UWBEC Celebrates Another Successful Campaign

Buffalo, N.Y., May XX, 2019 – Officials at the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County (UWBEC) announced a grand total of $17,496,690 in revenue for the 2018 fundraising campaign. The total comes from a combination of workplace campaigns, corporate and foundation support, endowment gifts and new grant acquisitions.

Workplace giving brought in over $13.7M reflecting a substantial increase from last year and a primary factor contributing to this growth was the second year of the Corporate Loaned Executive program.  This program is designed to provide teams of emerging leaders from top Buffalo & Erie County companies with professional development, team building, and year-round engagement opportunities, while also increasing their insight into work of the United Way and our community’s most critical needs.  This year the program engaged over 11,500 donors across 25 companies and raised over $5.7 million; which represents 42% of workplace giving.

The Corporate Loaned Executive program saw numerous successes in its second year of operation:

• An 11% increase in donors (13,783 in 2017 to 15,318 in 2018);
• A 13% increase in employee giving ($3.5 million in 2017 to $3.9 million in 2018);
• Participating companies completed 83 Business Meets Community volunteer projects at local nonprofits; and
• Seventeen(17) Corporate Loaned Executive companies participated in Day of Caring.

This year UWBEC also welcomed Geico to the Million Dollar Campaign Circle. Geico joins M&T Bank and Wegmans as the three(3) largest campaigns from 2018 each totaling over one million dollars raised.

“GEICO and our nearly 3,300 Western New York associates take great pride in our longtime partnership with the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County,” said Regional Vice President Jeremy Connor. “We are pleased that our support—both financial and volunteer hours—is benefitting our community and supporting our neighbors.”

“Whenever we have employees participate in the Loaned Executive program, they always find it an enriching development opportunity. We’re proud that they can share and learn some best practices with other companies, to create successful workplace campaigns throughout the WNY community,’ said Mike Keating, Senior Vice President, Wegmans, Buffalo. “Our employees continue to inspire us with their generosity and commitment to helping others. The results show that they appreciate the meaningful work of the United Way and its impact on our community.

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“It is a testament to our community’s commitment to helping their neighbors that we saw such generosity again this year driving significant total revenues for 2018. ” said Michael Weiner, President and CEO of United Way of Buffalo & Erie County. “As we prepare for the next 100 years, we look forward to continuing the outstanding partnerships we have established with members of Buffalo & Erie County and making our home the best place to live for everyone.”

UWBEC also received over $3.6 million in grant funding to support their community impact work focused on Education, Financial Stability and Health & Wellness. Included are two new programs Work/Life Solutions and THRIVE Buffalo.  Work/Life Solutions, made possible by Evans Bank, is dedicated to improving workplace productivity, retention, attendance, financial stability and overall well-being for employees through an innovative set of on-site solutions including an on-site resource coordinator, financial education classes and a small loan and savings program.

THRIVE Buffalo, a result of phase two funding from the Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative, is a new comprehensive workforce development project designed to create a Talent Pipeline Management continuum that assists with career and job placement opportunities, maximizes employment success, and encourages long-term financial stability for City of Buffalo residents experiencing financial hardship.

While continuing to build workplace giving through initiatives like the Corporate Loaned Executive program, UWBEC will continue to diversify its revenue streams by expanding digital services opportunities through the convenience of online giving, continue to focus on grant acquisition work, expand its Endowment & Planned Giving activities and maintain enriching experiences through volunteer service initiatives and giving communities like Women United and Next Generation United.

The 2018 workplace campaign was led by volunteer co-chairs Deborah Hayes and Keith Stolzenburg.