Moving Beyond the Usual

Are you connected to a cause? In our last REACH newsletter we talked about corporate social responsibility and the environment. This blog continues the conversation...

Polar Bears. The Environment. Oceans.

When you see or hear these words, you probably get a visual in your mind... maybe of a mother polar bear with her cubs surrounded by a sea of ice... or a lush green rain forest untouched by humans... maybe it’s hump back whales swimming effortlessly through clear blue water.

You may also think of the companies that are associated with these causes (Coca Cola, TD, RBC). The organizations that have combined their brands and sense of corporate social responsibility to raise awareness – both of the causes they support and their businesses. In addition to awareness, new dollars are raised to help address these needs.

You’ve probably seen the posters, donation boxes and advertisements for the many causes being supported by companies, large companies in particular. Some work through existing charities, and others have set up their own foundations. Individuals and companies are now becoming associated with the causes they support, and vice versa.

So, what does this mean for United Way KW?   

It means that we have to work with corporate and individual donors differently. In addition to fundraising for our community through the annual campaign, we have different conversations – conversations that include a discussion of a company’s corporate social responsibility philosophy, their business goals, and legacy wishes. Knowing these things helps us to bring awareness of community needs to corporate and individual donors in a personal, directed and more meaningful way, and allows them to find new ways to work with us and advance their own goals.

So, what does this mean for our community?

In addition to new awareness and new perspective, it brings new dollars to our community. Through United Way KW, these dollars will be used to give possibilities to people living in poverty; to build healthy and strong neighbourhoods; and to help kids be all that they can be.

This community has always rallied to support our annual fall fundraising campaign. We at United Way KW are working hard right now, as are many volunteers and supporters, to raise the funds needed in our community. The campaign fundraiser year-after-year, helps to make our community strong, vibrant and supportive for all. We believe that by raising awareness and working with others to focus financial investments in alignment with corporate social philosophies and individual giving based on values and hopes for the future, we bring about positive change to the areas in our community that need our attention the most. Together we will create a stronger and more vibrant community. Change Starts Here!

Sincerely,

Cathy Snyder

CFO/CAO, United Way KW

Guest Blogger - Joanna Lohrenz, Manulife Financial

Manulife's Signature Cause of Volunteerism 
  

Whether it’s making a financial investment during our annual United Way campaign or investing time by volunteering at a community project, our employees bring a lot of commitment and enthusiasm to everything they do in their communities.  During my 13 years at Manulife, I have seen high levels of philanthropic and charitable giving from all corners of the company.   

Since 1947, Manulife has been supporting the United Way across Canada. A lot of this support comes from our annual two-week campaign held in September. During these two weeks, employees, advisors and retirees are encouraged to make a donation to United Way or to a charity of their choice. Their donations have twice the impact because Manulife matches every donation to United Way, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000 per person, and up to $1,000 per person for any registered charity of their choice.

Importantly, the impact of these donations is felt right across Canada – not just here in K-W. Each year, thousands of Manulife employees, advisors and retirees - from Halifax to Vancouver - make a donation during the campaign.

The success of this campaign would not be possible without our employee volunteers. These dedicated individuals do everything from organizing events and securing prizes to encouraging others to get involved. It is important to note that they make this commitment on top of their day-to-day work roles. Many put in extra time during the evenings and weekends to make sure the campaign runs smoothly. Their dedication is a true reflection of Manulife’s signature cause of volunteerism.

All donations, regardless of the amount, are important because not only will they improve lives today, they also help build a better future for Canadians. I can’t tell you how  incredibly proud I am to work alongside people who are so committed to building strong, and vibrant communities and for a company that celebrates and promotes the importance of volunteerism – a cause near and dear to my heart.
 

Joanna Lohrenz

VP, Manulife Investments & Chair, 2012 Manulife United Way Campaign

Day of Caring 2012

Day of Caring – Photos Are Up! 

What an incredible day!  I think we can all agree that Day of Caring was filled with excitement, energy and experiences that will last a long time.  Its experiences like the ones we shared on September 19^th that reminds us why our community is amazing.  Together, we made change in KW.  A special thanks to everyone involved that helped to make this event a huge a success.

You can see more photos at Facebook and Flickr.

If you have photos from the event we would love for you to share them with us on Facebook.

A few photo’s from the day:

Youth4Change 

If you’ve heard of 29 Leaps, then you’ve heard of Madi MacIntyre. We are pleased to welcome her to the team as our Youth Champion.  Madi comes to us on the heels of her successful campaign - 29 leaps. We are thrilled to have her working with KW’s youth to help make a difference in our community. Madi will be giving updates through video blogs, twitter and facebook @Youth4ChangeKW.  Make sure you follow Madi on her journey.

