CVC - Campaign FAQS for Coordinators

Campaign FAQs

Campaign Materials

How do I order materials for conducting the campaign at my agency?

An order has been made for your agency based on:

Number of employees in your agency.
Number of donors from your agency during last year's campaign.
How donors gave in last year's campaign(online vs. paper).

A list of this information will be sent to you in early September to allow you to make changes in the number of materials ordered.

When and how do I get my materials?

Materials are expected to be shipped to our warehouse in early September. Orders will be shipped as soon as the materials are received and inventoried. Shipments are made from Richmond.

I have a special CVC event or kickoff in September. How can I be sure to have the materials on time for that event?

Send an email to CVCStaff@dhrm.virginia.gov with the words “CVC Materials Needed” in the subject line. We will pull those orders and request special handling for you. A small amount of all materials will be available at the CVC office for those who need just a few more items than was ordered. Some materials will be available at the annual kickoff event at the James Monroe Building.

Campaign Dates

When does the campaign begin and end?

The official date is October 1 to the third Thursday in December. If you plan to do a fundraiser or kickoff before October 1, please send an email to CVCStaff@dhrm.virginia.gov with the words “Fundraiser” in the subject line.

What if I need more time to complete the campaign?

For colleges and universities that have a long break in December, we can extend the final collection of pledge cards into January (after break) UPON REQUEST to CVCStaff@DHRM.virginia.gov. We anticipate that most campaigns will not take more than 10 weeks, but will negotiate as needed.

Fundraisers and Special Events

All agency CVC special events should be approved via email before the event occurs.Helpful ideas are listed on our Best Practices section. Some examples of special events that work well with state employees include:

Bake Sales (employees or stores donate items, all are individually wrapped. There may be restrictions at your agency about food sales, especially if you have your own food service vendors.
Donut Sales. Many people like to work with the Krispy Kreme Fundraiser program.
Books are Fun® fund raisers. http://www.booksarefun.com/
Potluck lunches (or breakfasts) where employees donate food they have cooked and participants pay a flat fee to partake.
“Yard” Sales (employees donate items that are new or gently used and price for a quick sale; items are usually priced at $0.50 to $5.00)
Silent Auctions – similar to a yard sale but these are your “better items”, collectibles, and can include donations from travel agencies, restaurants, hotels, or even an employee’s time share for that year. We’ve seen hot air balloon rides, offers to bake a custom cake for your next birthday at home, and offers to bake pies in time for Thanksgiving, or babysitting your children when you go holiday shopping. Only caveat is that a person in your agency responsible for procurement can not do the “ask” of vendors they do or might someday do business with (conflict of interest).
Hotdog sales (outdoors or on a deck if in an office building with one – can include veggie dogs, sausages, chips, drinks, beans, coleslaw, etc.)
Chili Cook-offs, Bake-offs, etc. - Can increase competition and teamwork among your agency employees.
Challenges – can be a physical challenge, a Jeopardy-style challenge, or a penny to penny challenge. Large agencies might have challenges among work units; smaller agencies might challenge an agency of similar size.
E-auctions. If you have an IT person who can set this up for you, it’s a great thing. Look to the “silent auction” notes above about items to donate. You can do this just for your agency or open it up to other agencies near you.
Cake Walk (or cupcake walk).
Karaoke contest at lunch time. Non-singing participants vote for their favorite singer or group with $1 per vote. Winning “singer” gets to pick the charity to receive the funds.

Giving Options

What are the ways employees can give to the CVC?

How to Give:

Online Donations - For fast and paperless donations use one of these systems:

University Systems: October 1 through the third Thursday in December
Employees of University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University (Academic Campus), Virginia Tech, and College of William and Mary have university specific online donation systems. Contact your CVC Coordinator for information about these systems.

Statewide EmployeeDirect System:
Employees of state agencies may use EmploeeDirect year-round to make online gifts using a credit card.

Employees may donate online with payroll deductions through EmployeeDirect October 1 through the third Thursday in December.

Other ways to give:

Paper Pledge Donations:
Your CVC Coordinator has paper pledge cards for your use during the campaign. Return your pledge card to your CVC Coordinator. To print your own paper pledge card go to: http://www.cvc.virginia.gov/campaignmaterials.html to download the pledge form and return that form to your CVC Coordinator.
Direct Giving:
If you donate directly to a charity that is also enrolled in CVC, your donation can still count towards the charity’s CVC total. This also includes registration fees for 5k’s, bike-a-thons, and other charity events that have a registration fee. If the charity is enrolled in CVC, you can count your registration fee as a Direct Give for CVC. Give a copy of your donation or registration receipt to your CVC coordinator. They send CVC a special report that includes your direct gift and it is documented towards the charity’s total.

Where can I find more information about my role as a CVC Coordinator?

http://www.cvc.virginia.gov/coordinators.html This is the link for the Coordinator’s Toolbox. We will add items to it throughout the campaign so you can pick what you need instead of filling up your mailbox with large attachments. This link will guide you to CVC logos for use during the campaign and other items.
http://www.cvc.virginia.gov/volunteers/PlanningGuide.pdf This link will take you to a guide for planning your entire campaign. This is a valuable resource for new and returning CVC coordinators.