TAUW's Quarterly E-Newsletter                              Vol. 2, Issue 4 | December 2010

A Message from Dan Ellinor,

2010 Campaign Chair

Dan Ellinor at Unite! 2010

What an incredible year! We set the goal at just over $24 million, the second highest goal in TAUW history, and we exceeded that goal by raising $24,324,803 - more than $250,000 over goal! This great result will make it possible for our partner agencies to have an even bigger impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the Tulsa area.

This campaign would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the TAUW Campaign Cabinet, staff and Loaned Executives. Each and every one of you truly gave your heart to this campaign, and for this I am very grateful. I also want to especially thank the companies, organizations and individuals who gave so generously to this year's campaign. You truly exemplify the philanthropic spirit of this community. Thank you all for an outstanding campaign and a remarkable year.

Unite! 2010 Celebrates Campaign Success

Unite! 2010 was an exciting evening and a celebration of the success of the 2010 campaign. With a final number of more than $24.3 million, we surpassed the goal by over $250,000.

Dan Ellinor and Mark Graham with 30-foot banner at Unite! 2010

 
Hundreds of people gathered at the Crowne Plaza in downtown Tulsa for the party Nov. 11. Guests were greeted by the "larger than life" LIVE UNITED in the skywalk over Second Street as they arrived.

Mark Graham, TAUW President and CEO, took time to honor TAUW's 61 partner agencies and volunteers. Then the Campaign Team Leaders reported on the generosity of the Tulsa area. At the end of the program, everyone moved outside for the big reveal. The crowd cheered wildly as a banner was unfurled and suspended 35 feet in the air from the bucket of TFD Station #4's ladder fire truck. The banner announced the total raised during this year's campaign, $24,324,803.

Meet Jim Bender, 2011 Campaign Chair

Jim Bender, Senior Vice

Jim Bender at Unite! 2010

President and General Counsel at Williams, has been involved with United Way campaigns in different cities since he first started practicing law in 1983. His first experience with TAUW was in 2003 when his boss, Steve Malcolm, asked him to chair the Attorneys' Division.

 
New to Tulsa, Bender jumped at the chance to be involved in the overall campaign to gain better insights into TAUW.

 
"I have always been a financial supporter of United Way," said Bender. "I have great respect for the processes that United Way uses to allocate funds based on community needs and assessments of [partner] agencies," he said.

Bender acknowledges that TAUW's broad impact on the community is very important. "In the case of the Tulsa Area United Way, I am extremely comfortable with how my contributions are allocated and that is why I choose to continue to support TAUW like I do." 

Employee Campaign Coordinators Share Campaign Memories

Now that the extremely successful 2010 campaign season is over, it is fun to reflect on a few favorite memories.

Employee Campaign Coordinator Ryan Garrett from First Oklahoma Bank ran the company's first employee campaign this year. Bank employees and officers took tours of several partner agencies, which was the highlight of the campaign for them. Garrett remembers how seeing the faces of the people who benefitted from their donations made an impact and emphasized the importance of TAUW's mission.

 

Saint Francis Health System employees enjoyed working with clients from LIFE Senior Services for their Day of Caring project. SFHS also saw success with their United eWay Basket Auction, an online auction of donated gift baskets.

Claudia Butler, Employee Campaign Coordinator at Magellan Midstream Partners, and her committee learned an important lesson from their chili cookoff several years ago when too many plugged-in crockpots blew a breaker in one part of their offices. "We had to scramble to warm up the chili in [other] offices and break rooms - crockpots of chili were everywhere," said Butler. We don't know if the delicious smells all over the building helped increase attendance, but Butler reflects fondly on her five years as ECC. "I enjoy the camaraderie that comes naturally when everyone is working toward the same cause of helping others," she said.

Explorer Pipeline employees at 2010 Day of Caring at ONEOK Field.

Bruce Robateau has been a part of coordinating Explorer

Pipeline's United Way Employee Campaign for eight years. He remembers the success his committee saw when they included everyone from other companies in their building in their campaign. They planned a hot breakfast fundraiser and got the word out to everyone. People were lined up out the door to get a good breakfast and to support a great cause.

 

A big thank you goes to all the Employee Campaign Coordinators who helped us exceed our $24+ million goal for the 2010 Campaign.

 

If you have a campaign story to share please let us know! Email your story suggestions to [email protected].

• A Message from Dan Ellinor, 2010 Campaign Chair
   
• Unite! 2010 Celebrates Campaign Success
   
• Meet Jim Bender,
  2011 Campaign Chair
   
• Matching Challenge Grants Give Boost to 2010 Campaign
   
• Employee Campaign Coordinators Share Campaign Memories
    
• Save the Date for Annual Meeting
   
• A Look Back at the
  2010 Campaign
   
• Congrats are in
  Order...
   
• Thank you, Campaign Cabinet
   
• Thank you, Loaned Executives
   
• Employees' Campaign Hits Home Run
   
• Volunteers Needed
  for Community Investments Review
   
• Always Be the First to Know
    
• Be an Advocate


Sandra Lewis, Executive Director of Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless was recently named 2010 Communicator of the Year by the Tulsa Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators.

Congratulations, Sandra!