![[VIDEO] Bobby Jenkins on the value of philanthropy](https://www.unitedwayaustin.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Video_BobbyPhil-02-1.png)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h9bKDe5JJc[/youtube] “Austin is on a trajectory to grow, and it’s up to all of us to decide how we’re going to manage that growth in a way that’s positive.” – Bobby Jenkins, President of ABC Home & Commercial Services Our mission at United Way for Greater Austin is to build philanthropy and to invest those gifts of time, dollars and talent to help our community thrive. We believe that when we give back, we are all made richer, and that everyone in our community who earns a paycheck should have the opportunity to give back. Since last year, Bobby Jenkins, President of ABC Home & Commercial Services, has served as our Employee Giving Campaign Co-Chair, spreading our shared message about the importance of philanthropy to companies and individuals throughout Greater Austin. For us, it’s been an inspiring journey to see his commitment to philanthropy. We hope his words will move you too.
Read MoreOur own UWATX Employee Campaign reaches 98 percent participation
At UWATX, we work with more than 400 companies locally helping them run Employee Giving Campaigns – giving employees the opportunity to invest a portion of every paycheck in the community. Each August, we put our money where our mouth is and run our very own campaign. The UWATX Employee Campaign is different every year, but we work to model the best practices that we encourage in our business partners: Recruit a cross-functional team: Our team included 4 staff members representing our fundraising, finance, IT and strategic programs teams Define your timeline: Our campaign ran for a week from Aug. 12 through the 16. Since our staff is ramping up for our busiest season, a short campaign works best for our needs. Plan volunteer events: We kicked off our campaign with a volunteer project at Webb Middle School! Have fun with activities that fit your culture: At the start of campaign, each employee was greeted with a hand-written note welcoming them and half-way through, we held a UWATX Spirit Day where employees wore UWATX colors to show off their spirit. Engage different teams in the way that works for them: Our Employee Campaign team coordinate a rally or meeting for each department, including five for our Navigation Center staff who have less flexibility because they stay on the phones all day connecting callers to community resources. We also incorporated both an electronic and paper pledge system to accommodate more ways to give. Consider your wrap up: On Friday, gift cards, […]
Read MoreInsurance professionals issue a challenge: we can give more
Last year, 13 insurance industry partners in the Greater Austin area raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars through UWATX Employee Giving Campaigns to support their communities. But some of our partners think they can do more, so they’ve issued a challenge to the industry to increase giving by 25 percent. [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1gd7djYbPs[/youtube] In Texas, the insurance industry represents 174,000 employees and accounts for $24.7B in Gross State Product. The insurance industry not only plays an important role in supporting the Austin economy, it also represents a significant and growing employment base. The work of insurance professionals extends well beyond the responsibility to collect premiums and settle claims. These professionals have a solid track record in serving people in their greatest time of need. That’s why our partners at State Auto, Columbia Insurance Group and Texas Mutual are leading the charge for more companies and individuals to invest their time and money to help solve some of the greatest needs in our community. They’re joined by leaders from Centatico, Farmers Insurance Group, Nationwide, New York Life, State Farm, Superior HealthPlan, Texas Medical Liability Trust (TMLT), Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) & United Health Group. Over the next few months, these advocates will work with UWATX to reach out to trade publications, go to industry events and talk with their peers in the industry. UWATX will work with interested companies and individuals to find a way to give that works for them, whether it be an employee giving campaign, volunteer opportunities, […]
Read More[VIDEO] Bringing people together
![[VIDEO] Bringing people together](https://www.unitedwayaustin.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Screen-Shot-2013-08-17-at-2.40.22-PM-1.png)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y86FgWxXTPU[/youtube] At United Way for Greater Austin(UWATX), our mission is to inspire, lead and unite an eclectic community of philanthropists including individuals, nonprofits, business, and government to overcome barriers to economic opportunities and ensure Greater Austin continues to thrive. In this video, leaders from across our community come together to discuss the importance of working collaboratively and how UWATX plays a pivotal role in bringing different entities together. Thanks to Don Baylor (Center for Public Policy Priorities) and Andrew Kim (Comal ISD) for participating in this video and to Sneaky Giants for putting this video together.
