Volunteer Information

Fun Campaign Ideas

Themes

• Develop your own campaign theme--one that will work well with your workplace atmosphere and employees. Some ideas include: Halloween, Magic, County Fair, Western Roundup, Rainbows, Car Racing/Indy 500, sports, current movies, historical time periods, etc.
• You could incorporate your theme into the goal-tracking poster, CFC flyers, and your kick-off event. For example, if using a Halloween theme, you could have a costume party and incorporate the CFC kick-off with it. You could hand out candy to everyone who turns in their pledge card by the end of the party. There could be a door prize for the best costume.
• On a more serious note, you may want to consider having health and human service needs as weekly or monthly themes, for example homelessness, illiteracy or children's needs. You could provide information on one need for a week or month and then cover another area of need after that. Your Campaign LE could be of assistance by getting information from various charities that work with targeted populations.
• Organize a contest to develop campaign theme or slogans. Encourage employees to suggest names and award a prize for the best theme or slogan. Use that slogan throughout the campaign.

Goal Tracking

• Provide campaign goals and progress reports to employees through your workplace E-mail, visible charts, intercom system and newsletters.
• Progress posters: track your campaign results on charts displayed in prominent locations at your workplace. Be creative: you could make a model of the Empire State Building and have King Kong climb all the way up to the top as you reach your goal. Other thermometers or visual ways to have fun and track campaign progress: football goal lines, rainbow, horse race tracks, and sailboat races, transportation, or swimming Puget Sound.
• Make a window display case into an artificial aquarium and fill it with fish and other sea life labeled with the names of CFC charities employees have designated to. The tank fills up as the pledges come in.

Activities/Events

• Organize opportunities for speakers from the agencies your coworkers support. Determine if you would like a variety of speakers or target the agencies serving needs of one population, maybe seniors or children. Your Campaign LE can be of assistance in arranging for charities to come to your workplace. Encourage agencies to also include information about how employees can volunteer time.
• Determine if any of your co-workers or agency employees volunteer for a CFC charity. Arrange to have a feature article written on them and placed in your workplace newsletter. Put their pictures with quotes on your bulletin board.
• Determine if any of your co-workers or agency employees (or someone close to them) have benefited from a CFC charity. These people may be willing to assist you by speaking to your employee groups on behalf of the agency.
• Attend staff meetings to promote the CFC campaign and recruit additional assistance to solicit funds.
• Organize your own workplace kick-off and "thank you" events:
• You could incorporate agency speakers so that employees will be able to access information about charities in the CFC.
• Have a potluck or ice cream social. Ask employees to bring their specialty dish or ice cream topping.
• Have music, balloons, Charity representative speaker and show the CFC video.
• Your campaign team may want to recruit a "celebrity" speaker to attract people to the kick-off.
• Give each volunteer a certificate of appreciation for working on the CFC drive.
• Include "Thank you" articles in your organization newsletter-thank volunteers, donors, and recognize your organizations support.
• Popcorn or other food gets people to attend CFC meetings.
• Deliver pledge cards to your co-workers with a balloon, cookie or piece of candy and an invitation to the kick-off.
• Develop a "Volunteer of the Month" program to recognize co-workers making a difference in your community.
• Make employees pay to "dress down." With management's approval, employees can buy a ticket or pin from you, which buys them the right to dress casual for a certain day. Sell "dress down" tickets for $1.00 to $ 5.00, with all proceeds to benefit CFC charities. People like to wear their jeans--this is a great way to create enthusiasm!
• Encourage friendly challenges between departments, but keep it positive. The goal is not to pressure anyone, but make sure it is clear that if people participate with time OR money-everyone wins.
• Novelty events draw attention:
  • -silent auctions (with goods and services donated by employees)
  • -"ugly tie" contest
  • -canned food or clothing drives (give donations to a food bank or shelter)
  • -have a group of volunteers arrange a progressive dinner and sell raffle tickets to the dinner (with all proceeds to benefit a CFC charity)
  • -hold a yard sale or a used book sale
• Organize a "white elephant" drawing for everyone who attends the CFC group meetings. Possible prize ideas: the boss's parking spot for a week, lunch or golf with (and "on") the boss, vacation day, lottery tickets, dinner/lunch gift certificate.
• Organize a carnival with bean bag tosses and other games. Food booths (with donated food), races, pie-eating contests, etc. Proceeds to CFC.
• Have a Wishing Well or Pond where employees can toss their loose change and make a wish at the same time.

Incentives

• Use time off awards to recognize Keyworkers who "ask" 100% of their assigned employees and collect and check the pledge forms.
• Promote the $500.00 Savings Bond Drawing to encourage the 100% ASK.
• Use incentives to encourage employees to turn in pledge cards early. Give employees a deadline to turn their pledge card in by, and if they do so, they will have qualified to be in a prize drawing. Some prize ideas include: special parking space, flower bouquet, home baked cookies, box of chocolates, free month bus pass, lunch on the boss, etc. You must include those who do not give, but turn in their pledge card. Use incentives to encourage employees to attend the CFC presentation. Entice them in the morning with muffins and coffee or in the afternoon with cookies or cake, tape lottery tickets to the bottom of certain chairs, or put attendee names into a prize drawing at the end of the meeting (must be in attendance to claim the prize).
• Use incentives as a means to encourage all employees help in reaching goals--whether monetary or participatory. For example, ask management to allow a "Dress-down day" as a reward for meeting participation goal. Have the boss or managers agree to do something special, silly, funny, etc. if your organization or department exceeds its goal.

Publicity Ideas

In your messages, emphasize participation in giving, regardless of amount, for a showing of unity. No gift is too small. Examples are found in the appendix.

• September:
  • Feature your agency Campaign Coordinator and Keyworker who are working on the campaign. Involve the coordinator and labor union officers in the communication plan.
  • Report facts of CFC. (2008 is the 47th year of the CFC. It was started by President Kennedy in 1961). Use the basic question/answer format. Address misconceptions or concerns your employees have. Survey them to find out why some don't participate. See the Frequently Asked Questions section in the Training Manual or call the CFC office for the best response.
  • Share historical performance results of giving by your employee group. This can be obtained from the CFC office (425-251-9466) announce your goals: both dollar amount and percent participation.
  • Make sure posters, banners, flags, etc. are requisitioned from the CFC office and are placed in key locations at your agency facilities.
• October and November:
  • Publicize any campaign kick-off activities or special fun events that are held. These provide good photo opportunities.
  • Use clip art and logos in all communications. Create a thermometer or other highly visible measurement of progress.
• November and December:
  • Awards, recognition, praise and thank yous! Let everyone know what you achieved. Thank everyone for helping and giving. Take pictures of workers, labor reps, with award certificates (not just the boss).
  • Put up "Thank You" posters in strategic locations, on E mail, in handwritten notes.
  • Say “Thank You” at least seven times.

QUESTIONS ABOUT VOLUNTEERING? PLEASE CONTACT US AT: 425-251-9466 OR E-MAIL jamie@chcwa.org