! Crystal Benoit noticed that it’s pretty difficult to do something wrong and in the end, realized she didn’t need to be worried at all. Things tend to work themselves out when you’re all committed to the same purpose.

Find Your Passion
As mentioned earlier, ECCs participate for different reasons. It’s these reasons that will ensure whatever you attempt to do will be a success. It may also decide the style you choose to run your campaign. Crystal employed a style that was very similar to the way she handles her work at Enbridge. Angela decided to break away from her work style and tried to approach it from a completely different angle. Both ECCs were successful which proves there is no one right way to run a workplace campaign.  Be creative!

Professional Grooming
You will serve the next generation of ECCs, and the success of your next workplace campaign, well by keeping your eye out for your potential successor – usually this is your deputy ECC. It’s a busy time but you will undoubtedly see an individual who shows the qualities of someone who wants to try and run one of their own campaigns. Passing along what you have learned will definitely be an asset to them the following year.

Both Angela and Crystal found being an ECC to be an immensely rewarding experience and really placed the work of United Way in a personal place. You will actually see the impact your work is having in the community and will understand why it is so important.

United Way would like to thank all of those who are participating as ECCs in our 2008 Campaign and wishes all of you great success!

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