ADVANCING EDUCATION INCOME AND HEALTH UNITED WAY DAY OF ACTION TOOLKIT GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. UnitedWay.org/dayofaction

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1 ADVANCING EDUCATION INCOME AND HEALTH UNITED WAY DAY OF ACTION TOOLKIT GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER. UnitedWay.org/dayofaction

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3 United Way Day of Action Toolkit United Way Day of Action Toolkit 1

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION 3 What is Day of Action? 3 PLANNING A DAY OF ACTION 5 Host a Local Day of Action 6 Host an E Day of Action 8 Increase Visibility with Communications 8 E Day of Action and other Online/Social Media Tools 10 Talking Points 14 Frequently Asked Questions 17 Sample Media Advisory 19 Sample Media Authorization and Release Form 20 Live United Messages 21 Photos 22 REGISTRATION AND REPORTING 23 CHECKLIST 24 United Way Day of Action Toolkit 2

5 INTRODUCTION This toolkit has been designed to help United Ways get involved locally and nationally for United Way Day of Action, held annually on June 21 st since Day of Action provides a way for each and every United Way to engage their communities in a meaningful way that ties back to national and local goals to advance the common good in education, income and health. For example, your United Way can get involved by hosting: a small scale volunteer project or a large community wide activity; an E Day of Action to recruit volunteer readers, tutors or mentors to help improve the academic success of students; and/or a media event or social media campaign to help position United Way s work in education, income and health and the nationwide and global activities of Day of Action. No matter how you choose to celebrate Day of Action, the United Way Day of Action Toolkit describes tools and resources that will help you create greater brand awareness and impact on June 21. And to make sure that your work is part of the global Day of Action, please register your Day of Action via United Way Online/Day of Action ( What is Day of Action? June 21 is our United Way Day of Action. It is the day we stand up for ourselves, our friends and our community to pledge to change the course of our future. United Way Day of Action mobilizes volunteers across the globe on June 21. It is uniquely United Way s day to recruit new volunteers, inspire existing supporters, tell our story and advance our objectives. Day of Action is an opportunity for United Ways to build on their strategies to improve education, income and health. The United Way network is more than 1,800 local United Ways strong around the world imagine what we can accomplish if our work is brought to scale with greater participation from local United Ways, community volunteers and partners! United Way Day of Action Toolkit 3

6 United Way Day of Action is: a strategic volunteer program created to help advance the common good on issues of education, income and health; an opportunity to build and deepen relationships with existing United Way supporters while developing new relationships with new volunteers; a powerful way for the United Way network to join forces and create action towards our goals on the same day. Individual engagement opportunities with United Way cannot be limited to donations. In order to attain United Way s ambitious community impact goals, we also must actively engage individuals in our work through volunteering as well. In fact, research indicates that individuals feel a sense of responsibility to help make their communities a better place. Volunteering is an invaluable way to display this commitment and support of a cause. When individuals volunteer for an organization they are more likely to donate and stay engaged afterward. It is our hope that volunteers who participate in Day of Action will be further inspired to take lifelong action as a partner with United Way. United Way can be intentional and strategic about the way we engage volunteers. We must extend beyond high level volunteer engagement, such as recruiting board members and committee volunteers. In order to bring our work to scale, we need to invite individuals to join us in our effort to advance the common good in education, income and health. Day of Action provides an excellent opportunity to do just that. For additional information about what Day of Action is and to learn about our results from Day of Action last year, turn to the Talking Points section of this Toolkit. And visit United Way Online/Day of Action ( to download United Way Day of Action Reports, published annually since United Way Day of Action Toolkit 4

