Running a workplace fundraising campaign for United Way of Calgary and Area (United Way) inspires employees, strengthens workplace culture and creates lasting community impact. When you extend a helping hand, you drive change—and when teams rally together, that impact multiplies. This is why we’re showcasing a few standout 2024 workplace campaigns embraced the best-practice “Educate, Pledge, Play” model and took innovative approaches to maximize their impact.
Educating Your Team
An informed team is an engaged team. Organizations that integrate learning into their campaigns see greater participation and a deeper commitment to making a difference. Some great examples from 2024 include:
- Nutrien’s Amazing Community Race brought education to life with nine interactive stations designed to foster learning, teamwork and friendly competition. Employees engaged in activities like Steps to Support, which encouraged empathy through case studies, and Safety Nets, where teams built a net using yarn to symbolize community support. Through this hands-on approach, participants gained a clear understanding of United Way’s mission in a dynamic and memorable way.
- Canada Energy Regulator wove learning into their campaign by emphasizing reconciliation. They offered volunteer activities and special events, including a Day of Caring with the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth and a speech from United Way’s Daisy Giroux on United Way’s Indigenous-focused Akak’stiman strategy. Aligning their campaign with their corporate values created meaningful learning opportunities.
Pledges of Generosity
A successful campaign makes it easy and rewarding for employees to give, whether through corporate matching, special events or transformational gifts. A few noteworthy campaigns from 2024 include:
- Tourmaline made an extraordinary commitment by investing in Planet Youth Calgary, a globally-recognized prevention model aimed at reducing youth substance use and improving health outcomes. Their transformational gift provided United Way with long-term stability to drive meaningful change.
- Canadian Natural Resources Limited boosted campaign participation by offering a 125% match on all employee pledges and special event contributions, amplifying their collective impact.
- TD Securities Inc. integrated philanthropy into their Blue Rodeo Stampede event, transforming a celebration into a fundraising success. By adding a charitable component, they raised more than $200,000, demonstrating how aligning workplace traditions with giving can make a lasting difference.
Engaging and Energizing Employees Through Play
Campaigns thrive when they include engaging activities that bring teams together while making an impact. Here are some standout examples from 2024:
- Enbridge hosted a golf tournament that raised $175,000, combining friendly competition with fundraising to support vital community initiatives.
- Krywolt Insurance Brokers brought creativity to their campaign with a pinball tournament featuring a pinball machine raffle that raised $20,000. They even secured Global News coverage, amplifying their impact and raising awareness of our city’s issues beyond the workplace.
- NOVA Chemicals kept the energy high with a Car Pool Karaoke challenge, where a new video was released for every 10% increase in staff participation. They also hosted mini-putt events and wrapped up the campaign with a pizza party and balloon pop raffle, making giving an engaging experience for their team.
Turning Hope Into Impact
Your workplace has the power to drive change. By incorporating education, fostering generosity and making giving fun, your team can create a lasting impact in Calgary.
Ready to get started? Check out our Workplace Campaign Toolkit for resources and inspiration, and reach out to philanthropy@calgaryunitedway.org if you have any questions!
United, we can transform generosity into action and spread ripples of change throughout Calgary. Hope is in your hands to create a better and brighter future for everyone.