Campaign Themes

	It's been proven, employee campaigns are more successful when you incorporate FUN! If you want a campaign that has a boost of excitement and provides an opportunity for camaraderie for the employees of your organizatio, than these ideas are for you! These are just a few of many examples of special events than can be used for fundraising or a kickoff event for your United Way campaign. Don't hesitate to contact the United Way staff to provide help with your event. Campaign Activities
	Be a Superhero This theme is a fun way to make individual employees feel special by recognizing them as "superheroes." When you give your time or donate to United Way, you're truly making a "super" difference in your community! Ideas: Send out rally invitations that include superhereos and don't forget say thanks to your superheroes Have senior management dress up in a superhero costume for your rally Display superhero-related decorations Give action figures as a small thank you or incentive Looking for slogans? How about these? "Don't be the villian, be the superhero, support the United Way!" "You are a hero when you support the United Way!" "You can be a hero to someone in need, pledge today!" "Be a hero, pledge to the United Way!" "Batman supports United Way. The city of Gotham depends on both of us!"
	Get in the Game Put your employees' team mentality to work with this theme. This theme is great to strengthen employee morale and build teamwork, plus is a fun, active way to get employees engaged in your campaign. Ideas: Have a sports trivia competition, either live or via e-mail Hold your kickoff in the parking lot, like a tailgate, and provide sports drinks to employees Let employees have a casual Friday where they wear their favorite team's colors Use sports related games (basketball toss, putt putt tournament, Frisbee game) and incentives (like a company suite for a sporting event, game tickets or team shirts) Looking for slogans? How about these? "1 Team, 1 Mission to Live United" "Teaming up for Tomorrow" "I Play for the United Way" "Refuse to Lose, with the United Way"
	Reality TV Your adventurous employees will get a kick out of this theme. Friendly competition and team-building will engage your employees in a fun, innovative way. Ideas: Have a Survivor-themed rally, complete with tiki torches Hold adventurous contests like a hot wing eating contest or a blindfolded obstactle course Share reality stories of what the United Way is doing in your community Looking for slogans? How about these? "The Reality is, We Support our Community" "Bring Dreams to Reality" "Help (blank) United Way Survive"
	Be a Lifesaver Help your employees connect to their community as they see the real-life difference their donations make. Ideas: Email stories of real life people who have been helped by "lifesavers" in the community Bring in a CPR trainer to teach employees how to literally save a life in an emergency Participate in volunteer opportunities at United Way agencies that meet basic needs Looking for slogans? How about these? "We Save Lives in (town or county name)" "Be a Lifesaver, Give to the United Way" "(Company) Saves Lives" "Save Our Community Now"
	We Love the 80s Party time! Celebrate your employees' memories of the 80s while having a fun campaign sprinkled with lots of laughter. Ideas: Hold an 80s movie marathon Friday as an incentive Have your company host a "senior" prom at a local retirement home Bring a karaoke machine to your rally Have a "worst 80s outfit" contest Looking for slogans? How about these? "United Way is Totally Awesome" "Giving to the United Way is Rad"
	Trivia Challenge Stretch your employees' minds while they learn about United Way and their community. This is a great theme for employees who can't regularly leave their desks, as well. Ideas: Split employees into teams throughout the campaign, and assign points for different activities (ex: attending the rally, donating, volunteering, etc) Hold a staff vs. management trivia contest (live or via e-mail) Send a United Way fact via email each day of the campaign Looking for slogans? How about these? "No Guessing with the United Way" "Bringing the Facts to (town/county)" "No Question is too Tough to make a Difference"
	Vegas Use the popular slogan, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," to put a fun twist on United Way's message of What's raised here, stays here." Ideas: Have a decorating contest among departments - whoever does the best Vegas strip wins (or have each department decorate like one of the famous hotel/casinos) Play e-bingo during the campaign Hand out lottery tickets as incetives Set up a mock roulette wheel at your rally and let employees try their luck Looking for slogans? How about these? "What's Raised here, Stays here" "(Town/County) is Lucky to have Us" "Don't Gamble, Give to the United Way"
	Teaming up for the Community Teamwork is the backbone of your workplace, our community, and the United Way. This theme will united your employees as they work for a common cause. Ideas: Participate in volunteer opportunities in teams of 10, serving in different ways throughout the community Divide staff into teams, have them come up with a name and logo. You can make t-shirts for each team if your budget allows Unite staff across different locations and shifts by creating an online hub for the teams Hand out MVP awards at the end of the campaign Looking for slogans? How about these? "We're Team United Way" "Joining Together to Make a Big Difference" "T.E.A.M (Together Everyone Achieves More) "Join the Winning Team"
