This column profiles a campaign that gets results while utilizing innovative strategies. We hope that by hearing from your peers, you gain some fresh ideas to use in your own campaign. If you'd like to be featured in an upcoming Best Practices profile, contact your United Way liaison.

This month, our conversation is with Patricia Sonntag, coordinator of H.R. and Performance Improvement at Edw. C. Levy Co. In 2009, 1,100 employees pledged over $240,000. Five locations had 100 percent participation.

Why United Way? Levy’s mission statement challenges its employees to: “Repay the communities that support us by operating safe and environmentally sound business while sharing our success with worthy charitable causes.” There are many charitable causes that the Levy organization supports throughout the year, but United Way is special. The organization has a reputation of making the best use of the monies donated, our employees can choose where they want their contributions to go, and it is a national organization, which means all Levy locations, in 10 states, can participate. For these reasons, and many others, Levy has been supporting United Way for more than 40 years.

Do you set a goal for your United Way campaign? In years past, we have set goals to increase donations by a certain percent. However, this year our chief operating officer sent a letter to employees emphasizing the poor economy and that our friends, neighbors and families are in need. We believe it's up to us to help one another and that's why our current goal is 100 percent participation.

What campaign events do you conduct? Each year, Levy kicks off their UW campaign with a continental breakfast meeting. This year and in past years, our United Way representative graciously offers his time to come and speak to the group about United Way's work in the community. These visits truly inspire our managers and site representatives, giving them a real understanding as to where the dollars are being used. They are better equpped to return to their sites and approach each of their employees to ask for their support.

What vehicles do you use to communicate about the campaign to your workforce? Posters are displayed at all of our locations a week before the campaign to inform employees. As an added incentive, some of our locations hold raffles. For each $25 pledged, an employee receives one raffle ticket. At the end of the campaign, names are drawn for prizes.

What campaign challenges does your organization face and how do you overcome them? One of the challenges we face each year has been seasonal lay-offs. This year, we moved our campaign up earlier in the year as a way to reach employees who have not been able to participate in the past because of the lay-offs.

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