Tag: 3m

Recognizing Excellence in Corporate Philanthropy: 2015 Campaign Awards

At United Way for Greater Austin, we run more than 200 employee campaigns in nearly 700 locations in the Austin area. Employee campaigns provide an opportunity for businesses to empower employees to be philanthropists by donating a portion of each paycheck back to the community. Last night, we celebrated and recognized companies who excelled in building philanthropy in our community at our 2015 Employee Campaign Awards. Award winners: Best Practices: Superior Health and Texas Gas This award recognizes the company that implements UWATX’s best campaign practices, which include Senior Officer involvement, access to employees and use of UWATX campaign materials among several others. This year we had two winners for this award. Superior Health kept their campaign at one week to give a sense of urgency; they also planned a week of fun, educational experiences for their employees encouraging them to give. Texas Gas established multiple opportunities for UWATX staff to come and speak to their employees about our work, as well as ran a closed campaign where employee donations were matched 1:1 by their foundation. Community Investment Award: H-E-B The Community Investment Award represents a company or companies who exemplify what it really means to wrap arms around a community to make a significant impact. Anyone who shops at H-E-B realizes it’s not your normal grocery store. This year, H-E-B decided to increase corporate giving to match the generosity of their employees and UWATX experienced a 150% increase in corporate giving. They make philanthropy a part of their culture and host […]

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3M Named Top UWATX Employee Campaign

Yesterday one of Austin’s largest companies, 3M, was recognized as United Way for Greater Austin’s (UWATX) number one Employee Giving Campaign. 3M’s total giving amounts to $1,048,341, which includes both employee giving and corporate dollars. UWATX fosters philanthropy in Austin by facilitating giving campaigns, such as this one at 3M, so employees may easily give back to their community with a donation to UWATX or another nonprofit organization of their choice. On June 8, 2015, a 24-hour campaign was held to honor the start of the UWATX campaign. All donations made on that day were doubled by a 3M corporate match of $2 for every $1. Through the remainder of June, 3M matched additional employee pledges $1 for $1. From July 1 through October 31, pledges were matched $0.50 to every $1. In total, 3M employees pledged $347,248.95 in support of local charitable organizations, including UWATX. “3Mers, starting with our executive management and spreading throughout the entire organization, are absolutely committed to the importance of giving back,” Amy Sanders, 3M’s UWATX Campaign Chair, said. “If everyone is willing to stretch a little to give to those less fortunate, collectively, we can have a huge impact on our communities. Because we partner with UWATX, we are confident that the money raised will go to those most in need.” 3Mgives, the company’s philanthropic and volunteerism arm, strives to improve every life through innovative giving in education, community and the environment. UWATX’s efforts parallel 3M’s goal by shaping a community where all individuals can […]

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Spotlight: Russell Bridges, 3M

3M is one of UWATX’s Top 15 campaigns, meaning they pledge among the most in terms of dollars during their employee giving campaigns out of our more than 400 partners. We also have a dedicated “3M closet” at UWATX offices, which 3M graciously stocks with office supplies for the whole year. We are grateful for the generosity of 3M employees in general and especially to Russell Bridges, Government and Community Affairs Manager at 3M in Austin and one of UWATX’s best advocates. Russell has served as our 3M campaign contact since 2000. He has hosted special events, promoted our giving societies, identified 3M members as board members, coordinated volunteer activities and served on United Way committees. This year, 3M held one Day of Giving on June 8 to kick off their campaign in which the corporation pledged to match any employee pledges 2 to 1. Additionally, all employee pledges made in June were matched 1 to 1, and all pledges made through the end of campaign were matched .50 to 1. In just the one Day of Giving, employees pledged $323,463, providing an additional corporate match of $646,926. This means 3M raised almost $1 million for Greater Austin in only one day! We asked Russell why he has been involved with UWATX for so long and to give us an inside look at what makes the 3M campaign so successful each year.   How long have you been involved with United Way and in what capacities? Many years ago, I […]

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