Corporate Partners, Pacesetters Boost United Way Effort

Douglas F. Sawyer, President & CEO
United Way of San Diego County

Partnership has always been a key to the United Way/CHAD Campaign and this summer, we developed some exciting new relationships that will take United Way to new levels.

We’ve joined forces with a handful of corporate partners that are eager to become more involved with United Way to help us raise more money. AT&T has offered us several promotions in which the company will make a donation to United Way when people buy qualifying AT&T products and services.

Cloud 9 Shuttle will donate advertising space on its vans to help promote the campaign, while the San Diego State University Athletic Department will donate Aztec Football tickets as a thank you to our Leadership Givers. Our longtime media partner, the Union-Tribune Publishing Co., will continue to donate newspaper ad space in the Union-Tribune and also offer us the bonus of free space on their SignOn San Diego Web site.

I’m also excited that we’ve revived our “Pacesetter” campaign with a dozen companies that have agreed this summer to run their campaigns early as a way of jumpstarting the campaign that officially kicks off in September.

Our Pacesetter partners are especially important this year because United Way has reached the point in our move to a “community impact” model where we’re now ready to begin funding services in our three focus areas: Stopping Child Abuse and Neglect, Promoting Financial Stability and Independence, and Homeless Outreach and Prevention.

What we need now is as much money as possible to distribute to these focus areas that have so much potential to create lasting change in our community. From past experience, we know that United Ways that run strong Pacesetter campaigns end up raising more money for the entire year.

I want to thank all of our corporate partners and our Pacesetter partners for stepping up to support United Way. I also want to invite other companies—large or small—to become involved with United Way or to expand their current relationship with us.

With the help of our growing number of partners, I believe the 2007-2008 United Way/CHAD Campaign has the potential to be one of the strongest for improving the lives of those in need throughout our community.