What is the role and value of Community Health Charities of Arizona?

CHC-AZ serves as a single point of contact, enhancing campaign efficiency and effectiveness. We ensure that employees are offered charitable giving choices that meet the highest accountability standards. We focus on issues relating to health, nothing more. We offer resources to make the campaign more effective including experienced and trained staff, access to best practices, training for campaign volunteers and a link to volunteer opportunities. The efficiency we bring to our members ensures that donor dollars go for the mission, not for expenses related to trying to open up workplace giving campaigns.

What campaign services does Community Health Charities of Arizona provide?

CHC-AZ can provide companies with a full range of campaign management services: strategic campaign planning; campaign implementation; facilitating charities involvement in campaign events; and managing the fiscal administration and distribution of funds. In addition, we assist companies interested in unifying their campaigns nationally. All of these services are offered free of charge.

What if employees already give outside of the office?

 While personal giving is admirable, payroll deduction (PRD) is more effective. A payroll deduction gift is generally 4-6 times higher than a one-time cash contribution, and allows contributors to give conveniently, spreading their gift throughout the year. This is truly an employee benefit. It also enhances an employer's stature in the charitable community since PRD giving is the most effective and efficient way to raise needed charitable dollars.

Does it cost anything for an employer to conduct a Community Health Charities campaign?

 CHC-AZ can provide the necessary materials at little or no cost to the employer or work with the employer to design specific materials. Aside from the payroll department taking the time to make the necessary employee deductions, there should be no additional cost to what the employer may already be providing for the United Way drive (if applicable) and possibly less cost for the employer depending on their needs and desires. CHC-AZ handles the distribution of funds to its individual member agencies, allowing the employer to track all donations in just one line item.

Can an existing workplace campaign expand to include Community health Charities of Arizona? Why should we do this?

Yes, many companies are responding to their employee’s wishes for more charitable choice than the local welfare and social service agencies funded through the United Way. CHC-AZ is a natural addition, since typically United Way does not fund health research, health advocacy and education or patient services. An expanded campaign will increase donations and participation, raising additional money for all participating charities. Many of the companies we work with are long-time supporters of United Way, but they want to do more to support important health issues in their community. CHCG is the ideal way to add a health component to their employee giving efforts, while maintaining their relationship with United Way.

Is organizing an expanded/combined campaign easy?

Yes. CHC-AZ provides companies with the resources to smoothly transition to the combined campaign model. Expanded campaigns can be run either by simply listing CHC-AZ in existing campaign brochures and pledge forms, or distributing our materials separately. In terms of deductions, your payroll office would continue to make deductions as they normally do (if already conducting a drive). With careful planning and execution, using the tools CHC-AZ offers and working with us, implementing a combined campaign can bring about great results, including increased employee participation and fundraising.

How much extra work is involved if we include Community health Charities of Arizona In our campaign?

A CHC-AZ representative will meet with you and/or your payroll department to discuss how we can enhance your existing campaign without increasing your workload or costs. Our professional staff is here to help with every aspect of your campaign – from campaign materials to training the employees who will manage the process. It is our goal to make your CHC-AZ campaign as easy and hassle-free as possible.

If we decide to include Community health Charities of Arizona , will we have to set up a hole new campaign?

Absolutely not. Only one campaign would be run, most likely during your scheduled campaign season. CHC-AZ participates with many other federations in side-by-side campaigns, which typically leads to an increase in total donations (as mentioned above). Employees appreciate being given more choice!

What about the impact on other fund raising organizations?

A well-organized campaign that promotes employee involvement and giving will increase donations and participation, raising additional money for all participating charities. Moreover, companies are increasingly looking at other indicators to measure the success of their campaigns, including the extent to which the campaign is integrated with the company’s employee involvement program and whether the campaign is meeting the company’s strategic objectives. We’ve learned that when employees are given more control over how they donate their hard-earned money (and more ways to do so), they are more inclined to give. So adding a CHC-AZ campaign is likely to improve your existing employee giving efforts.

Can employees support Community Health Charities agencies through other campaigns?

Other campaigns offer donors the opportunity to write-in a charity of their choice, but there are inherent flaws to this approach. As an example, United Way donor choice programs typically lack the donor education component that is offered by an expanded campaign. Sometimes, donor designations are not honored, but instead the money is pooled as part of an allocation process. Furthermore, our charities prefer to work through CHC-AZ at the local, state and national level, especially for cost efficiencies.

How does Community health Charities of Arizona differ from other workplace giving programs?

Our program is unique because it not only gives employees the opportunity to support the specific health charities that matter most to them, but also assures that virtually all of their designated donations go directly to those charities. When your employees choose to support specific health charities, they have the comfort of knowing that their donation is going exactly where they want it to. This means so much more than just writing a check and not knowing if it will have the intended impact.