Volunteers contribute to our success

The arrival of a new year brings with it hope and opportunity; it also marks a threshold that invites us to reflect upon our successes during the past year.

A key factor in the success of Berkshire United Way’s efforts to make Berkshire County a dynamic, engaged community with opportunities for all is the dedication and commitment of our hardworking volunteers. This is especially true during our workplace campaign—which takes place each fall in more than 150 Berkshire County businesses—where volunteers serve as ambassadors for Berkshire United Way.

These volunteers, commonly referred to as Employee Campaign Coordinators (ECCs), wear many hats in support of our fundraising efforts. In addition to overseeing their company’s annual Berkshire United Way fundraising campaign, ECCs plan special events throughout the year, which raise money to support our investments in the community. Examples of past events include paint and sip nights, gift basket giveaways, casual days and a baby photo contest where employees tried to identify their colleagues by the baby photo submitted by each employee.

They also help coordinate teams of volunteers that support the work we do throughout our community. Some ECC’s organize teams that care for one of the 52 Book Houses that give kids free access to books throughout the county or run book drives at their workplace to ensure each House is adequately filled with books for the children of our community to enjoy.

Last year workplace employees gave more than $1.2 million dollars to help build a stronger community here in the Berkshires. As we pause to reflect, we’d like to thank our many workplace campaign volunteers for helping us achieve that success – we couldn’t have done it without you!

Sandy Girard and Jennifer Vasolino of Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, recipients of the 2018 Target Employee Campaign Coordinator of the Year Award with Kristine Hazzard, President and CEO of Berkshire United Way. 

To learn more about becoming an ECC, and other volunteer opportunities with Berkshire United Way, please contact me at djudge@berkshireunitedway.org.

Happy New Year!

Duffy
Development Manager

Through the lens of an Employee Campaign Coordinator

Crane Currency has a long history of giving back to the community in many ways, including supporting the volunteer efforts of our employees through our Crane in the Community Program. The Berkshire United Way Workplace campaign has been a great way to expand Crane’s reach into the community.

In my role as an Employee Campaign Coordinator (ECC) at Crane Currency, I lead a team of individuals dedicated to managing our annual campaign by planning fun events and helping employees pledge their annual donations to Berkshire United Way.

Volunteering as an ECC has given me the opportunity to learn how Berkshire United Way supports programs right here in Berkshire County that help youth, teenagers, and families. In my role as Crane’s ECC, I can share this information with my coworkers to help them understand just how impactful their donations are when they pledge through our workplace campaign. It is exciting to work with new donors, walking them through the process of pledging and showing them the range of programs and initiatives their pledges benefit, ultimately impacting more than 15,000 people right here in Berkshire County.

Crane Currency employees gather for a photo at the Live United Community Celebration on April 28, 2017.  Employee Campaign Coordinators, Sandy Streeter and Hannah DeLisle Stall were nominated for the JCPenney Employee Campaign Coordinator Award, presented at the event.

In addition to furthering Berkshire United Way’s efforts, the campaign also provides a great way for employees to learn about services and programs that are in action here in our community. With this information, many of our donors go on to refer friends or loved ones to Berkshire United Way-supported programs, or are sparked to volunteer their own time at events and with initiatives they learned about through our United Way campaign.

Working with ePledge, the electronic pledging system, makes pledging easy, and allows me to track progress toward our goal of increasing campaign participation each year. As part of Crane Currency’s campaign, we have raffles and prizes for donors each year, which our employees always look forward to. The Berkshire United Way Campaign is a fun time of the year here at Crane, and I am so proud to work for an organization that is so supportive of our community and Berkshire United Way.

Hannah DeLisle Stall
Employee Campaign Coordinator
Crane Currency

Building a stronger community together

The holiday season is a time for giving and appreciating what you have in your life, and as I wrap up my first workplace campaign season as Development Manager for Berkshire United Way, I can’t remember a time in my life when I’ve ever been more thankful.  To have the opportunity to visit so many different businesses, and witness first-hand the incredible support Berkshire United Way receives from thousands of Berkshire County residents who are building a stronger community by making a pledge through their campaign, is truly one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.

Amy Chin and Duffy Judge of Berkshire United Way pose with representatives of Flying Cloud Institute, Railroad Street Youth Project and Boyd Technologies for their campaign kickoff.

Berkshire United Way’s mission of igniting the collective power of individuals and organizations to build a stronger community together cannot be accomplished without the support of the people who live here. 

Your gift provides people with the tools and resources they need, so their children enter school ready to learn; our teens graduate high school and begin college or their career; and working families get help finding and keeping jobs that pay a livable wage.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to each person who has supported our campaign—either through their workplace or by making a direct gift to Berkshire United Way. You truly are the core of our organization.  Your generous support enables us to invest more than $2 million dollars in our community, impacting more than 16,000 lives in 32 local communities, as we work towards making Berkshire County a dynamic, engaged community with opportunities for all.

If you would like to be part of building a stronger community here in the Berkshires, I invite you to consider making a year-end gift to Berkshire United Way.  Your opportunity to do so is just a click away.

Happy New Year –

Duffy

Development Manager