The City of Asheville and Eaton Corporation have been named Spirit of North Carolina Award winners for their commitment to supporting United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. The awards were given at the United Way of North Carolina annual meeting in Pinehurst.
The Spirit of North Carolina Awards for Campaign Excellence is sponsored annually by United Way of North Carolina. The awards program provides statewide recognition for outstanding
commitment and support to communities through local United Way involvement. The competitive awards are presented to honor companies and employees who demonstrate excellence in their United Way campaigns.
Award winners are judged on 10 Standards of Excellence, which include :
• leadership giving program,
• volunteer culture,
• employee participation,
• employee giving,
• raising awareness of community assets and needs,
• corporate and/or foundation support and non-traditional, in-kind gifts,
• CEO and senior leadership involvement,
• employee campaign coordinator or committee,
• donor incentives and recognition, and
• partnering with United Way to help improve the community, just to name a few.
The City of Asheville shares a natural partnership with United Way of Asheville and Buncombe
County, with both organizations working alongside many partners to make the community
stronger. In addition to financial giving, volunteerism is also important to the City of Asheville. Employees participate in Day of Caring, a community-wide day of volunteerism organized by Hands On Asheville-Buncombe, United Way’s volunteer center. In addition, 10 city employees serve as volunteers on the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County board and committees.
“Asheville Fire Chief Scott Burnette inspired us to great things and to great success,” said Richard Caro, resource development manager with United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. “Not only did he lead the Asheville Fire Department, he led the City of Asheville’s overall campaign and,in fact, was over the entire Public Services Division of the United Way campaign. All together, the City of Asheville raised more than $66,000 to support United Way’s work in Education, Income and Health and our community as a whole.”
Highlights of the City of Asheville 2012 United Way campaign include:
• Eight city department directors gave individual Leadership Gifts of $1,000 or more. Eight
additional city employees were also Leadership Givers.
• A campaign kickoff/chili cook-off event hosted by City of Asheville Police Department and
City of Asheville Fire Department was open to both City of Asheville and Buncombe County
employees. Staff participated in teams to create 18 entries and raise more than $700.
• Seven city departments increased their total contributions to the United Way campaign.
• Department fundraisers raised more than $3,500 in additional funds for the campaign.
• For the city’s “Wear Your Team Colors’ fundraiser, Transportation Department Director Ken
Putnam, an NC State University alumni, agreed to wear a UNC shirt if 50 city employees
participated.
Eaton Corporation directs its philanthropic efforts toward making a difference in the quality of life in the communities where they operate. A significant portion of Eaton Corporation’s charitable contributions are directed to United Way, matching the generous support of its employees.
Eaton employees also embody the spirit of volunteerism. They support many nonprofits in the community, including participation in Day of Caring, a community-wide day of volunteerism organized by Hands On Asheville-Buncombe, the volunteer center of United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. In addition, nine employees serve on United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County’s board and committees.
“This award recognizes outstanding companies whose dedication to the community is evident from the president on down the ranks,” said Tina Jepson, resource development manager with United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County. “ Eaton Corporation set up 25 campaign rallies for management and employees, and the results were nothing short of outstanding.”
Highlights of the Eaton Corporation 2012 United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County campaign include:
• Employee donations increased 72 percent from 2011, resulting in 86 new donors.
• 100 percent of Eaton management participated and 74 percent of plant employees
participated. One in five donors are Leadership Givers at the $1,000+ level.
• The company raised $21,066 in special events donations through the annual Eaton Golf
Tournament.