Open Your Heart COVID-19 Resources | Get Help

Workplace Giving

Planned Giving

Workplace Giving Campaigns

Workplace giving campaigns are an easy way for companies and employees to make a difference in our community. By using convenient payroll deduction, employees can make a donation by giving with each paycheck (instead of having to write one large check at one time). That means every time you get a paycheck, you are making a difference in the lives of people in need. It’s a great way to feel even better about the work you do!

For more information on donating through your workplace please read this article posted by Charities Navigator.

Why add Open Your Heart to your Workplace Giving Campaign?

Employees appreciate having the choice to donate directly to Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless to help people in need. For more information about starting a workplace campaign or if you already have a workplace giving campaign and you would like to add Open Your Heart as an option for your employees, please email us. For more ideas and information visit Workplace Giving Campaign Resource Page.

Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless participates in the annual workplace giving programs of numerous Minnesota employers. Adding us to your workplace giving program is easy.

Are You a Federal Employee?

If so, you can give cash, check, or make payroll deduction through the Combined Federal Campaign, see www.northernlightscfc.org for information. Our CFC code is 35037.

Workplace Giving Campaigns

Charitable giving in the workplace provides the majority of Open Your Heart’s funding. Open Your Heart thanks the following workplaces and their employees for their partnership and generous support which allows us to fund the food and shelter providers serving our community.

City of Apple Valley
City of St. Paul
Culligan Water Conditioning of Minnetonka
Dakota County
Fredrikson & Byron P.A.
Gray Plant Mooty
Hennepin County
League of Minnesota Cities
McGrann Shea Carnival Straughn & Lamb, Chtd.
Metropolitan Council
Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd.
Minneapolis Public Schools
Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
Minnesota Nurses Association
Minnetonka Public Schools
Northern Lights Combined Federal Campaign
Ramsey County
State of Minnesota
St. Paul Public Schools
Stillwater Area Public Schools
Tapemark Company
Terrapin Technologies
University of Minnesota – Duluth
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
Washington County

In addition, we are supported by employees who designate their gifts through the workplace giving campaigns of the following companies:

Bank of America
Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN
Capella
Federated Mutual Insurance
Interfaith Action of Greater Saint Paul
Hennepin County Medical Center
Honeywell
JCPenney
Macy’s
Medtronic
People Incorporated
Target
US Bank
The Toro Company
Wells Fargo

Campaign Resources

Are you a workplace giving campaign coordinator? At Open Your Heart to the Hungry and Homeless, we want to help you make your workplace giving campaign a success. Our job is to make the campaign as easy as possible. That is why we offer campaign resource materials to help you organize, plan and run your campaign.

Please use our materials to create interest, inspire giving, and generate enthusiasm in your workplace. Open Your Heart wants to help make your campaign a success every step of the way. Visit the Campaign Essentials, Promotional Materials and Wrap up Materials pages for more information on making the most of your campaign.

OYH Sample Pledge Form

Campaign Checklist

Step 1: Set Dates of Campaign and Choose a Theme
Here are some examples:

  • Because We Care
  • Give Hope
  • Give Promise
  • Give Possibilities
  • Community Giving Makes an Impact
  • You Can Make a Difference
  • Better Days, Better Future
  • Giving Together to Support Our Communities
Step 2: Obtain Campaign Materials
Determine the amount of materials that will best meet the needs of your workplace giving campaign. Annual reports, posters and brochures are available. Please let us know how many of each will be needed for your employees.
Step 3: Determine Pledge Card Design and Production
Plan the contents of employee pledge packet and how it will be assembled. Each employee should get a brochure with the list of affiliated agencies.

We can custom-design and produce a pledge card (with your company’s logo and campaign theme) that will fit all the needs of your workplace giving campaign.

Step 4: Confirm Payroll Deductions/Giving Options
Determine the ways that employees can give through the workplace giving campaign (i.e. payroll deduction, cash, credit card).

