United Way’s Workplace Campaign Program strengthens employees and communities across Northwest Indiana

Driven by the goal to make Northwest Indiana stronger, United Way Northwest Indiana has always relied on the generosity of corporate and small business partners. United Way’s Workplace Campaign gives organizations the opportunity to make a larger impact through payroll deductions, in addition to volunteering and community engagement.

During August and September, Hadady LLC and Caterpillar Inc. ran a campaign that brought employees and the Northwest Indiana community together for a shared purpose. Led by Demand and Orders Manager Katherine Harvey, this month-long campaign gave employees the opportunity to donate, participate in activities, and volunteer in their communities.

“It’s about giving back to the local community and supporting the places where our employees work and their families live,” Harvey said. “It was really nice to see everyone come together and give back to their community.”

With this being the first year Hadady was eligible for a workplace campaign, Harvey and the team set a few goals before the campaign began. They aligned their participation goal to 70% and their donation goal to 50%. At the end of the month, they exceeded their participation goal, ending with 90%.

Hadady matched each dollar of donation from employees, helping make each contribution go even farther which resulted in a total of $10,000 during the campaign! 

Hadady had a calendar of different activities for the month. To kick off the campaign, they had an all-employee meeting to explain the events, contests, and raffles and later that week, they hosted an ice cream social for employees, as well as a volunteer opportunity at the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana. Employees also participated and enjoyed different volunteer opportunities throughout the month. This included cleaning up the Crown Point Cal Ripken Youth Baseball field, spending time at the food pantry, and giving back with Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana.

In addition, Hadady planned different internal events for employees, including a trivia day, a coloring contest, and a watermelon eating contest. As part of the events, participants had the chance to win prizes, gift cards, and swag bags. Hadady also hosted a cookout for all employees, where the leadership team grilled and served burgers, hot dogs, and chips. 

They closed out the final week of the campaign with a raffle, and employees who participated and made a donation during the month received raffle tickets and entered a drawing to win various prizes.

“We went and made cards to go with Meals on Wheels packages,” Harvey said. “Something so little, like decorating and making cards, can brighten certain people’s days and can mean so much to someone else.”

Looking ahead, Harvey hopes to maintain and improve participation, increase their donation percentage, and continue providing employees with volunteer opportunities not only during the month-long campaign, but throughout the year.

“We’re already in the works of getting a few more things scheduled for the future, so employees can see the direct impact of their volunteering, their time, and how it impacts their local community,” Harvey said.

To learn more about the United Way’s Workplace Campaign Program, visit unitedwaynwi.org/campaign-center.