The Importance of Employee Communication in Ensuring the Ongoing Success of an Emergency Financial Assistance Fund

Your fund is set up, the initial donations have been made, employees have been informed about how they can contribute to the fund, and why it is a good idea to participate. What is next? To keep the momentum going, meaningful, ongoing communication with employees must occur.

“Meaningful” communication means that promoting the fund to employees must consist of more than just placing contribution reminders in the monthly company newsletter. It means keeping the fund and the good it does at the forefront of employees’ minds. More importantly, it means ensuring that those who qualify for grants are aware of how to go about applying for funds.

Effective employee communication can happen in a variety of ways:

• Publicize the fund as widely as possible, particularly to new employees.
• Encouraging employees to sign up for contributions when they first join the company is much easier than trying to encourage them to jump on board at a later date.
• Keep employees updated on the state of the fund on a regular basis, so they have concrete evidence that their contributions are making a difference.

Another powerful way to promote the fund is to celebrate its successes, including meeting donation goals or surpassing significant dollar amounts. Remind employees of how many people the fund has assisted, and thank them for their contributions. Finally, holding annual donation drives, fundraising events, or even a thank you lunch for employees are all fantastic ways to spread the word about the fund in ways that move beyond the traditional plea for contributions. The key to effective engagement is often in how employees are educated about the fund, rather than how often. A unique promotion, fundraiser, or celebration will go a lot farther towards building a successful fund than simple email reminders alone.