PCL Bridge the Gap United Way Campaign Diana Graling PCL Constructors Inc. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

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1 PCL Bridge the Gap United Way Campaign Diana Graling PCL Constructors Inc. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada NEED/OPPORTUNITY / United Way is the PCL family of companies primary fundraising initiative across North America. Each year, PCL s Edmonton-area employees support the United Way Alberta capital region (north of Red Deer to the Alberta/Northwest Territories border) with a two-week campaign. The responsibility of organizing and implementing the campaign is appointed to a different committee each year, with representatives from local operations assisted by an internal communication specialist. After the 2006 committee fell short of their fundraising goals, the 2007 committee was determined to find a way to not only meet their new goals but exceed them. After critiquing the 2006 campaign, they decided they would need to: Increase employee participation, especially on construction sites and operations in the surrounding area. Increase the number of leadership givers. Inspire new employees to participate in the campaign. The committee felt that by focusing their efforts on encouraging participation of new employees and increasing the donations of established givers, they would reach their goal of 65 percent participation and CAN$650,000. The committee needed to touch the hearts of employees to make giving as meaningful as possible. They decided that a testimonial video featuring their own employees would put a familiar face on the needs in the community. By hearing employees share personal stories about how their families had benefited from the United Way, other employees would be inspired to pledge for the first time or increase their donations. A video would also allow the committee to reach employees working outside the Edmonton area, who wouldn t normally be able to attend special events. The committee was aware that many of PCL s employees didn t participate in the campaign until their second or third year of employment so they decided that a new special event targeting recent hires (those hired between October 2006 and September 2007) might increase the likelihood of employees pledging financial support in their first year of employment. PCL s record year for new hires provided an opportunity to host an event for 100 new employees (17 percent of the workforce) that would engage them in this important aspect of PCL s company culture giving back to the community. PCL was also experiencing a record year for construction volume in the Edmonton area. One of the company s largest, high-profile local projects was the Anthony Henday Infrastructure project, which included several bridges that were scheduled to open around the same time as the United Way campaign. The com- 238

2 mittee thought that their campaign focal point, the construction of the Mega block bridge, would be meaningful to employees if it was a scaled-down replica of one of the current bridge projects. The committee could then use construction of the bridge to symbolize how the contributions of PCL employees could bridge the gaps in the community gaps between those with abundance and those in need, the healthy and the ill, or the young and the old. Building the bridge was also an opportunity to foster teamwork between PCL s office staff and field staff (18 percent of PCL s workforce) bridging the gaps between local PCL operations. INTENDED AUDIENCE / PCL is a 100 percent employee-owned construction leader in buildings, civil and heavy industrial markets, as well as one of the top employers in North America. Locally, PCL s diverse internal audience of nearly 740 employees consists of administrative support, accounting, and frontline business and field staff. Approximately 85 percent live in Edmonton, while the remaining 15 percent reside in local suburbs (Sherwood Park, Leduc and Spruce Grove). As local residents, all could benefit from United Way agencies in the region. Overall, 75 percent were male, ranging in age from their mid-20s to late 50s, and most would have been exposed to children s building blocks either as a child or a parent. Approximately 17 percent were new employees who may not have been familiar with a United Way employee campaign. The other 83 percent of employees had worked for the organization for an average of five years, and therefore, they were very aware of PCL s annual campaign and expected fundraising activities to occur in mid-september. Of the employees who had been with PCL for more than a year, approximately 90 percent were shareholders who benefited from the company s record profit year (employees who could likely afford to increase their donation amounts to a leadership level and bridge the gap between abundance and need). All of PCL s employees were very busy. The record profit year also meant that they were stretched to the max performing their core duties. Asking them to give up their valuable time to attend events and submit pledge cards required creative programming. The previous campaign s inability to achieve its campaign goals for participation (particularly new hires and Nisku-area personnel) and total funds raised suggested that PCL s busy workforce needed a strong hook to shift their attention from work toward supporting the 2007 campaign. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES / GOALS Create an exciting central theme by which employees could identify the campaign and feel compelled to get involved. Engage employees to participate, learn more about the benefits of the United Way and submit pledges. Inspire established givers to increase their giving to a leadership level (a leader is defined as pledging CAN$1,000 or more). 239

