Organizing a campaign

A campaign in seven easy steps

Step 1: Inform yourself

Meet with last year’s Employee Campaign Director (ECD), if there was one. The former ECD at your organization is a great source of advice and practical tips! 

Contact your Loaned Representative or your Manager. They know the best practices and can support and advise you at every stage of your campaign.

Participate in a Centraide training session for ECDs. Discover the most effective practices for conducting a successful campaign and share ideas with other ECDs.

Step 2: Plan 

Study last year’s campaign. What were the results? Was it well organized? Is there room for improvement?

Establish your campaign objective. It should be realistic and achievable. It should include a financial goal and a participation goal (for the campaign as a whole and for payroll giving) based on the results of the last campaign. Adapted campaign strategies will enable you to reach new heights. 

Set your deadlines. The campaign should be short. Your deadlines should take into account your organization’s priorities and the time you will be able to devote to the campaign. 

Step 3: Bring people together 

Enlist the support of your CEO, who will set the example by:

• Signing a letter supporting the campaign.
• Authorizing payroll giving.
• Personally canvassing your organization’s senior executives for a Leadership donation ($1,000 or more) and encouraging them to participate in the Leadership Challenge Grant.
• Making a matching corporate donation (e.g. dollar for dollar).
• Actively participating in campaign activities.

Enlist the support of the union, if you have one. This influential group will be a real asset to your campaign.

Form an organizing committee. Recruit strategically from all departments and divisions of your organization, aiming for the best mix of experience and ability. 

Form a canvassing committee. The suggested ratio is one canvasser for every 20 employees. The canvassers should solicit the people in their own departments, as this will facilitate their approach.

Meet with the Leadership Campaign Director. If there is a Leadership Giving campaign in your workplace, work in cooperation with its director.

Step 4: Make your co-workers aware

Inform your co-workers.

Donors want to know who they are giving their money to and why.

• Invite an agency speaker. His or her testimony is concrete, moving  and inspiring.
• Screen the Centraide videos featured on our YouTube channel
• E-mail your co-workers the information capsules on the needs in Greater Montreal and Centraide’s responses.
• Raise awareness of the Centraide-supported agencies serving your workplace neighbourhood, using the Agency Directory. By entering a postal code, 
• donors will get a concrete idea of the impact of their gift in the local community.

Be visible. Use posters, banners and e-mails to promote your campaign. A free activity can add punch to your campaign.

Social media. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and share your campaign successes using social media.

Step 5: Organize the canvassing

Personalize the donor cards. Revenue Canada requires Centraide to print the donor’s home address on all income tax receipts. Enter the employee’s name and home address in the appropriate space.

Develop strategies for each group of potential donors. Young employees, retirees, managers, Leaders (donation of $1,000 or more), new employees… Adapt your canvassing style to suit
the donor!

Provide training to your canvassers. This will be their opportunity to discuss the issues, familiarize themselves with Centraide, and obtain their canvassing material. You can invite an agency speaker
and ask your Loaned Representative to help you lead this meeting.

Make sure every employee is canvassed personally. 

The canvassers should…

• Inform their co-workers about the support the campaign has received from top management and the union.
• Present the campaign goals and then ask their co-workers very clearly to make a donation.
• Encourage them to donate through payroll giving.
• Use the donor cards, pointing out the suggested donation amounts, the capsules explaining the impact of a donation to Centraide and the net cost of a donation.
• Agree on a date to pick up their completed donor cards.
• Thank them for their time. 

Monitor your results regularly. Take follow-up action, if necessary.

Step 6: Say thank you

Thank donors warmly. Your campaign isn’t over until you’ve thanked everyone who contributed.

Recognize the work of those who helped you. They deserve a word or gesture of gratitude for their efforts!

Step 7: Close the books

Send your results to Centraide. At this stage, enlist the help of your Loaned Representative. Fill out the Employee Campaign Director Report and the contribution return envelopes.

Make sure your campaign has a long-lasting impact. Prepare a statement of campaign results to be given to the next Campaign Director.

Enter for a Solidaires award to companies and organizations. These awards are presented annually by Centraide to recognize outstanding campaigns. Consult this link at the end of your workplace campaign to learn more about the Solidaires and how to submit your candidacy.

Centraide has produced various complementary guidebooks and manuals:

•  Leadership Campaign Director’s (LCD) Guide
• Organizing a Special Event
• Technical Information, which answers questions about how donations are processed and income tax receipts are issued
• Canvasser’s Guide, which describes the best canvassing practices 

You can consult them or download them from our intranet site.

Thank you for your collaboration and have a good campaign!