Joining together to move mountains through charitable giving

Dane County’s largest workplace charitable giving campaign has kicked off for state, university and UW Hospital and Clinics employees.

The Partners in Giving campaign, which runs through Nov. 30, solicits donations from public employees for over 520 charitable organizations. These charities range from local to international and provide everything from employment assistance to environmental protection to disaster relief. Many derive a significant portion of their annual revenue from the Partners in Giving campaign.

“Though many of us have seen changes in the last year, employees remain passionate about giving back,” says Jody Medeke, campaign marketing chair and longtime donor. “The volunteers, who do most of the work on the campaign, are incredibly creative in engaging those around them and helping donors realize each gift has an impact,” adds Medeke, a project manager for the Department of Children and Families.

By joining together to support charities in our community and beyond, the campaign is conquering mountains of hunger, disease, pain, poverty, injustice and pollution.

Last year, nearly 7,500 employees contributed almost $2.4 million to charitable organizations participating in Partners in Giving. Three-quarters of all 2011 donations were to local or state charities, with the top three local causes supported being self-sufficiency, health, and children/families. Since its debut in 1973, the annual campaign has raised a remarkable $61.5 million for charitable organizations.

Katharyn May, dean of the UW School of Nursing and volunteer chair of the university’s campaign coordinating committee, says enlisting new Partners in Giving contributors is more important than ever.

“The pride in place that I sense among residents of Dane County is merited, but we still have many families that are really struggling,” says May. “I would say to folks who haven’t donated to the campaign before, if you want to make a difference, now’s the time to make a difference and help us. We’re moving mountains here with this campaign, but it starts one donor at a time.”

For more information, visit the Partners in Giving website.