The Campaign Manager Handbook is a resource for you to use as you plan, carry out, and wrap up your organization’s campaign. It is divided into sections that represent the five phases of the campaign “project” with a final section that includes samples, forms, and further resources.

1. Planning Your Campaign

2. Kicking off the Campaign

3. Managing the Momentum

4. Reporting Your Success

5. Wrapping Up

You'll also find assistance from:

1. Planning Your Campaign

Before you get started, Earth Share of Oregon wants you to know how much we appreciate the time and effort you will be applying to this important campaign. And we will be here to help you each step of the way.

Besides the handbook, you can call Meghan Humphreys at the Earth Share of Oregon office at (503) 223-9015 / Meghan@earthshare-oregon.org with your questions at any time.

Use the Campaign Manager Handbook however you choose. The correct way to run a campaign is the way that works best for you. So, let’s get this campaign rolling!

Start by laying the groundwork for a successful campaign. This stage in your campaign will begin at least 3-4 weeks, maybe more, before the kickoff event.  Larger companies may need more time than small offices.

Create your plan, including budget and schedule

After you have read this handbook and other materials on this website, call your Earth Share representative to set up a planning meeting. We can advise you on budgets, a schedule and what campaign activities may work best with your workplace’s culture.

Your budget may include expenses for activities or gifts, and your schedule will include the entire campaign, with the most critical date being the kickoff event. Consider piggybacking on established events already occurring in your company and think about  how you could use them to promote the campaign. For example, some workplaces have giving fairs, benefits fairs, employee meetings or events where the campaign is featured. Perhaps a late afternoon reception (with food, of course) would bring your co-workers in droves!

If you want to see what other Oregon workplaces are doing, check out our "Best Practices" case studies.  You might find some great ideas.

Form a committee – Set a theme

Get immediate support by forming a campaign committee. Involving others makes it easier and more enjoyable for you while investing others in the success of the campaign. Select committee members who are respected by coworkers and enjoy coordinating fun activities.  Let the committee choose a theme for the campaign, something that incorporates giving and captures your workplace’s culture. Use the theme on all materials and in emails.

Gain support from your organization’s decision makers

Once you have a plan and budget, talk with your CEO or company President.  Discuss and get approval for the campaign, budget, and especially the kickoff event. Ask him or her to write a letter or e-mail in support of the campaign that will be distributed to employees, and to speak to employees at the kickoff event or at nonprofit presentations.  See sample emails and letters.

Get ideas

Talk with your Earth Share representative about your campaign goals and the materials you would like to use. Earth Share has basic brochures, along with informative extras like “What Can I Do To Reduce Global Warming?” handouts.

Decide on a pledge form

You can use the Earth Share of Oregon Pledge Form or a Combined Pledge Form that includes all participating funds and federations on one form. We can customize the pledge form for your workplace.

If you have more than just Earth Share in your campaign, the Combined Pledge Form is easier for employees to fill out and simpler for payroll staff to process.

Decide whether or not to use an electronic campaign

An electronic campaign (making all pledges online) may or may not be suitable for your organization.  Take the readiness quiz below to see if online pledging is right for your company. 

Distribute pledge forms and brochures

Whenever possible, you, your helpers or your CEO should hand pledge forms and brochures to each employee personally. This helps them understand that this is an important campaign and something you believe in. Let them know campaign dates and when the pledge forms will need to be turned in. 

If your organization is too large to distribute materials personally, ask your committee or get a volunteer from each department to help you.

Ways to get more people giving

Provide employees several options for giving.  Employees can make a donation of any size — when combined with the gifts of their co-workers, that small donation has a big impact!

Some employees may choose to contribute more than $500 per year. If so, they qualify as an Earth Share Leadership Donor.  Earth Share honors leadership giving by including donors’ names in the Annual Report and inviting them to a September luncheon.

If your company offers a corporate match for employee donations, highlight this in your campaign materials. Any match can dramatically increase the impact of an employee’s contribution, and it encourages MORE people to donate. Just offering a match will increase giving by at least 20 percent, according to one recent study.

Electronic Campaigns Readiness Quiz

Perhaps you’ve wondered if you could ditch all those paper pledge forms and brochures, but still carry out a successful workplace giving campaign?  Some workplaces are doing just that, with some careful consideration and planning.

If you would like to switch to an electronic employee giving campaign, consider these questions before taking the next step:

If the answer to all of these questions is yes, an electronic campaign might work in your office with some extra preparation.

Some other questions to consider before you decide on an electronic campaign might be:

Contact your Earth Share representative; we can help you decide if an electronic campaign is appropriate for your workplace and give you tools and resources that will help your campaign succeed.

We can also provide you information on a variety of vendors that offer electronic pledge processing software.  As with any service, it's a good idea to shop around to find the vendor who will offer what's best for you and compatible with your exisitng systems.

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2. Kicking off the Campaign

The kickoff is the single most important event in the campaign. Begin planning at least two to three weeks before the kickoff day. Follow these easy steps for the perfect kickoff:

Choose a location

Find a spot for the kickoff event, and include space for an information table. Earth Share and other charities can staff tables at your office where they can tell your coworkers about their organizations. Find a heavily trafficked spot like lunch/break rooms, auditoriums, or by the front door.