	Lend a Hand "Lend a Hand" is a great way to actively get your employees involved in their community while they see the value of their contirbutions. Ideas: Make a banner that employees can put their handprints on Encourage employees to "try a hand" at United Way specific games Share employee stories on how they have helped the community Looking for slogans? How about these? "Our Hands working Together with the United Way" "Lend a Hand to (town/county)" "Joining Hands with the United Way"
	Additional Campaign Themes/Ideas $$$ A Dollar an Inch Contest $$$ Executives participate in an all day competition to end the day with the shortest tie. Employees cut an inch off their favorite executive’s tie each time they give to United Way. Give prizes for the shortest tie, ugliest tie, etc. Baby/Pet Picture Matching Game Invited employees to try their luck matching baby and/or pet pictures of management. Award the entry with the most right answers a paid day off or some other fun incentive. Charge employees $2.00 per ballot. Children’s Drawing Contest Give employees “official photographs” of one or two top executives to take home for their children to draw. There is a $5.00 entry fee per child. Employees vote for the best drawing by paying $1.00 per vote. Brown Bag Lunch Day Everyone brings in their own lunch and donates the money they would have spent to United Way. Jeans Day Sell “Jeans Day,” badges allowing employees to purchase them to dress in jeans on certain days. “Jeans Day,” Make sure to request “Jeans Day,” stickers from the United Way. Boss for the Day Allow employees to bid on being boss for the day, high bid wins! Shave for the United Way Have someone to agree to have their head shaved once a certain amount of money has been raised. Holiday Gift Wrap During holiday time set up in the lunch room and charge your co-workers to wrap their gifts. Look-Alike Contest Employees dress up like famous personalities such as Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, etc. Employees pay to vote on the best costume. The contestant receiving the most votes gets a prize. United Way Quiz Make up an IQ test based on United Way facts. For each incorrect answer employees taking the quiz must pay a $1.00. Penny Jar Each department has a jar and each penny equals a point. Anything else equals its value in negative points. The department with the most positive points at the end of the week wins. Jail & Bail For a donation employees can be arrested. For an additional donation they can post their own bail, or employees have a bounty placed on their head, are arrested and are not set free until the entire bounty is raised. Movie Week Have a movie week during lunch hour at work. Charge admission and invite employees to eat their lunch while they watch. Parking Space Auction Auction off the CEO’s parking spot or other prime spots. Flamingos Employees may pay $X amount and the obnoxious birds will appear in their choice of departments or someone’s office. The only way a for a person or department to remove the birds is to pay a “flamingo removal fee.” They may then choose at that time where the birds are going to be relocated. People may also purchase “flamingo insurance,” this prevents the birds from landing in their office. Questions for a Buck One department raised money by having their boss, who was constantly being asked questions by everyone to start charging a buck for each question. Word spread throughout the company what he was doing, and everyone started asking questions and paying up. Video Sale Hold a video sale at work and have employees bring in videos they don’t watch anymore, especially kid videos their children have outgrown. Tug-of-War Have employees against executive staff or interdepartmental competition. Each team pays a fee to enter. Lunch Box Auction Employees supply lunches to be auctioned off. Give prizes for the most creative or elegant lunches. Compliment-O-Grams Make up special forms and sell them to employees as an anonymous way to give a compliment to someone in the office. Compliment-O-Grams must be delivered by a trustworthy employee sworn to secrecy. Charge a dollar per compliment. Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest Plan a Halloween theme and hold a pumpkin carving contest. Find a local business willing to donate pumpkins for your organization to sell to your employees. Employees buy pumpkins individually or by group. Charge $5.00 to enter and $1.00 per vote. Tailgate Party Create a sports theme for your campaign if the United Way campaign coincides with football season. Back a truck into the employee lounge, lower the tailgate, and sell football fare: hotdogs, chips, soft drinks, and other goodies. Play a game of tag or video football with participants donating an entrance fee and observers waging bets. Balloon-O-Gram Employees have messages tied in helium balloons delivered to designated co-workers. Charge a $1.00 per balloon.