3 MEASURABLE OBJECTIVES Sixty-five percent employee participation which would also allow the committee to complete the gap in the bridge structure (the committee did not communicate that the bridge structure only required 65 percent of the Mega blocks returned because they wanted to emphasize that every block and donation counted). Twenty percent increase in leadership givers (a leader is defined as a donor of CAN$1,000 or more). A fundraising total of CAN$650,000 (including a 100 percent corporate match) based on previous years totals and the corporate match continuing at 1:1 (as an employee-owned company, the corporate match still represents shareholders money). SOLUTION OVERVIEW / A campaign chair was selected in early February, and an additional 21 committee members were selected from across PCL s Edmonton-area operations to make sure all operations had a voice in planning the campaign. The first two meetings in March and April were a review of previous years employee campaigns and an introduction to the United Way. An important task at the beginning of planning was choosing a theme that would breathe new life into the campaign. In March, a separate meeting was dedicated entirely to brainstorming the theme. The bridge idea was born when the chairman asked the communication specialist to draft a letter to attach to each pledge card. The communication specialist suggested attaching a Mega block to the pledge cards so the pledge packages would stand out in employees mail boxes. After further discussions with other committee members, the concept evolved to using the blocks to complete a bridge with a large gap in the deck. Employees could return the building blocks to fill in the gap. This allowed employees to be active participants in building the bridge and bridging the fundraising gaps in the community. At the next meeting, the committee members embraced the idea of a bridge and came up with the phrase Bridge the Gap to use as the campaign s call to action. The bridge became a focal point for the campaign. Committee members personally delivered a Mega block and pledge card to all employees, explaining how each block contributed to the bridge project and the campaign s fundraising goals. The Mega block served as a fun, visual reminder to employees to return their pledge card and help bridge the gap as long as their blocks sat on their desks, the bridge could not be completed. Some departments even built mini-bridges before forwarding their blocks to the committee. On a creative level, the building blocks and Mega block people were used to create graphics for posters and presentations. Building blocks were also used to create the committee s campaign logo, which appeared on letterhead, signage and printed materials; a banner; t-shirts; PowerPoint slide shows; and the campaign web site. The bridge was a featured conversation piece at PCL s special events. At the Edmonton Kickoff Luncheon, the committee displayed the incomplete bridge and the committee chairman emphasized the importance of employees returning their Mega blocks to bridge the gap. The bridge remained in PCL s grand assembly hall and lunch area as a visual representation of the campaign s progress (similar to a thermometer that 240

4 measures progress). As pieces were returned, they were added to the bridge, and progress photos were posted on the campaign web site. At the Leadership Breakfast, the committee added Mega block people to represent the goal of 120 leadership givers. Each time they received a leadership donation, another Mega block person was added to the bridge; eventually there were an amazing 167 leaders on the bridge. The Newcomer s Breakfast, PCL s new event targeting more than 100 new employees, featured the bridge and introduced PCL s new hires to the campaign. The committee used extra Mega blocks and Mega block people as centerpieces on each table, and encouraged new hires to make their block count. The Wrap Up and Silent Auction showcased the completed bridge, with 167 Mega block people representing all the leadership givers, and a big thank you banner to all employees for their part in bridging the gaps on the bridge deck and in the community. The final appearance of the bridge was at the United Way Capital Region Breakfast of Champions, attended by other local company campaign committees. At this community forum the committee showcased the completed bridge, explaining how it inspired PCL employees to return their pledge cards and helped PCL reach its campaign goals. The buzz around the bridge generated excitement and many inquiries from attendees about how their companies could implement something similar with their employees. The bridge also captured the attention of local media, who featured PCL s campaign on their morning, noon and six o clock news reports. The employee testimonial videos were also powerful communication tools in the campaign. Different testimonials were featured at each event to appeal to specific audiences. At project sites, video testimonials and stories from site personnel were shown. At PCL s Leadership Breakfast, current leadership givers shared personal stories about why they decided to increase their giving to a leadership level. At the Newcomer s Breakfast, one employee s testimonial explained that becoming a leadership giver was an easy decision when she did the math calculating that after tax benefits her cost was approximately one cup of coffee or CAN$2.75/day. Informal feedback from employees who attended PCL s special events confirmed that the videos had inspired them to increase their pledge amounts to a leadership level and the committee knows that 67 new leaders resulted. Special event highlights included: A motorcycle rally with nearly 30 bikes and 50 participants raising CAN$3, /50 draws across all operations raised CAN$3,600. Nearly 100 employees attended the Nisku kickoff. Approximately 200 employees attended the Edmonton kickoff. Approximately 60 employees attended the Newcomer s breakfast. The Fort McMurray kickoff, which approximately 60 employees attended, raised CAN$18,000. The Wrap-up and Silent Auction, which approximately 150 employees and guests attended, raised CAN$16,