7 PLANNING A DAY OF ACTION Day of Action is an opportunity to mobilize and motivate your staff, your board, and new and existing volunteers and show what it means to LIVE UNITED. Your United Way can get involved several ways: Host a Local Day of Action on June 21 focused on engaging individuals in volunteering or advocacy projects that help advance your work in education, income or health. Host an E Day of Action connected to United Way s national effort to recruit one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors to help kids succeed academically. Increase Visibility through Communications. Leverage online communications and social media to promote local, national and global efforts for Day of Action, displaying the power of the United Way network and increasing visibility. Your first step should be to register your Day of Action via United Way Online/Day of Action ( The following pages provide ideas, templates and more about how to participate. Regardless of whether you focus on education, income or health, or all three, we hope that every United Way will host an E Day of Action about our effort to recruit one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors. Here s why. Education is the cornerstone of individual and community success. With more than 1.2 million children dropping out each year, America faces an education crisis. The cost? More than $312 billion in lost wages, taxes and productivity over each person s lifetime. On United Way Day of Action 2011, United Way launched a three year goal to recruit one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors to help improve the academic success of young people across America. This effort is one way United Way aims to cut by half the number of young people who drop out of high school. It s an ambitious goal but by utilizing our core strengths a national network, committed partners and public engagement we can achieve it. If the entire United Way network makes a statement (through E Day of Action) on June 21 with a united voice about the importance of education as a building block for a good quality of life, we improve the chance that our story is heard with a consistent message and momentum behind our work will build. High school dropouts do not happen overnight, they are 12 years in the making, usually a result of insufficient early childhood education. Research proves that when caring volunteers work with students of all ages, young people will have a better chance at success. That s why United Way is committed to recruiting 1 million new volunteer readers, tutors and mentors. Learn more about our education initiative on United Way Online ( m?aid=6509). Focusing on education on Day of Action is a good option for many United Ways, because they can tie their local events to one of United Way s national volunteer priorities. In 2011, more than 90 percent of participating United Ways hosted Day of Action projects related to advancing local objectives in education. United Ways participated in E Day of Action and also facilitated book drives, built literacy kits, read to children, mentored high school students, all and much more in an effort to create awareness about our work in education. United Way Day of Action Toolkit 5

8 Host a Local Day of Action It is never too early to start planning a volunteer event for June 21. After you ve registered your participation through United Way Online/Day of Action ( invite corporate and nonprofit partners to help plan your Day of Action. In addition to asking partners for volunteers who can help plan an event and volunteer on June 21, ask partners to post pictures, videos and messages on Facebook and Twitter, and encourage partners to host an E Day of Action or to set a goal to help recruit a portion of the one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors. And don t forget to ask your Women s Leadership Council, Young Leaders Society, Student United Way, and local labor organizations and other market segments to volunteer, host an E Day of Action and promote the day through social media. Here are some other ideas for engaging partners. Ask Corporate Partners to: Co sponsor Day of Action, with participation open to all. Invite employees to volunteer, individually or as a group. The company could make it a family day where employees can bring their children and other relatives to get in on the action. Host an E Day of Action to help recruit one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors. Partners could set a goal for how many volunteers they hope to recruit. United Way could provide our templates to make it easy for them to participate. Have a Jeans Day so employees can wear Live United shirts to help raise awareness about United Way and inspire dialogue about how employees are volunteering in their local community. Include retirees in the ask to volunteer or other activities of the day. Extend communications to customers, vendors and other partners. Highlight Day of Action on the corporate intranet and public website. Implement a Dollars for Doers type program to give lift to employee volunteers on Day of Action. Ask nonprofit partners what projects are available for Day of Action that will help advance your objectives in education, income and health. In turn, United Way could promote partners United Way Day of Action Toolkit 6

