Campaign Game Changer

Name: Albert Barone
Company: C&S Wholesale Grocers    
Job Title: Regional Manager, Field Human Resources
Number of campaigns run: 11

Strategies that worked! Ideas from your fellow Employee Campaign Coordinators:

As the campaign closes, we have started to identify game changing strategies that were proven to impact the results of successful campaigns last year. One strategy comes to us from Albert Barone, one of the ECC's for C&S Wholesale Grocers. His game changer? Simple. Start at the top.
 
This approach focuses on the core of C&S's corporate values. "At C&S, we build a strong relationship between our employees and supervisors/managers from day one in our business. The Management is there to help employees be successful in all ways including work direction, schedules, and support for other matters outside of work that may impact them in their jobs. That natural bond makes the manager interaction a natural fit for discussing the importance of community involvement with the United Way", explains Barone.
 
Management is involved at several touch points including the UWGLV presentation, but the real game changer is the face-to-face customized meeting. The managers meet with each employee on their respective teams. This interaction is more personal than large group meetings and can focus on the special interests of the individual and importance of community involvement to the company. "Some messages regarding our goals and timelines are scripted for the managers", reports Barone. The real strength of the strategy, though, comes from allowing flexibility so each manager can talk with passion, speaking from their head and heart about his or her own experiences and individual stories of people helped by UW funding.