5 A campaign intranet home page was used to communicate campaign progress to all PCL employees using progress photos of the Mega block bridge as a gauge. Most marketing and advertising for the campaign was conducted through posters and s, with an emphasis on communicating the committee s key messages at many information sessions and special events. IMPLEMENTATION AND CHALLENGES / The total 2007 budget was CAN$20,000. TWO NEW EVENTS WITH NO PRIOR ESTABLISHED BUDGET One of the committee s challenges this year was funding two new events: the Nisku Kickoff Luncheon and Newcomer s Breakfast. The campaign budget is established at the end of the previous fiscal year in October, before the committee is even struck. The budget is roughly based on typical campaign expenses, such as an Edmonton Kickoff Luncheon (CAN$5,000), a Leadership Breakfast CAN$1,000, several information sessions (CAN$1,000), a Fort McMurray kickoff (CAN$5,000), committee planning luncheons (CAN$2,000), miscellaneous activities and giveaways (CAN$1,000), and the Wrap-up and Silent Auction and Dinner (CAN$5,000). To cover the costs of the new events, the committee needed to shave some costs off their two annual campaign events. For the Edmonton Kickoff Luncheon, the caterer was so inspired by the theme that he donated half the cost of his high-end Angus beef burger buffet (CAN$1,600) in support of the campaign. Guests not only appreciated the great tasting burgers, but were moved by the caterer s generosity. The total cost for the event was CAN$2,231. The committee planned their silent auction and wrap-up as a ticketed event with full cost recovery (175 guests). Savings on these two perennial events freed up funding for the Newcomer s Breakfast (CAN$673) and the Nisku Kickoff Luncheon (CAN$1,580.79). Overall, the committee kept costs within their budget of CAN$20,000 through careful budget tracking, sponsorships and discounts. TWO NEW PROJECTS WITH NO PRIOR ESTABLISHED BUDGET There was also no budget for the bridge or video projects. To cut costs on the bridge, the committee contacted the Mega Blocks head office in Montreal and, after describing the nature of the project and the campaign, Mega Blocks agreed to donate all the blocks a savings of approximately CAN$1,000. The committee also needed a light-weight bridge platform for the Mega block bridge, so they contacted a local designer of plastic sculptures who donated a platform. Total cost for the bridge was CAN$443, a savings of approximately CAN$2,000. The testimonial videos also had no budget, therefore, the committee set up a makeshift studio space in one of PCL s classrooms and scheduled a day of interviews. Using a handheld camcorder and amateur video capturing software, the committee edited the clips so they could be used individually or played together. The result was a low-budget video that was extremely well received by employees and the simplicity of the video (its lack of professional luster) was applauded as adding to the sincerity of its heart-felt, personal messages. 242

6 INCREASED SCOPE OF WORK In addition to stretching the budget to cover new events and projects, the next biggest challenge was executing so many campaign events and projects in such a short time frame: bridge, video, four events held in PCL s Edmonton headquarters (Newcomer s Breakfast, Kickoff, Leadership Breakfast, Silent Auction and Wrap-up), two kick-off events outside Edmonton (Nisku and Fort McMurray), information sessions on several construction projects, and two family-oriented outdoor events (the motorcycle rally and family walk). Each event involved logistics planning and some or all of the following: facility booking, advertising/marketing, contracting with caterers and entertainers, program development, customized multimedia, and presenter support (including the coordination of keynote speakers, celebrity emcees and the mayor of Edmonton). Other major projects included in-house production of testimonial videos; delivery of over 700 pledge cards with Mega blocks; and designing the original bridge, tearing it down to distribute Mega blocks to employees, then rebuilding the bridge as blocks were returned. PCL s dedicated committee worked many weekend and evening hours to deliver all projects and events on schedule and on budget. To keep committee members inspired, planning meetings started with a guest speaker from a local member agency, describing how their services met specific needs. Holding committee meetings at various agencies also exposed the committee to the realities and needs that exist outside of PCL s safe, secure, prosperous and comfortable lifestyle inspiring the committee s commitment to the success of the campaign, which involved long hours of planning and executing the busy schedule of events, while keeping up with a full-time workload. The committee s strategy was to spread out the work evenly among committee members and encourage them to involve their friends, family and co-workers. Committee members were appointed as project managers for each special event and major project. Subcommittees were then formed to execute the critical paths and track budgets. Regularly scheduled committee meetings provided opportunities for the project managers to give updates and solicit input from the rest of the committee. The communication specialist supported the campaign chair and committee members, in addition to providing event management guidance. The communication specialist also produced or consulted on all marketing pieces, web pages, video taping and final production. A project web site for committee members helped manage all special event and project budgets, agendas, minutes, critical paths, and photos. The site was also used to track the committee s overall schedule, meetings and even vacations (planning began in March and carried on through the summer vacation months of June and July). MEASUREMENT/EVALUATION / PCL s Bridge the Gap United Way employee campaign met or surpassed all objectives for 2007 and far exceeded previous campaign results. Seventy percent of employees participated for an increase of 17 percent over the 2006 total of 57 percent (the goal was 65 percent). There was a 67 percent increase in leadership giving; there were 167 total leaders as compared to 100 leaders in 2006 (the goal was 20 percent). 243

7 The fundraising total was CAN$848,000 for an increase of CAN$248,000 over 2006 total donation of CAN$596,000 (the goal was CAN$650,000). The committee received many phone calls and visits to PCL s offices to tell them how the new events, bridge, and employee testimonials motivated them to participate and give. Here are a few excerpts from s the communication specialist has received: An employee with PCL for over four years: Diana showed us video clips of your testimonies on why you support the United Way. Listening to your different stories made me reflect on my past contributions to the United Way and what I should be contributing. I just wanted to drop you all a quick note to thank you for sharing your story and let you know you have reached at least one person in PCL world and I am sure there will be a lot of people reflecting on their contribution amounts. A new employee, with PCL for two months: The organization and information provided for the United Way campaign gave me a desire to want to participate and to contribute, when and where I can. Because of that, I assisted with Tools for Schools. The bridge building was a wonderful connection between work resources and community needs. 244