Meet United Way Employee Campaign Manager of the Year Willliam J. Braun
Bill Braun of Invacare Corporation accepting his "Employee Campaign Manager of the Year" award with Jerry SkullyWhat Invacare did not anticipate at the beginning of the campaign this past year was the level of commitment, determination and enthusiasm their Employee Campaign Manager (ECM) would invest in their company’s United Way Campaign efforts and subsequent results.
As a business professional who makes a living by making quality systems a way of life, Bill Braun injected and infused highly effective quality systems and processes into the company’s campaign process. Through dynamic leadership Bill was able to solicit ideas for spicing up this company’s campaign strategies and getting the required buy in and support of the campaign team. Rather than being satisfied with minor "tweaking" he initiated a multifaceted approach to expanding the campaign activities and results. Bill held weekly meetings with their campaign team; he also included United Way’s Direct or Campaign in these meetings for her guidance and leadership.
In addition to recruiting a cross section of Invacare associates to tour United Way Partner Agencies and then testify during the company’s United Way employee campaign meetings, Bill led the charge into "gastro space." As a result of his leadership, Invacare Corporation held its first ever "Chili Cook-Off" fund-raiser. There were various categories for contestants to enter their favorite chili recipes in, including wild game among others. To accommodate the tastes and fears of those not bold enough to accept the chili challenge, a bake sale was conducted concurrent to the chili cook off.
The first ever Invacare Cook Book was also conceived, cooked up, printed and delivered as part of the campaign blitz, as was our first ever Book Sale. Colorful, Invacare / United Way Chili Cook Off commemorative shirts and sweatshirts were created and sold with all proceeds going to the campaign. The various special events generated over $8200.00 of cash proceeds along with an immeasurable amount of fun, excitement and awareness for the campaign.
While all of the accomplishments acknowledged thus far were impressive to say the least, what was found to be most compelling and laudable about Bill’s impact on the campaign was his willingness and desires to invest of himself personally in the success of the campaign and the mission of the United Way.
Early on, Bill expressed his desire to become personally involved with the United Way of Greater Lorain County by serving on their board of directors or some other essential committee. Bill was equally if not more diligent about getting out and personally visiting United Way partner agencies because he needed and wanted to be fully informed before addressing and soliciting the support of Invacare’s leadership team for the United Way Campaign. Bill’s ability to translate the human services he had seen delivered at Catholic Charities (one of United Way partner agencies) into a business plan assessment which highlighted his highly efficient resource utilization, impressed not only this person’s peers at Invacare, it enabled Jim Gepperth, the Director of the United Way agency to even better appreciate what great lengths Bill and his campaign team goes through and how they do it.
At the end of the campaign, Bill personally sent a thank you out to the campaign team thanking everyone that participated in whatever aspect of the campaign they participated in. In Bill’s closing comments, he added a line that said “I hope everyone gets a measure of satisfaction knowing their contributions and hard work are helping people right here in Lorain County.”
Bill has now come full circle and is currently serving on one of the three fund distribution panels that decide which programs will receive United Way funding.
Yet, there is one more positive outcome from Bill’s campaign leadership. Even though he never promised to reduce unemployment as part of his campaign strategy, Bill succeeded in REDUCING LOCAL unemployment when he facilitated the hiring by Invacare Corporation of Donald Davis, a LCCC Intern who had been assigned by the United Way to assist with the company United Way Campaign!
Under Bill's committed, determined, creative and enthusiastic leadership, Invacare's United Way Campaign has achieved a new high in "Investing in What Matters!"
Behind, on the side of and in front of every good leader is their team. Bill wouldn’t have been able to do all that was done without the help of his campaign team: Debbie Bonesteel, Beth Dalton, Jim Dowdell, Helen Franklin, Vicki Frisbie, Patty Gross, Sandy Habecker, Coleen Hales, Lara Mahoney, Tiffany McKinney, Doug Moberg, Kelly Owen, John Roberts, Rick Swartz, Audrey White, Donna Wilson and Justin Wolford.
THANKS TO INVACARE CORPORATION AND THEIR ASSOCIATES FOR THEIR SUPPORT OF THE 2007 CAMPAIGN
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Days of Caring - Pick a Project Meeting
June 11, 2008 8:30 a.m. at
Lorain National Bank
(downtown Lorain branch)
June 21, 2008 - National Day of Action
August 15, 2008 - 2008 Campaign Celebration Kick-off
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