Read MoreNew Employee Campaign season, exciting new tools
With the start of Employee Campaign season (which typically runs from July to January), we joined the new crop of Employee Campaign Leaders (ECLs) for our 2013 ECL Annual Meeting. The event was an opportunity to showcase the new tools we’ll be using this campaign season, meet some new faces & reconnect with familiar ones. Employee Campaign Leaders are individuals identified by leaders at a company running an Employee Campaign to be internal champions for the effort. They define goals, coordinate activities and work closely with account managers on our staff to implement best practices and create a great experience for their fellow employees. What’s new UWATX Online Store: We’ve launched the UWATX Online Store to create a way for companies to purchase various customized items for their Campaign. UWATX Videos: Along with two longer videos, we’ve introduced a series of five one-minute videos to help explain our work . Share a story: We’re looking to feature individuals who benefited from United Way in the past and now give back because of that experience. Do you or a coworker, friend or peer have a story? Inspire others by sharing your story with the Greater Austin community! ECL Linked In group: To help ECLs connect to one another, we’ve launched a LinkedIn group. We also held a raffle for those who signed up for the group the night of the event – congrats to Mike Tay with Rockwell Automation! What’s updated Campaign In A Box: This toolkit includes tons of helpful documents like our United Way 101, assorted email […]
Read MoreH-E-B Partners celebrate philanthropy
Each year we host the H-E-B In-Store Coordinator Training here at UWATX – an afternoon where roughly 60-70 H-E-B Partners come together to energized and informed for the upcoming United Way Employee Campaign. A being a part of this training, which took place Friday, is not only exciting for H-E-B Partners, but also for the UWATX staff involved – everyone present has such an infectious, positive energy. Jeff Thomas, Senior Vice President & General Manager for the Central Texas region of H-E-B, and Kathleen Farlow, Managing Partner at Deloitte and incoming UWATX Campaign co-chair, kicked off the training with highlights from last year. Afterwards, coordinators introduced themselves – revealing a lot of first-timers – shared experiences from past campaigns and offered up tips to other stores about how to engage team members. “I think H-E-B is so successful at raising money because everyday their employees see struggling community members in their stores,” said Sherry Klein, the UWATX Development Officer that manages the HEB Campaign. “Some have even experienced those struggles themselves and the United Way Employee Campaign makes it easy for them to give back – even if it’s only a dollar or two a paycheck.” In 2012, H-E-B reported having 90 percent participation at some stores – a true testament that the company and its employees are committed to the Greater Austin community. [AFG_gallery id=’7′]
Read MoreKathleen Farlow on “leading from the front”
As we wrap up one campaign season, we are proud to welcome Kathleen Farlow, managing partner for Deloitte LLP’s Central Texas practice, as our Campaign Co-Chair for the 2013 Employee Campaign season! How long have you been involved with United Way and in what way(s)? I have been involved with the United Way for more than 20 years. Initially, my participation was through the traditional payroll deduction, but after I learned more about United Way and all the good things it brings to the community, I began volunteering on various United Way-related projects with Deloitte and on committees at the chapter level. Prior to my October 2012 appointment as Deloitte LLP’s Central Texas managing partner and my move to Austin, I served as a member of the United Way of Greater Houston Audit and Finance Committees. As my hands-on participation with United Way increased, I committed more of my time and financial resources. Today I’m proud to be a member of the Tocqueville Society and have encouraged colleagues and friends to do likewise. “There is nothing like the feeling of giving back to the community. It also reminds me of how fortunate I am to live in a place where there is opportunity for success and where caring for one another is still a core belief.” – Kathleen Farlow What inspires you personally to give back? How does United Way fit into that? There is nothing like the feeling of giving back to the community. It also reminds me of […]
Read MoreIntroducing Kathleen Farlow as new Campaign Co-Chair, celebrating a year of giving
The 2012 Employee Campaign season has just wrapped up, marking a successful year of giving from Austin businesses and their employees. To say thank you, UWATX is recognizing the companies that truly stood out in their giving, including three recipients for the 2012 Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy Award: 3M: 3M is a powerful supporter of UWATX- they came in second in raising dollars directly for UWATX programs and community impact. On top of that, 3M also touts the largest number of leadership givers and supported UWATX’s new brand with a generous donation of bus wraps that toured the city for months. 3M also matches every gift, stocks a large portion of our supply closet, gave in-kind donations to support UWATX’s rebranding efforts and consistently gives the largest corporate gift to UWATX in Austin! H-E-B: In the Greater Austin area, H-E-B employees make up the single largest source of employee giving support. They run a fun, educational, and competitive UWATX campaign in each of their stores, and truly embody the best in corporate philanthropy. Their success grows from strong leadership: From Charles Butt’s support of philanthropy, to Jeff Thomas’ personal investment of time and guidance, to store leaders championing the UWATX campaign across the region and individual employees who lead fellow Partners in giving back. Enterprise: Enterprise was the success story UWATX couldn’t stop talking about this year. Their campaign saw huge increases in total giving, giving to UWATX and a very high participation rate. Enterprise stressed the value of […]
Read MoreTeaching your kids about philanthropy
This week marks Global Youth Service Day – honoring the young individuals that give back to our unique communities in various ways. And while for many the word “philanthropist” implies someone with millions of dollars available to donate, at United Way for Greater Austin we believe that anyone can be a philanthropist – especially the younger generations. So as Global Youth Service Day celebrates and mobilizes millions of young people who improve their communities each day of the year through service, it reminds us to use this as an opportunity to help children learn about giving, the importance about helping others in need and how they can help support their community. The benefits of actively fostering children’s charitable impulses are enormous. Besides helping counter the overdeveloped “I want, I want” impulse, it gives kids a powerful boost in self-esteem to realize they can make a different in someone’s life. To help children recognize how they can be a philanthropist, consider the suggestions below. Be hands on. Most people tend to associate charity with giving money, yet for many children, it’s hard to comprehend the abstract concept of donating money to a charitable cause. Instead, think about having your children join you when you volunteer at the soup kitchen or when you donate clothing to the Goodwill. Also when choosing a project, try to align with your child’s interests. The more your child relates to the process, the more likely they are to have an enjoyable experience and independently consider […]
Read More[INFOGRAPHIC] Philanthropy in Austin
![[INFOGRAPHIC] Philanthropy in Austin](https://www.unitedwayaustin.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/AmplifyATX_blog_feat-1.png)
Download a larger version. Learn more about our impact, Play To Learn, Learn Where You Earn or Middle School Matters or get more informed about philanthropy by looking at some of our sources: Chronicle of Philanthropy: philanthropy.com Corporation for National and Community Service: volunteeringinamerica.gov The Daily Beast: thedailybeast.com Global Impact: givingpartner.charity.org UWATX Impact Calculator: uwatx.org/impact Independant Sector: independentsector.org Association of Fundraising Professionals: afpnet.org
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