9 volunteer opportunities relating to education, income and health on Day of Action or yearround. You may want to approach partners with a few project ideas in mind. Here are some ideas in education, income and health that work well with groups of volunteers. There are lots more volunteer project ideas and how to guides for these projects on United Way Online/Day of Action/Ideas and Examples ( You also may want to look at the Day of Action reports from previous years to see what United Ways have done on Day of Action since the program launched in The reports also can be found on United Way Online/Day of Action ( Activity Trails Get kids moving with fun and educational activity trails. Community Baby Shower Support a healthy beginning to life by collecting and donating baby items. Born Learning Trail Create a Born Learning Trail to help parents, caregivers and communities use everyday moments to boost school readiness. Community Gardens Establish community gardens to help encourage healthy eating and healthy living. Diaper Drive Advance health and economic stability by collecting diapers for low income families. Door Hanger Distribution Promote and other local services by reaching families where they live. Literacy Kits Help make reading fun for both the child and for the adult who is reading with the child. School Supply Drive Give kids the supplies they need to succeed in school. Shoebox Projects Decorate and fill shoeboxes with items for homeless shelters, nursing homes and other institutions serving people in need. Stone Soup Invite volunteers of all ages to assemble meals that soup kitchens will serve. Summer Reading Backpacks Encourage summer reading by providing children with a book and a bag they can call their own. VITA Train volunteers to offer free tax help to low and middle income individuals and married couples. United Way Day of Action Toolkit 7

10 Host an E Day of Action Your United Way can participate in Day of Action from the comfort of your office! Every United Way can participate in E Day of Action regardless of whether or not you host a project or event on June 21. E Day of Action is a simple way to create online buzz through social media, communication and websites about United Way s work to improve the academic success of young people across America. Through E Day of Action you can inspire thousands to pledge to become a volunteer reader, tutor or mentor. Your E Day of Action will help to keep the momentum going by helping raise awareness and inviting new volunteers into United Way s work. In the pages that follow you ll find information about templates and other tools to help you launch an E Day of Action in your community. Learn more about our education initiative on United Way Online ( Increase Visibility through Communications United Way Day of Action is an important opportunity for our network to band together with a unified voice to gain greater brand visibility while delivering on our brand promise. Clear, concise and consistent communications will help show how United Way's local impact is a part of something even bigger through our global network. The tools provided here and through United Way Online/Day of Action will help you communicate about United Way Day of Action leading up to and on June 21. And don t forget to take high resolution photos of your events and share them through social media on and after Day of Action and with United Way Worldwide when you report on your Day s events. Photos are an important component to promoting our brand. Please note that in official communications, to support our brand, the program should be referred to as United Way Day of Action. Day of Action may be used in longer documents, after the full name has been used several times. United Way Day of Action Communications Tools include: E Day of Action and other Online/Social Media Tools, such as templates, sample Tweets, a video and more will help you create buzz and extend the reach of Day of Action. United Way Day of Action Toolkit 8

11 Talking Points will help you describe United Way Day of Action to partners, the media, volunteers and others. FAQs have answers to the questions that United Ways often ask about United Way Day of Action. A Sample Media Advisory will help inform reporters and others about your Day of Action plans. Sample Authorization and Release We hope you ll share photos, video and audio recordings of your Day of Action with United Way Worldwide. Use this form to obtain the necessary permission from your volunteers, or be sure to that your own form authorizes United Way Worldwide to use the images and footage. Live United Messages This Elevator Speech and Message Strategy will help you explain how United Way Day of Action is part of our campaign to urge people to Live United. Photos Looking for fresh images to spruce up your Day of Action promotional material? Visit the Brand Image Library for the most current pictures. This section of the toolkit offers tips for the kinds of photos that help tell the story of a great Day of Action. For more about United Way messaging and communications visit the United Way Online Brand Management Site. United Way Day of Action Toolkit 9