Spread the word

Advertise, advertise, advertise. Start a couple of weeks before the kickoff with small steps, such as e-mails or flyers. Also, talk to your coworkers about the campaign; let them know it’s coming soon. When the kickoff gets closer, start sending frequent e-mails, post flyers throughout the building, and put articles on your company’s intranet or internal newsletter.

Encourage Turn-out

Choose a time of day when most employees would be able to attend, then offer something that will make your co-workers want to come to your event.  A light lunch; bagels or pastries; sweet treats and prizes all bring people together. Possibilities for a fun event are endless.

Brainstorm with coworkers and committee members to find the perfect approach for your company’s campaign. Or, ask your Earth Share representative for successful and fun ideas. You can incorporate the theme into the prizes and advertising for a campaign that will be long remembered in your organization.

Gather prizes

Give away prizes to employees who attend the kickoff event. Earth Share has prize items available, or your company may also have  items like coffee mugs, hats, and other promotional items to give away.

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3. Managing the Momentum

The most successful campaigns are those in which events and fun attention-getters happen throughout the campaign, not just on the first day. Use the following ideas to increase your success during the campaign pledge time, and put the “fun” in “fundraising.”

Give incentives

Offer “casual day” certificates to people who turn in their pledge forms throughout the campaign, or offer to let them buy more certificates for an additional donation to Earth Share.

Play games

E-mail eco-trivia questions to your coworkers. Those who e-mail back the correct answer that day could win a prize. Publicize the winners and add a note about the Earth Share campaign. Earth Share has lots of eco-trivia questions, so you don’t have to write or research your own. 

Encourage giving competitions

Play to your co-workers’ sense of competition. Invite departments to challenge each other in total campaign giving, and then award a trophy or special honor to the winners.

Educate co-workers about giving

People are encouraged to give when they know the difference their donation can make.  Earth Share and the other funds and federations can provide you with examples of the work our charities do and their accomplishments.  In a newsletter or email, you may also want to give co-workers an example of what gifts of anywhere from $5 to $100 per month buys. 

Host a pizza lunch in which an Earth Share member group shares information about an environmental topic that might interest your coworkers. Earth Share member groups can speak to employees about everything from recycling ideas to recreational hiking and reducing pesticide use to understanding forest policies. Call your Earth Share representative to request a “Lunch & Learn.”

Leverage management

Get the CEO or top executives involved in the campaign in a visible way. Ask if some or all of them want to volunteer to give a gift to an employee who wins a prize drawing. The gift can be something that costs the executive very little, like taking an afternoon to be the employee’s “assistant,” taking the employee out for lunch, or whatever your company’s leaders are interested in doing. Showing top management support for the campaign boosts success.

Reward & celebrate

Handing out goodies to employees who participate in the campaign is an effective way to encourage more participation and keep the energy level high during the campaign. Think of instances in which you could reward your coworkers, and make it happen. Celebrate the act of giving.  Award gifts to campaign helpers or to employees who come to campaign events.

Some ideas for gifts are:

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4. Report Your Success

At the official end of the giving portion of the campaign, tally the pledge cards and report the information to Earth Share and other charities in your campaign. We recommend that you use a campaign report to complete your campaign.
 
A campaign report helps you by:

• Documenting the success of your campaign
• Helping you set goals for future campaigns
• Informing employees about how much was pledged
• Helping you check that calculated totals match the pledge forms received, both for you and for the participating funds and federations

If you have a combined campaign (involving other funds or federations), calculate the total pledges for each fund and federation and the overall total. Be sure to include your company’s matching dollars, if any.

You do not need to track designated contributions to specific agencies within Earth Share of Oregon or within other funds and federations. You may want to track donations for your company’s departments or sites. Give a copy of your report, with pledge cards, to participating funds and federations.

View a sample summary report (PDF).

Expect some late arriving pledge forms.  Just ask your Earth Share representative to come pick them up and don’t forget to add the extra donations to your total.

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5. Wrapping Up

The wrapping-up phase ties up all the loose ends, spreads goodwill, and ensures that you will have cooperation for the next campaign.

Thank participants

Let employees know about the effect of their generosity and thank them in multiple ways: e-mails, web postings, newsletters.

Thank your helpers

Personally thank all the people who helped you with the campaign. You can send them a hand-written note, send a special e-mail tailored to the employee’s contributions, give them a certificate, take them to lunch or breakfast, or give them a small item donated by the funds or federations.

Evaluate the campaign

Hold an evaluation meeting with your committee and the funds and federations involved to see if there are any improvements that could be implemented for next year. Also consider suggestions from coworkers and share them with the representative from the funds and federations.

Share the good news

Employees always want to know how much money was raised through the campaign. Consider sending an email to all employees with the total amount raised and other campaign news.  This is a great time to offer volunteer opportunities for those who want to take that next step in helping the community.  If you and your company think it’s newsworthy, you can also send out a press release about the campaign and your results.

Give yourself credit

Above all, pat yourself on the back! You have managed an important campaign that will make a difference in your community and in the lives of your coworkers. You have made it possible for them to improve the health and environment of Oregon for themselves and future generations. 

Good work!!!!!!

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