Check out Madi’s latest video discussing her goals for United Way KW and the youth in our community! 

Jennifer Allan - 2012 Campaign Champion

We’ve got ourselves a Champion...

A champion of change.

 

Every team needs a captain to help empower its players to rise above and go for the gold. In the recent London Olympic Games, we saw Canada’s own Christine Sinclair lead the women’s soccer team to victory!  United Way KW may not be an Olympic team but each campaign needs a captain who will help drive the campaign to goal.  We call this role the Campaign and Leadership Champion.

Meet Jennifer Allan our Campaign and Leadership Champion this year.  An avid supporter of United Way KW and a 17-year employee of Economical Insurance, Jennifer was named Vice President, HR Programs and Corporate Communications in mid 2011. 

As the captain of our campaign team, Jennifer fills a very public role.  Jennifer is going to help us ramp up the energy and enthusiasm in the community by acting as the voice and face of the campaign. Much like Christine Sinclair did for her team during the games.

Our staff is pleased to have someone with Jennifer’s experience and passion leading the way beside us.

“I had the privilege of leading Economical's leader donor campaign for the past two years. I know how critical leader donations are. I'm so excited to share my enthusiasm for United Way KW and the impact it makes in our community.” - Jennifer Allan.

Thank you to Jennifer for volunteering to help us raise needed funds for this community.  Let’s go for the gold!

DO YOU CARE?

 

It's that time of year again when we put caring into action with our annual event - Day of Caring. 

What is Day of Caring? It's about making a difference with more than just dollars... it's about donating time through volunteerism.    From painting murals to cleaning up local walking trails, Day of Caring leaves a lasting impression on everyone involved.   Just ask Lisa Drew, 570 News Anchor, about her experience from last year’s Day of Caring.

How do you get involved?

United Way KW matches volunteers from organizations with various local projects.  Fill out an application today to be a volunteer or submit a project you'd like completed.

Don’t have a team? Don’t worry! Do an act of caring on your own. Volunteer to do something, anything at all, to help others in our community and celebrate Day of Caring. 

AND don't forget to join us at the Kitchener Market for our public event.

Day of Caring Itinerary:

9AM-5PM: Projects occur

12:00PM-1:30PM: Light lunch and public event at Kitchener Market with a guest performance by Slam Dunk Entertainment.

REGISTER NOW for the Day Caring Celebration and a $10 lunch voucher. While supplies last.

Follow us on twitter @UnitedWayKW #DayofCaringKW

Special thanks to our Day of Caring sponsors:

Kitchener Market

Scotiabank

Denison Print

Hope to see you there!

EVEN CHANGE NEEDS TO CHANGE

The recent government decision to cancel production of the one cent coin offers a perfect analogy for the challenges United Way KW has experienced in terms of raising money in traditional ways. Long story short, even change needs to change.

Jokes and puns about the penny abound, and many folks have taken a stance on the matter.

I’m not interested in arguing both sides of the coin (sorry, couldn’t resist). It costs more to make pennies than the coins are worth, so cancelling production was a solid decision that time had come.

When cost exceeds benefit, or when existing conditions are no longer advantageous, change needs to happen.

This is precisely the situation that United Way KW has faced in recent years. Placing all emphasis on fall workplace campaigns limited our ability to reach certain members of the community and grow our revenue to meet rising needs.

Diversification is critical not only for success, but sometimes even survival, as we’re increasingly witnessing in the not-for-profit and social services sectors. We all need to look for ways to be resilient in an ever-changing environment. 

For this reason, we’re branching out with additional revenue sources like sponsorships, business and funding partnerships, grants, special events, direct mail campaigns and social media campaigns. Such efforts will help ensure that United Way KW continues to thrive - and hence our community too.

  

Nancy Bird

Vice President, Resource Mobilization

United Way KW

Photo Blog - Making a difference in 20 minutes

In the spirit of Earth Day, our team participated in the 20 Minute Makeover and cleaned up the litter around our neighbourhood.

Volunteer Week - guest blog by Victor Zamin

In honour of National Volunteer Week, we’ve asked one of KW’s true community heroes, Victor Zamin, to tell us what motivates him to volunteer.

Since first moving to the KW area in 1990, Victor has launched himself fully into making a difference in this community. He joined the United Way KW Board of Directors in 2007, and served as our Campaign Chair in 2008 and 2009. Victor then went on to become our Board Chair in 2010 and is now completing his second year as Chair. For exemplifying the spirit of giving through his dedication to the community, Victor was honoured with the Arlene Smith Memorial Award at this year’s Community Spirit Awards. We at United Way KW are very grateful to Victor's family and his employer, Scotiabank, for supporting his volunteer efforts.