12 E Day of Action and other Online/Social Media Tools Everyone United Ways, partners, and volunteers can generate excitement around Day of Action through E Day of Action and our other social media and online tools. Here s how. Use our Constant Contact template. With a few clicks of the button, you can leverage this simple tool to make a difference on June 21 and thereafter. Go to United Way Online/Day of Action and click on E Day of Action for instructions. If you don t have a Constant Contact account you can set up a new account here: Share the United Way Day of Action promotional video. Post it on your website. Include it in social media and other e communications. One version of the video is ready to be shared directing people to the national Day of Action Webpage. The second is a customizable 30 second video with additional time before and after for United Ways to include localized information. Download these videos via United Way Online/Day of Action and click on Messaging and Communications ( Promote the Day of Action webpage. The Day of Action global landing page (unitedway.org/dayofaction) will serve as the hub for social media communication. Help provide lift for the thousands of volunteers choosing to LIVE UNITED on Day of Action by featuring and promoting this page. This will be especially informative to individuals and colleagues who couldn t make it out to volunteer on Day of Action but want to be a part of the experience. Drive traffic to unitedway.org/volunteer. Place a link on your website. Write a blog post with a call to action to visit the link to learn more or signup. Leverage social media to spread the word. Send an to your listservs with links to all of the above. Use radio PSA s to raise awareness about the need for volunteer readers, tutors or mentors. Access localizable radio spots with 50 seconds preproduced and 10 seconds at the end for your Day of Action message by visiting United Way Online/One Million and click on Marketing and Communications ( Embed web banners on your website, blog and other e communications to support the call for one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors. Access existing web banners by visiting United Way Online/One Million and click on Marketing and Communications ( United Way Day of Action Toolkit 10

13 Send a digital or print postcard. Access the customizable postcard, which is in English or Spanish, by visiting United Way Online/One Million and click on Marketing and Communications ( Tweet. The real time nature of Twitter will help represent the extent of United Way Day of Action as it occurs locally and network wide. The feeling will be more grass roots, as individual volunteers share their story with others across the nation. The aggregate social media content will be displayed prominently on unitedway.org/dayofaction. Follow United Way Worldwide on and hashtag #LIVEUNITED. United Way will be tweeting in the days leading up to and on Day of Action, and interacting with local United Ways and United Way supporters. Make sure your United Way is following the national Twitter account: Retweet and share United Way Worldwide s posts on Twitter and Facebook. Help create buzz by sharing our content via your United Way s social media and online channels. Invite your volunteers to post messages, pictures and videos leading up to and especially on Day of Action June 21. This is a great opportunity to engage your own Twitter followers in the event. Ask your followers to tweet their ideas on volunteering, experiences, and Day of Action events to #LIVEUNITED. Followers also are encouraged to Tweet to #UNITEDWAY on June 21 and throughout the year. Don t forget to share these links with your volunteers on the day of so that it is top of mind and so that they have the info handy when they disperse to their project site. Encourage your volunteers to tag United Way s national Facebook and Twitter accounts as they post messages, pictures and videos. By doing so, their posts will appear on their page as well as the national page and live feed on the webpage. This way volunteers from different communities across the country can catch a glimpse of the action beyond just their project site. Sample Tweets Tweets are limited to 140 characters including spaces. Use the sample tweets below or adapt them to meet your needs. Remember to leave enough characters vacant for retweets. (Example, when a person retweets a tweet the retweet is preceded by which occupies 15 characters. To maximize tweets are typically under 125 characters. Short URLs Day of Action Landing Page: Recruiting Volunteer Readers, Tutors and Mentors: Long URLs Day of Action Landing Page: Recruiting Volunteer Readers, Tutors and Mentors: United Way Day of Action Toolkit 11

