Giving Back: Creative Spirit

United Way received $14.4 million in donations in 2008, just four percent shy of its goal. In any year, that is pretty impressive. But during a major economic slump, it’s outstanding. A good thing, too, so they can continue making progress toward their goal to “advance the common good” for our community by improving school readiness, high school graduation rates, access to quality health/dental care, and availability of affordable housing. It’s a far-reaching endeavor that takes a lot of effort from both staff and volunteers.

Chief among those volunteers is a storyteller, and through his work behind the scenes, he’s told the tales of the real people helped by United Way for more than a decade. Maybe that is one reason why in twelve years of creating all the collateral material for United Way’s fundraising campaigns, Joe Erwin, president of Erwin-Penland, says they’ve only fallen short of their goal twice. But he doesn’t rest on his laurels, or take much credit.

“It is not about how great our work is,” Erwin explains. “What makes it special is the people we focus on. Their stories are so great.” Through videos, print ads, brochures, and billboards, Erwin and his team have put faces on the problems United Way is working hard to solve.

Take the billboards from a couple of years ago: The objective was to show how United Way works like a barrier, protecting people from bad situations and introducing them to new opportunities that help them become self-sufficient and contributing community members. A portrait of “Tommy,” a homeless man with a medical condition, looks out of the ad into the distance. Five words—“Homeless. Job training. Gourmet chef,” are all that is needed to tell his story. Erwin smiles. “It is a trap to tell stories that are overly emotional,” he admits, “but that doesn’t always tell what is more relevant on the story. There are problems, but also successes. The United Way takes a sad story and makes it a great victory.”

Erwin and his staff “just love the work, and the people are just terrific, they are great clients.” And, he says, pro bono work is highly motivating to his employees. “We tend to attract socially active people who care about community. When you hire bright, passionate, creative people, 99 out of 100 want to feel that their work matters and that they are not just selling soda pop, but changing the world.”

Thousands of hours of work have gone into the creation of these materials, but Erwin says he never hears the meter ticking. “One thing that allows us to rally so enthusiastically is that United Way services over fifty agencies. Virtually every man and woman will be touched by that great capacity to create lasting change. Those stories touch my heart.”