 Here’s why Victor thinks volunteering is so important:

 As a child, my parents made a point of reminding us that our family was fortunate and it was important for us to give back to our community. They were tireless volunteers and we adopted the philosophy: “You get what you give.” This belief has echoed in my mind throughout my life, and I’ve instilled it in my family as well.

When you get involved in your community and start to see the impact of your volunteer efforts, it’s easy to become passionate about being able to help.

Over the years, I’ve watched our region transform into a key player on the world stage, receiving global recognition as an intellectual and technology leader. Despite this success, though, there are still many in our community being left behind. In my view, this is not acceptable and needs to change.

What does it take to make such change happen? It takes an ongoing commitment to our community, and to deepening the capacity of our not-for-profit sector through innovation, collaboration and leadership.

We are all part of the fabric of this community. We all deserve to share in its success…and all share the responsibility to ensure that no one is left behind.

By sharing our time and talents with organizations like United Way KW, together we can achieve – and are achieving – lasting, positive change…right here in our own backyard.

 

Thank you to all of our community volunteers for all that you do!

Victor Zamin

Scotiabank

GO GREEN!

The recent arrival of spring serves as a great reminder to us all to think green. Are you doing your part?

Back in March 2010, United Way KW launched a “Go Green” initiative aimed at bringing environmental awareness to all that we do. We committed to a triple bottom line of “people, planet and prosperity,” whereupon we would strive to ensure the planet benefitted as we worked cost-effectively to build a prosperous community.

Efforts are ongoing to instill a culture of environmental sustainability here at United Way KW, and we were pleased to recently celebrate the 2^nd anniversary of “Go Green.”

We now consider what is best for the planet in all of our decision-making processes and everyday activities. For example, one of our key goals is to reduce the costs associated with office supplies and printed materials. Here’s what we’re now doing in that regard:

·         Our paper supplies are biodegradable, contain recycled materials and come from sustainable forestry.

·         We’ve reduced the amount of paper we use by printing and copying double-sided documents whenever possible and asking ourselves beforehand whether documents really need to be printed.

·         Our printed materials use vegetable based inks and are only printed in the quantities we truly need.

·         We minimize waste by using a recycling station.

·         We provide shredded paper to the KW Humane Society for animal bedding.

·         We are observing members of Sustainable Waterloo Region, a non-profit organization dedicated to collaboratively advancing the environmental sustainability of organizations throughout Waterloo Region.

·         We participate in local Earth Day clean-ups and turn the temperature down on National Sweater Day.

We’re still learning and we know we have a way to go, but we persist knowing that the small changes we make today will eventually add up to make a big impact on our organization, our community and our planet.

Cathy Snyder

CFO and CAO, United Way KW

A Challenge from our Campaign Chair, James Chmiel



James Chmiel

Everyday, United Way KW has an enormous impact on our community, ensuring an essential network of programs and services that work together to achieve lasting, positive change.
 
It has been a humbling honour to serve as the 2011 United Way KW Campaign Chair and to assist United Way KW with their efforts.
 
Our campaign, like our community, has faced tough times. We have not reached the $6 million goal we set for ourselves last September, or more importantly, that we felt this community needed.

Make no mistake about it, the $4.9 million we have raised to date is a truly impressive demonstration of generosity and caring at a time like this.

I’m not willing to stop there, however, because I know we can do better. At the United Way KW Community Spirit Awards on February 29th, I reaffirmed to attendees my commitment to building upon the $4.9 million we’ve raised to date.

United Way KW CEO Jan Varner then challenged attendees to reaffirm their commitment as well by donating an extra $29, $290 – whatever amount they were able – to support not only our campaign but also the 29Leaps Movement created by local teenager Madi MacIntyre.

It is this same challenge that I now issue to all of you.

When I visited Madi’s web site on February 28th, about 159,000 leap acts had been counted. When I visited again two days later, on March 1, that number had climbed to over 240,000.

Please, get involved, spread the message, and make Madi’s total - and the United Way KW campaign total - climb even higher.

After all, when our community is strong, supported, and resilient, we all benefit.

Thank you.

James Chmiel
President, Erb and Erb Insurance Brokers Ltd.
2011 United Way KW Campaign Chair

Community Spirit Award Winners and the 29Leaps Movement

Congratulations to our Community Spirit Awards winners, who were honoured on February 29th at a breakfast reception sponsored by our host, the Waterloo Inn.