14 Leading Up to Day of Day of Action is June 21, join thousands of others and volunteer in your community! #LIVEUNITED Calling all VOLUNTEERS, Day of Action on 6/ 21 and inspire others to join you! Tweet pics & vid 2 #LIVEUNITED & #LIVEUNITED for all the action. Volunteers across US join forces 6/21, Day of Action. is recruiting one million volunteer readers, tutors, & mentors. It all starts on 6/21 #LIVEUNITED #KidsWin Day of Action June 21 Tweets TODAY is the National Day of Action! Kick off your commitment and volunteer today! Send your Pics & Vids to #LIVEUNITED Follow #LIVEUNITED to hear stories, see pics & vid of volunteers across America. Take action and share Celebrate the Day of Action. Take the pledge to read to, tutor, or mentor a child. #KidsWin, your #LIVEUNITED makes a difference! Volunteering 1 hour/week could change a life, one million volunteers will change the world. Take #LIVEUNITED #KidsWin. will be tweeting new content as it is available on 6/21, please on Twitter for additional content to retweet on the Day of Action. After Day of Action Winding down United Way Day of #LIVEUNITED here in <LOCALUW> must thank all our volunteers from <insert> who helped #kidswin Thanks to all our volunteers who provided hope on #LIVEUNITED #KidsWin Just because United Way Day of #LIVEUNITED is over doesn t mean the work is done. Sign up to volunteer today It s a 3 year goal to recruit 1MM volunteer readers, tutors and mentors help us get there by spreading the word Post and Follow Day of Action on Facebook. Be sure to follow the global United Way Facebook page at facebook.com/unitedway, where United Way Day of Action will be promoted in the days leading up to and on June 21. Facebook is an ideal vehicle for distributing longer posts (as compared to Twitter) and embedded media. Your own Facebook postings can follow a similar messaging arc as your tweets. Use Facebook as an opportunity to link users directly to your website and linking back to United Way Day of Action Toolkit 12

15 Other Facebook Ideas Link to to help recruit one million readers, tutors, mentors Post open ended questions: "How will you volunteer?" Post local volunteer opportunities in advance of Day of Action Tag United Way in your Facebook posts Share photos and videos from Day of Action on United Way Facebook Page Ask (and assign) volunteers to take photos and videos and share them on the United Way Facebook page Hyperlink in your post Encourage your volunteers to comment and post their experiences on United Way s Facebook wall. Ideal content will include pictures and videos of volunteers in LIVE UNITED shirts, etc. United Way Day of Action Toolkit 13

16 TALKING POINTS These talking points can help our network communicate consistently about United Way Day of Action with partners, the media, volunteers and others. Use this language in print materials, online and more. Please note that in official communications, to support our brand, the program should be referred to as United Way Day of Action. Day of Action may be used in longer documents, after the full name has been used several times. United Way Day of Action is: a strategic volunteer program created to help advance the common good on issues of education, income and health; an opportunity to build and deepen relationships with existing United Way supporters while developing new relationships with new volunteers; a powerful way for United Ways to join forces and create action towards our goals on the same day. United Way Day of Action occurs on June 21 annually marks the 6 th annual United Way Day of Action. United Way Day of Action is more than a single day of volunteering; it is the launch pad for ongoing engagement. On June 21, tens of thousands of individuals volunteer their time around the world in support of United Way. United Way Day of Action underscores how volunteers are essential to advancing the common good. The beauty of United Way Day of Action is that it allows United Ways to join forces to give lift to our common goals while retaining the diversity of our entire network as displayed in the variety of projects undertaken by local United Way volunteers. United Way Day of Action provides an excellent platform to invite new volunteers into our work while giving a meaningful way for existing supporters to stay connected. United Way Day of Action is an opportunity to highlight the Live United campaign, inviting individuals into our work by volunteering and advocating in the areas of education, income and health. United Way Day of Action Toolkit 14

17 United Way has launched an ambitious effort to recruit one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors. At (INSERT NAME OF LOCAL UNITED WAY), we are supporting that initiative by (INSERT ACTIVITIES) on June 21, the United Way Day of Action. United Way Day of Action 2012 attracted worldwide participation*: 282 United Ways representing all fifty states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico participated in Day of Action. This represents a 9% increase in participation which helped give United Way tremendous visibility because the network was focused on the same initiative on the same day. 10 countries participated (Argentina, Canada, Colombia, France, India, Mexico, Romania, Russia, South Africa and the United States) 41 Global Corporate Leadership companies participated in multiple cities across the U.S. United Way Day of Action allows United Ways to join forces to work toward our common goals in education, income and health while reflecting the diversity of our entire network. Of United Ways responding to a survey question, more than 725,105 individuals benefitted from the volunteer activities from United Way Day of Action This is nearly a 99% increase from Although project registration is still in process, we expect to have participation from United Way communities across our network largely focused on volunteer projects that advance our work in education. Examples* of community impact on United Way Day of Action 2012: Education In May 2012, United Way of San Diego County (CA) launched an online book donation campaign and was able to buy 21,500 summer reading books for lowincome children. On Day of Action, 60 volunteers from the San Diego Regional Airport, Nordstrom, Hutchens PR and Old Town Trolley Tours gathered to assemble 4,500 book bags, complete with inspirational notes on book marks, bilingual books and bilingual parent tip sheets. The book bag stuffing continued for several more weeks at 30 sites around San Diego County so that all the books could be distributed. Income United Way of Hunterdon County (NJ) teamed with ExxonMobil volunteers to assist seniors and individuals with special needs. Volunteers prepared and delivered lunches for Meals on Wheels, played an intense game of swat ball with seniors at their retirement community and tie dyed T shirts with Arc of Hunterdon clients. *For a complete overview of United Way Day of Action, download the annual Day of Action report from United Way Online/Day of Action ( United Way Day of Action Toolkit 15

