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Workplace Feature

Change was in the air during this year’s Alberta Blue Cross United Way Campaign. Traditionally sticking with a familiar theme, ECC Mark Razzolini and his crew wanted to shake things up and created a new theme - ‘Cross the Line, Become a Donor’.

Riding on the heels of last year’s successful campaign which saw them beat their goal of $50,000, this year’s goal was increased to $55,000! It only took one week to obliterate that goal, finishing at $73,070! On top of that, if you include a corporate match and the funding Alberta Blue Cross provides to sponsor a Loaned Representative, that total grows to $135,470! Participation levels skyrocketed as well, moving from 207 to 310 donors!

Mark found that doing a huge pledge drive right out of the gate and saving their events until the week after worked great for his workplace. Another successful idea for them was the Floor Ambassador (read our interview with Floor Ambassador, Lisa Haraba). Floor Ambassador’s were assigned to each department and tasked with being able to answer any questions from other employees about United Way and encouraging their coworkers to get involved.

Mark and his committee found a lot of use from campaign clip sheets, which are an easy way to show the impact of various giving amounts – from $1 per paycheck to $50 per paycheck.

He also received support from his Campaign Manager Tammy Connelly and Loaned Representative Ross Olive. Anxiety can run high when you’re trying to reach a goal but Mark drew on the confidence and encouragement shown by Tammy and Ross. In the end proved to be the right choice as Alberta Blue Cross more than succeeded in reaching their goal.

Congratulations!

 


Mike Saunders, ECC at Chandos Construction, is the type of person you can’t help but be excited around. His passion and dedication to his role in Chandos’ workplace campaign has led to great success. Coming off a strong 2007 Campaign in which they met their goal of $50,000, Chandos set an aggressive goal of $70,000 for this year.
At last count they had raised $74,760 and the total is still rising!

When Mike took the responsibility of ECC this year, he jumped in head-first. Wringing every drop of knowledge from the ECC Guide, he followed the 10 Steps to Success and it shows. Using speakers, hosting luncheons, and holding silent auctions (which raised nearly $3,000), Mike and his committee spread United Way to every corner of their building.

The success of their campaign is also due to the involvement of their President and their 150+ employees. The employees of this organization are very giving and very active in building their community.

Chandos’ is an excellent example of how a group of similarly-minded individuals can create real, lasting change. Congratulations Chandos! 




That’s right, Agencies run United Way Workplace Campaigns too! This year, ECC Cathy Cross and her team are trying to achieve their highest goal yet - $6,200!

Bissell Centre is unique in that they run their campaign all year round. This gives them the opportunity to host events that are themed for different times of the year. For example, on Valentine’s Day they hosted a Box Social, on St. Patrick’s Day they created an Irish-style pub inside the centre (pop only!). They’ve also been able to have a cookie exchange, garage sale and an email auction.

Bissell Centre has expressed that working alongside their Campaign Manager, Liz Chomyn, and Loaned Representative, Bernie Wiart, has been a tremendous help and encouragement. From the small jobs to the large ones, they are there every step of the way.

You may have even met or heard an employee of Bissell Centre as many of them are on the Speakers’ Bureau. This year they have made nearly 30 presentations in workplaces around our city. As nervous as it may make them from time-to-time, Bissell Centre jumps at any opportunity to educate and engage the public on the challenges our community faces.

United Way thanks Bissell Centre for participating so greatly in the 2008 United Way Campaign.