IBEW Local 965 Madison, WI) Honored for Innovative Fundraising

United Way honors five area companies

by James Edward Mills, Wisconsin State Journal, 3/01/05

The United Way of Dane County applauded five new categories of giving Monday night at its annual Key Club Reception. Alliant Energy received special recognition for working with its labor union to increase employee contributions.

Key Club members - donors whose annual household contributions exceed $500 - lead the way toward achieving the campaign's goals, said Erika Monroe-Kane, United Way marketing director. She said the awards recognized those companies that did an outstanding job of motivating their employees to give at the highest level.

Other donor awards and their recipients are:

• Largest Key Club dollar increase: Springs Window Fashions

• Largest number of new Key Club donors: WPS Health Insurance

• Largest average gift from a company with over 4 employees: AAA Wisconsin

• Largest percent increase in Key Club dollars: Bergstrom Cadillac Oldsmobile Hummer
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United Way supporters gathered at Monona Terrace to celebrate and acknowledge exceptional achievements in charitable giving.

An award for innovation went to Alliant Energy for working with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Works Local 965 to more effectively communicate with employees to support United Way.

"We wanted to highlight the fact that they made a difference at Alliant. They went to their hourly workers and said, 'You can be a part of this,'" Monroe-Kane said.

IBEW spokesman Rick Irwin said this is the first year that management has involved labor in the campaign.

"We were very wholeheartedly for it. And we want to continue with it and build with it," Irwin said. With 1,500 union members across the state, Irwin said it's very difficult to get the word out to members. "This year Alliant has exceeded what they've done in the past."

Rod Ripley, an Alliant Energy spokesman and United Way campaign coordinator, said his company wanted to create a program its employees could be proud of.

"In our first year of running this program, we had 138 employees give a total of $74,000. It really was a big success," Ripley said.

Contact reporter James Edward Millsat jmills@madison.com or 252-6158.