Tulsa Area United Way Idea Exchange
Make Your Campaign Sizzle

Discuss the best sizzle item in your campaign currently
  Paid day off for Day of Caring participation
  Year round reminders of need
  Jeans days
  Snack time punch card – after 3 punches, you get a free snack
  Food sales to neighboring businesses; distribute pledge cards with food delivery
  Internal competition between divisions/groups to raise funds
  Video with people from community
  Chili Cook-off
  Silent Auction
  Live Auction
  Paid time off for contribution
  Burger/chicken Cook-off
  Sporting events pools – proceeds benefit TAUW
  CEO speaks at kickoff
  Show video at kickoff
  Have United Way rep present at kickoff
  Sell candy grams
  Incentives donated from other businesses
  Start campaign early in the year
  Have fundraisers twice a month around paydays
  Kiss the pig
  Early bird drawings
  Have a cookout (open to neighboring businesses), company execs cook and sell food
  Potluck lunches/dinners
  Have celebrity guest speakers at kick-off
  Movie night
  Company execs and employees switch places for ½ day
  Agency tours
  Have an agency fair
  Balloon dart toss
  Candle fundraiser
  Basket sales/auction
  Bake sale
  Raffle for fitness club membership
  Pancake breakfast
  Jeans week
  Raffles associated with different levels of giving, i.e. for parking spots, paid time off
  Make and sell cookbooks
  Guess how many items in a jar, i.e., jelly beans, M&Ms
  White elephant sale
  Putt Putt course in office
  Management involvement in Day of Caring
  Vote for Office Diva – pay to vote
  Golf tournament
  Email Bingo
  Mascot auctioned off at end of campaign
  Holiday gift sales
  Poker Run
  Wear jeans/casual for $5 per week
  Grab bags of coupons
  Pay to make someone wear a ridiculous hat; they pay to get rid of it
  Blackjack tournament

What two new things can you do to make your campaign sizzle this year?
  Dessert auction
  Use payroll deduction
  Penny wars
  Employee testimonials at kick-off
  Public awareness, i.e., booth at fair, conference, expo
  Theme competition
  Shorts day
  Billboard advertising
  Breakfast at agency
  Poker tournament
  Used book sale
  Food drawings
  Pet contest – charge entry fee and pay to vote
  Balloon sales
  Sell coupons for services from execs, i.e. car wash, valet parking
  Silent auction
  Sports day
  Send CEO to jail – has to raise “bail” to get out
  Executive tours of agencies
  Video game contest
  Potato luncheon
  Company barbecue
  “Go for the Green” – make a donation a putt for a prize
  Intercom Bingo – sell cards for $1
  Create competition between employees
  Classic car theme
  Ethnic food lunches
  Coin drives
  Instead of E-Bay, have a “Flea-Bay”
  $250 or more donation goes into drawing for a trip
  Candy gift bags
  Ping pong tournament
  Bowling contest
  Root beer floats
  Family outing
  Secret Garden or Avon
  Sunflower seed spitting contest
  Banana split sales
  Catered steak lunch
  Invite people to be teammembers, don’t wait for volunteers
  Dunk tank
  CEO rides stick horse if goal met
  Remote control car/boat races
  Car dealer tail-gate party
  Key Club breakfast with CEO for membrs
  Ice cream social
  Desk massages
  Basketball or Horse tournaments
  Drawings for special items
  Lunch with CEO
  CEO obstacle course
  Email congratulations
  Iron Chef competition
  Use monthly employee meeting to give out pledge cards
  Pumpking carving contest; then auction offi
  Raffle gas cards, movie passes, restaurant cards
  Aluminum can recycle
  Send emails to update on progress
  Corporate match
  Incentives to turn in pledge cards
  Soak your supervisor with kiddie pool and water gun

Campaign beginnings and endings are important.  How do you kick-off your campaigns and what do you do to celebrate your success?
  Cook-out for employees
  Campaign committee dressed as celebrities
  Banner of agencies – put color dots on agencies they’ve had contact with
  Partner with an agency for kick-off
  Chili lunch
  Cookie party
  Parade for community with floats and cheerleaders
  Auction
  Always include food!
  Have a separate Key Club kick-off
  Letter from CEO
  Donuts and coffee
  Send email
  Chili cook-off
  Send 7 thank yous – it takes that many to remember you’ve been thanked
  Have an employee fun day – horseshoes, bingo, etc.
  Corporate Challenge between like-sized companies
  Buy an exec – “Can you teach an old dog new tricks?”
  Pizza Party – turn in pledge card for a slice
  Antique car show
  Carnival with tents, booths and dunk tank
  Community welcome to thank you cook-out
  End with silent auctin of goods and services donated by employees

Discuss past themes you have used in your campaign and what creative thermometers were used to track your progess.
  Vegas theme – “What’s raised here stays here”
  50’s theme
  Fear Factor
  Around the World in 80 Days
  Office Olympics with torch as thermometer
  Building a Better Community
  A Recipe for Sharing
  Let Us Entertain You
  Total Coverage
  Mardi Gras
  School Colors
  Rising to the Challenge/Hot Air Balloon
  Gaming
  Make Waves for United Way (Hawaiian)
  NASCAR
  Carnival
  Going Up/Airplane
  Mascot
  Whale of a Good Time
  Your Share of the Pie
  Oil Derrick
  Hurricane Lamp filled with candy as campaign progresses
  Ladder
  Sailboat
  Gas Tank
  Building being constructed and completed as goal is reached
  Monkey in a tree – climbs higher and higher
  Hot Air Balloon
  Route 66
  Diva – distribute crowns to givers
  Happy Faces
  Race track – car moves to show where campaign