Sharing Best Practices: MotorCity Casino

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 representative.

This month, our conversation is with Dave Denomme, United Way campaign chairperson and director of Internal Maintenance at MotorCity Casino. With approximately 3,000 employees, the campaign raised more than $103,000 for United Way last year.

How is your campaign run? We have a committee of about 30 people. I oversee the campaign with the help of a co-chairperson. We've run a campaign for 9 years and I am the second coordinator. I've been the chairperson for four years and continue to do it because I am passionate about giving back to the community.

How long is your campaign and how do you spread the word about it? Our campaign runs from late August to early November. We place posters throughout the property and rely on word of mouth from our committee.

What ideas have you employed to increase participation/dollars? One thing that has turned out well is our Continuous Giver program, which has allowed us to increase both our dollars raised and level of participation.

What special events do you do and what's your favorite? We do bake sales, a mini garage sale, and a flower sale. I also like the Jail In Bail event that we run that allows associates to have their manager or department "arrested" and locked up.

What other types of engagement activities do you do? We usually do two field trips during each campaign. In 2008 we took the committee to the 2-1-1 call center. This helps personalize where the money is going and for some people, sometimes seeing is believing.

What campaign challenges do you face? Some people still have a negative impression of United Way, which we are constantly working against. I tell my committee not to let that small percentage of negative employees get them down and to focus on the majority that we can reach.

In addition, our hours have presented a challenge since we operate 24/7. We realized that we were unintentionally leaving out many of our night shift workers in the planning process. A couple years ago we established a United Way committee comprised of associates who work during the night. It's worked very well and we've seen results in both dollars raised and participation level in the campaign.

What are your plans for the next campaign? To bring some of the campaign online. We'd also like to accept credit card payments at events like our kickoff.

Offer your employees a way to give back

Thousands of runners and walkers participate in the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon each year, and we know your employees are among them. Please encourage them to Live United and join a community of runners for this year's race, scheduled for October 18. All they have to do is make a small donation to United Way when they register for one of the marathon events, which include a 5K, marathon relay, half and full marathon runs and competitive walks.

This is a great opportunity for individuals looking to give back to their community or meet other like-minded athletes, so we hope you'll promote it through your company newsletter, Intranet, and other communication vehicles. By running or walking in support of United Way, participants will help people throughout Southeast Michigan gain the three things we all need for a good life: education, income and basic necessities.

Here's some pertinent details to share with your employees:

How to participate:

• Make a donation when they register at www.freepmarathon.com. Just select United Way from the list of options. We’ll be toward the bottom, so look closely!!
• Already registered? Donations will still be accepted. Just direct employees to www.active.com/donate/unitedwaysem
• Start a fundraiser. We offer all the tools needed if someone wants to invite others to support their efforts. Creating a fundraiser offers a great opportunity to engage a runner's friends and family in their training and preparation for the race. To start a fundraiser, go to www.active.com/donate/unitedwaysem and click on "Become a Fundraiser".

• A Live United running jersey to wear on race day (for donors who give $25 or more).
• The opportunity to connect with other runners and walkers. We'll offer the ability to connect online with other participants to find training buddies and additional moral support as your employees work to meet their marathon goals.