Special thanks to Manulife Financial and Lagrotta Packaging Group for sponsoring individual awards, and to Susan Cranston from Manulife Financial, our Leadership Chair, for speaking about the tremendous difference made in our community by Leadership Donors - those who annually donate $1000 or more to United Way KW.

The significance of February 29th, or Leap Day, was certainly not lost on attendees, and we were thrilled to have among them 17 year old Madi MacIntyre, the local resident whose 29Leaps Movement has gone viral, encouraging people to make Leap Day something for ALL to celebrate by using the number 29 to spread caring and kindness. Madi came up with her idea after realizing that the extra day in a leap year is great for many of us, but not always so for the sick, homeless, lonely or hurting in our community.

At the Community Spirit Awards, we encouraged people to donate an extra $29, $290, or whatever they could afford to honour Madi's 29Leaps Movement and help make up for the current shortfall in our annual campaign. Our $6 million revenue challenge goal has currently brought in about $4.9 million. Our Campaign Chair, James Chmiel, remains committed to helping us close that gap. Both he and Madi MacIntyre are great role models in showing what one person can do to motivate others and make our community a better place.

Congratulations Madi and James, and congratulations again to all of our Community Spirit Award winners!

Change starts here.

Campaign Shortfall a Cause for Concern

A message from United Way Kitchener-Waterloo and Area CEO, Jan Varner:

The final preparations for our Community Spirit Awards on February 29th are a little bittersweet. While we can't wait to honour the individuals and organizations that support us making a lasting difference in our community, we can't help but also worry about the shortfall in this year's campaign.

With $6 million as our overall revenue goal announced last September, we forecasted later last fall that only $4.9 million would be raised. Unfortunately, that is precisely where our total lies now.

We've had some rather significant commitments fall through from a few workplaces, and although many companies went above and beyond in achieving their campaign goals, it just hasn't been enough to fill the void.

I'm very grateful to our Campaign Chair, James Chmiel, who remains committed to helping us find more dollars. In a recent statement to the media, he encouraged those that can to dig even deeper and rally around our community. As he pointed out, even an increase to $5 million would make a tangible difference in meeting community needs.

We’re doing our best to keep our commitment to this community and hope to maintain the investments we made last year. As local demand for social services continues to rise, we are turning to you for further help.
 
It’s not too late to get involved and make a difference. Donations can be made online at uwaykw.org or by calling our office at 519-888-6100.
 
Thanks,

Jan

2011 United Way KW Leadership Donors

People who care, share and lead by example. That's what United Way KW Leadership Donors – those who annually donate $1,000 or more - are all about. These kind and compassionate individuals provide critical investment into the health and well-being of our community.

On February 18, 2012, United Way KW will be honouring its 2011 Leadership Donors in the Waterloo Region Record. We’ll also be extending special thanks to our Leadership Sponsor, Manulife Financial, an organization that exemplifies corporate citizenship at work in our community.

We encourage you to review the current list of 2011 Leadership Donors available online at http://www.uwaykw.org/. If you anticipate seeing your name but can’t find it, please contact Barb Binkle at bbinkle@uwaykw.org or 519-888-6100 ext. 225 by February 10th 2012.

If your name is not present, it may be that we have not received your name from your workplace. Your name also may not appear if at some point in the past you’ve indicated a preference not to have your gift publicly acknowledged. In this case, you will be listed as “anonymous”.

We at United Way KW would like to offer a warm and sincere thank you to all 2011 donors, especially our Leadership Donors. We truly couldn’t do it without you. Change starts here.

PLEASE NOTE: Taking into account current economic restraints, and at the suggestion of many of our leadership donors, our Annual Leadership Thank You Event will not take place this year.

SAVE THE DATE: Community Spirit Awards - February 29, 2012

Our 3rd Annual Community Spirit Awards event is fast approaching. Be sure to mark your calendar now and join us for breakfast.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARDS
FEBRUARY 29, 2012
7:30 a.m.
Waterloo Inn

Join us as we celebrate and acknowledge those individuals and organizations that exemplify year round efforts to bring about long term, sustainable social change in our community.

For more details, please visit the United Way KW web site.

Did you get SNAP'd at our Celebrity Event?

Did you get SNAP'd at our Annual Celebrity event honouring Lisa LaFlamme on November 25th, 2011 at Federation Hall?
Click here to find out!

Ski Down At Chicopee - Wednesdays from Jan. 11 - Feb. 1, 2012

Attention All Skiers!

Start the New Year off right by becoming a Community Hero! Simply hit the slopes this winter with Chicopee Ski & Summer Resort and United Way. It's a win-win situation! You enjoy a discounted rate on a full day lift ticket, while $5 from each ticket purchased goes to United Way to support community needs.