Brock's United Way campaign needs volunteers

Brock’s success in United Way fundraising has been built on volunteers. And the 2011 campaign will be no different.

The Brock community raised $112,710.46 during its six-week campaign in 2010. It needs more volunteers to help meet the goal of its upcoming campaign.

“The need for fundraising help is always great,” said campaign co-chair Lynne Prout.

“We have a number of committees and they are all in need people to help with events and planning, delivering departmental presentations, as well as a host of other things.”

The annual campaign executive committee sets the direction of Brock’s campaign and is usually co-chaired by at least one staff member and one faculty member. The responsibilities of the executive committee include:

• annual strategic plan for the campaign
• setting campaign targets
• setting schedule of events
• striking sub-committees
• execution of the campaign

The executive committee meets monthly throughout the year, and members are generally also part of at least one sub-committee. Members are also encouraged to participate in the campaign events where possible.

There are also six sub-committees. They meet monthly throughout the year, but more meetings may be required leading up to and during the campaign period. The sub-committees are made up of executive committee members and volunteers who wish to participate on one sub-committee, or in a specific capacity (i.e. canvasser, event volunteer, speaker).

The sub-committees include:

• Events Committee: This is one of the most active sub-committees. It plans and executes key events during the campaign. Annual events include the Souper Star Luncheon, a trivia night, the Halloween Decorating Contest and Food Drive, a wrap-up event, and other awareness initiatives.
• Canvassing Committee: This committee recruits, trains and recognizes canvassers for our campaign. It also co-ordinates the canvassing materials with the United Way.
• Incentive Prizes Committee: This committee solicits incentive prizes from donors on and off campus, and selects and presents incentive prizes during the campaign.
• Presentations Committee: This committee organizes the delivery of presentations about the United Way to groups and departments on campus throughout the year. This committee particularly needs people who are willing to deliver presentations about the United Way as part of our speakers bureau.
• Marketing and Communications Committee: This committee is responsible for marketing all aspects of our annual campaign, via newsletters, Brock News, portal, website, posters, etc.
• Building Friends/Leaders and Faculty Base Committee: This committee sets strategy around how to increase the number of folks who donate at the “Friend” ($500 or more) or “Leader” ($1,000 or more) category. It also aims to increase the number of faculty who participate and/or donate in the annual campaign.

For information, or to volunteer,  email lprout@brocku.ca