18 Health United Way of Fairfield County (OH) teamed with local companies and individuals to seek pledges to LIVE HEALTHY and to offer a day of activities in partnership with the Fairfield Medical Center. Activities included an early morning "Walk with a Doc" and a 2,000 step walk through downtown Lancaster, calculated with pedometers given away by United Way. More than 200 people participated in Lunch & Learn activities, which included resistance training, yoga demonstrations, a talk on nutrition labels and a hula hoop contest. Later there was a chance to ride with a Pro on a nine mile ride touring Lancaster s bike paths. The day concluded with yoga at Rising Park. More than 850 people signed the LIVE HEALTHY pledge and received coupons to 700 Subway restaurants. United Way Day of Action Toolkit 16

19 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Here are answers to questions that United Ways often ask about Day of Action. Q: Why is Day of Action held on June 21? A: United Way wanted to choose a date that would be our day for volunteer engagement. June 21 was chosen because it is outside of the typical campaign time with United Way. Originally Day of Action was tied to the longest day of the year in the U.S. Today Day of Action is a global event and an opportunity to recruit new volunteers for year round engagement, inspire existing supporters, tell our story and advance our objectives. Q: June 21 doesn t work for us this year. Can we host an event on June 20 or 22? A: The power of Day of Action is that the entire network is mobilizing volunteers on a single day around the world. To make the connection to United Way Day of Action on June 21, we recommend that you host an E Day of Action, media event or other communication to engage the public in our network wide day. Q: Do volunteers participate in Day of Action when it falls on a week day? A: Yes! Many companies will authorize time off for their employees to volunteer and find it valuable to be involved in a local and global day of volunteering, whether on a week day or weekend. Q: Why should I register our Day of Action? A: United Way Day of Action is about engaging volunteers through our worldwide network. To demonstrate the breadth and depth of our reach and our impact, we need to be able to cite the number of sites, people who volunteered and who benefited, plus the kinds of activities United Ways facilitated, to demonstrate the power of community engagement. Registering your plans through United Way Online/Day of Action ( and reporting your results will inspire other United Ways to get involved, and this will increase our impact in education, income and health. In addition, the annual Day of Action report and roster of participating United Ways are developed from direct reporting from local United Ways. United Ways that complete a brief registration and provide additional information after Day of Action are included in the roster and may be profiled in the report and other volunteer related communications from United Way Worldwide. United Way Day of Action Toolkit 17