Work with your payroll department to confirm payroll deduction is an option and the time frame during which deductions will be taken. Typically this is the calendar year, January through December.

Step 5: Create Promotion Plan
Events raise awareness about the workplace giving campaign and increase participation. A speaker can enhance your campaign event by sharing their personal story or providing an educational presentation.

Consider using some of Open Your Heart’s volunteers to assist throughout your workplace giving campaign. They can assist with many tasks from collation of materials to staffing events and everything in between.

Step 6: Track Campaign Results and Report to Open Your Heart
Open Your Heart will help you with this process, so please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.

Event Ideas

As coordinator, there are many ways that you can raise interest and get employees excited for the campaign season.

  • Beach Party
  • Costume Party
  • Olympics
  • Just Hope
  • Under the Sea

By making the campaign season fun and engaging, you encourage employees to increase their participation and their contributions.

  • Send a co-worker a flower gram or candy gram. Pay a dollar to have a daisy or candy bar sent to co-workers to show your appreciation for everything that they do.
  • Wage “Penny Wars.” Each group would have a large jar in a common area of their department. Every penny counts as one point, but silver coins/change will count against you, i.e. minus five for a nickel, minus 25 for a quarter, etc. Teams win by putting the most number of pennies in their own jar while slowing down their competitors by putting nickels, dimes and quarters in someone else’s jar. Winners enter a drawing or receive a prize (as well as bragging rights).
  • Host inter-office athletic competitions. Employees can form teams by department or just create their own. It could be as elaborate as softball or ultimate Frisbee or as simple as beanbag toss tournaments. Staff pays to participate with winning teams receiving prizes or trophies.
  • Conduct a silent auction by putting together a variety of prizes that employees have donated. Employees often will try to out bid each other! All proceeds go to charity.
  • Hold a food drive with the proceeds going to an Open Your Heart grant recipient.
  • Host a pancake breakfast or BBQ having management make the pancake breakfast or be the chef for the BBQ cookout and charge per plate.
  • Hold a chili cook-off. Each contestant brings a pot of chili, charge per contestant. The winner could win a “silver ladle” or other inexpensive prize.
  • Conduct a book or craft sale. Many employees welcome the option to donate books they have already read and like the opportunity to buy new ones with the proceeds going to charity.

Wrapping Up Your Campaign

Steps for Processing Pledges

Step 1: Proof all pledge forms
Review forms for correct, legible and complete information including the number of pay periods. Verify name and signature for payroll deduction.

Refer all incomplete and questionable forms to the Campaign Chair.

Step 2: Sort the pledge forms
One-time contributions (checks and cash)

Remainder of payroll deduction pledges

Step 3: Make copies of the following
One-time contributions – one copy for each contribution by check. Staple each check to a separate pledge form.

Pledge forms – one copy for each federation receiving payroll deductions.

Step 4: Count the one-time contributions
Tally the one-time contributions for the total dollar amount.

One-time contribution totals go to the Campaign Chair for the official campaign report.

Any questionable one time contributions should be determined by the Campaign Chair at the workplace site.

Step 5: Notify Open Your Heart representative when copies of pledge forms and checks are ready for pick up
For security reasons the Open Your Heart representative will pick up all forms, unless other arrangements are made.
Step 6: Send all original pledge forms to payroll
Forms may need to go to the site’s Campaign Chair after the above photocopying and tallying is done, or they may go directly to payroll so that a report can be done.
Step 7: Create a report of campaign totals
The Campaign Chair creates the official report on the campaign totals and provides it to Open Your Heart. This needs to be done by the Campaign Chair, not the Open Your Heart representative, since it is the official record of the campaign results.

The Campaign Report should be done in a timely manner since Open Your Heart plans their budgets based on campaign total reports like these. If possible reports should be made available by the end of the calendar year.

If you are interested in adding Open Your Heart to your current campaign, please call 612-338-5577 or email us for more information.