20 Q: We are hosting several events during the week of June 21. Do you want us to inform you of these activities as well? A: Yes, please inform us. Many United Ways will host a series of activities leading up to June 21 or throughout the month of June. Q: How can we explain the difference between Day of Action and Days of Caring? A: Day of Action is a strategic volunteer engagement opportunity intended to advance goals in education, income and/or health and is hosted on a single day June 21 to help display the full power of the United Way network. Day of Action is distinct from Days of Caring because it is aligned with local United Way community objectives in education, income and health. In contrast, Days of Caring have typically been on demand projects facilitated by United Ways and volunteer centers in response to corporate requests for employee engagement opportunities. Days of Caring have been popular to help connect donors to United Way partner agencies. Q: How can our Day of Action tie into the campaign to recruit one million volunteer readers, tutors and mentors? A: Many United Ways have found that the Day of Action is a great way to inspire people to pledge to become a volunteer reader, tutor or mentor. Book or school supply drives, assembling book bags, public reading events with local celebrities, and even online campaigns promoting reading, tutoring and mentoring programs and asking people to take the United Way pledge are popular activities on Day of Action. Learn more about our education initiative on United Way Online ( United Way Day of Action Toolkit 18

21 SAMPLE MEDIA ADVISORY Your local logo here MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE UNITED WAY DAY OF ACTION (Event + Location) Media Contact: NAME NUMBER(S) WHAT: On June 21, volunteers across the country will participate in the sixth annual United Way Day of Action. Here in (LOCATION), the event will (DESCRIBE YOUR EVENT AND HOW IT SUPPORTS UNITED WAY GOALS IN EDUCATION, INCOME AND HEALTH, IF POSSIBLE.) WHO: WHEN: WHERE: Participants include: (DAY), June 21, (YEAR), (TIME) (SPECIFIC LOCATION) For additional information about events across the globe and ongoing volunteer opportunities, visit WHY: Advancing the common good involves creating opportunities for a better life for all. When individuals, organizations, governments and businesses set aside their interests and work together, we can make a difference. United Way Day of Action provides an opportunity to be part of positive change in our community on June 21 and in the future. (ADD LOCAL DATA OR GOALS AS DESIRED) ### About United Way NAME Your boilerplate here. United Way Day of Action Toolkit 19

22 Photograph, Television, Tape, Movie and/or Sound Recording AUTHORIZATION & RELEASE I,... of... hereby authorize and consent that United Way Worldwide, a not for profit corporation, its legal representatives, successors or assigns shall have the absolute right to copyright, publish, use, sell or assign any and all photographic portraits or pictures, television spots, movie films, videotapes and/or sound recordings, or any part thereof, they have taken or made of me on this date or in which I may be included, name or other biographical data, in whole or in part, whether apart from or in connection with, illustrative or written printed matter, story or news item, motion pictures, internet usage, television or radio spots, or for publicity, advertising or any other lawful purpose whatsoever, in conjunction with my own or a fictitious name, or my real or fictitious biographical data, or in reproduction thereof in color or otherwise in any media now known or hereby created. I hereby waive all claims for any compensation for such use or for damages other than as set forth herein. I hereby waive any right that I may have to inspect and/or approve the finished product or the advertising copy that may be used in connection therewith or the use to which it may be applied. I acknowledge that there is no obligation to use any material authorized by me hereunder. I hereby warrant that I am of full age and have every right to contract in my own name in the above regard. I state further that I have read the above authorization and release, prior to execution, and that I am fully familiar with the contents thereof. Date:... Signature:... Parent/Guardian Signature:... Project:... (NAME Please Print) (ADDRESS) (IF SUBJECT IS A MINOR) US.501.IP United Way Day of Action Toolkit 20

23 LIVE UNITED MESSAGES Elevator Speech Have you ever been asked to say a few words about United Way? The elevator speech brings together all of the big ideas from the message strategy. Some local United Ways have printed the elevator speech on wallet sized cards for staff and volunteers. We think that s a great idea. United Way advances the common good by creating opportunities for a better life for all. Our focus is on education, income and health the building blocks for a good quality of life. United Way recruits people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. We invite you to be part of the change. you can give, you can advocate and you can volunteer. That's what it means to LIVE UNITED. Message Strategy In order to recruit people and organizations and invite them to be a part of the change, we must speak with a united voice. The messages that make up our message platform have been rigorously tested with consumers to clearly bring our invitation to the world. United Way advances the common good by creating opportunities for a better life for all. Our focus is on education, income and health the building blocks for a good quality of life. United Way recruits people and organizations who bring the passion, expertise and resources needed to get things done. We invite you to be part of the change. you can give, you can advocate and you can volunteer. That's what it means to LIVE UNITED. Visit the United Way Online Brand Management Site for more information: United Way Day of Action Toolkit 21

24 PHOTOS Looking for fresh images to spruce up your Day of Action promotional material? Visit the Brand Image Library for the most current download able pictures ( And don t forget to take high resolution photos of your events and share them through social media on and after Day of Action. When you report your Day of Action results to United Way Worldwide, be sure to submit links to or actual high resolution photos. These photos will help us tell the story of Day of Action 2013 on our website and in the annual Day of Action report. Great Day of Action photos tend to depict: A compelling moment (see photo at right) Volunteers in white Live United T shirts or corporate themed T shirts Volunteers and children laughing and smiling at the camera Volunteers and children engaged in the activity. Ideally it will be somewhat apparent that the activity is related to education, income and health Group photos with a company or agency sign or logo United Way or Live United branded signs Evidence of the completed activity, e.g., stacks or boxes of finished summer reading backpacks, donated books, shelves of donated food, pledge forms to stay healthy, the first stop of an activity trail United Way Day of Action Toolkit 22

25 REGISTRATION AND REPORTING United Way Day of Action is about engaging volunteers through our worldwide network. To demonstrate the breadth and depth of our reach and our impact, we need to be able to cite the number of locations, people who volunteered and who benefited, plus the kinds of activities United Ways facilitated, to demonstrate the power of community engagement. Registering your plans through United Way Online/Day of Action and reporting your results will inspire other United Ways to get involved, and this will increase our impact in education, income and health. Registration takes less than two minutes and all fields must be completed. To register, go to United Way Online/Day of Action ( If your United Way is missing on last year s list we did not receive a registration form from you. Don t miss out this year register today! Following Day of Action, we write the annual Day of Action report which includes highlights of activities around the world and a roster of participating United Ways. The report is developed from direct reporting from local United Ways. United Ways that complete a brief registration and provide additional information after Day of Action are included in the roster and may be profiled in the report and other volunteer related communications from United Way Worldwide. Be sure to complete the follow up survey and include links to or send us high resolution photos of your event. These photos may be used in the report or other United Way communications, so please be sure that United Way Worldwide is authorized to use them. And when you respond to the survey, we d love it if you included a thorough description, anecdotes, and quotes that help demonstrate that Day of Action is a powerful, unifying force for advancing the common good. United Way Day of Action Toolkit 23

26 CHECKLIST Before Day of Action Visit United Way Online/Day of Action ( your hub for Day of Action, where you will be able to: Register your United Way Day of Action activities Download additional templates, ideas and examples to help get you started to inspire new ideas. View the United Way network map to see where Day of Action is occurring across the country. On Day of Action Participate in E Day of Action. You can use the United Way template, available through United Way Online/Day of Action ( Visit the public website to keep up to date with all the global activity related to United Way Day of Action Document and tell the story of Day of Action via local and national social media: Post pictures and messages on Facebook Tweet messages, pictures and videos Remember to tag United Way s national page so that your work will be featured across the globe as well as locally Write a blog post or send an to your listserv Track important metrics and results, so that you are ready to complete the post Day of Action Survey which helps United Way aggregate information from across the country. After Day of Action Thank your volunteers and partners for participating in Day of Action. Ask for their contact information to keep them informed and engaged with United Ways work. Report your results to United Way Worldwide through the post Day of Action survey. Include thorough descriptions, anecdotes, quotes and links to high resolution photos so we can share your Day of Action with others. United Way Day of Action Toolkit 24

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28 United Way Worldwide 701 North Fairfax Street Alexandria, Virginia U.S.A. UnitedWay.org 2013 United Way Worldwide VEE-0313 For more information contact: MEI COBB Vice President Volunteer and Employee Engagement United Way Worldwide To download additional copies of this toolkit and more: online.unitedway.org/dayofaction