Graniterock’s Annual United Way Campaign—Not Just A Corporate Objective

GRANITEROCK’S ANNUAL UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN-NOT JUST A CORPORATE OBJECTIVE

For the past six years I have had the privilege to be Company Coordinator for the annual Graniterock United Way Campaign.  In these six years I have witnessed first-hand what true giving is; giving of money, giving of resources, and giving of time.  I have seen how our Team Members have taken care of one another and their communities.  Whether I’m talking about our first decade as a company, or our 12^th, Graniterock Team Members have supported their communities because they saw the value and importance of doing so. 

I recently asked our 27 Branch Coordinators why they thought our Team Members are so generous with their time and resources.  Essentially, it seems, Team Members give because of these three reasons: Graniterock makes it easy for them to donate; Graniterock has a true commitment to United Way; and because it is simply in their hearts to give, especially during challenging times.

At Graniterock, we encourage each of our Branches to run their individual campaigns any way they see fit.  These Branch Coordinators know their Team Members best, and know what will inspire their group and how to encourage dedicated United Way participation.  We hold an annual Coordinator meeting to kick-off our campaign and relay the prior year’s results and the current year’s goals.  We give these Branch Coordinators all the tools and support they need to run a successful campaign.  We allow Team Members the choice of giving a one-time donation or giving through payroll deduction.  Graniterock also offers a dollar-for-dollar match to all donations, up to $2000.  The Company’s one-for-one match is simply the Company endorsing its Team Members decisions about how best to support the community. 

Graniterock has worked to support local communities for several decades, and has had a strong partnership with United Way since the 1980s, and several years before that with the United Way’s predecessor, the Community Chest.  Because of this long partnership the annual United Way campaign has become a part of the Company Culture.  Giving is simply something “we do.”  Many Team Members go beyond just donating money to United Way; they also donate their time by serving on allocations committees and on the United Way Board in Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties.

Graniterock recently celebrated its 111^th birthday, a great fete for any company.  Even more impressive is that Graniterock is still owned and run by the same family who founded it on February 14, 1900.  It is because we are a family-owned company that those who work for Graniterock feel like a member of an extended family.  We care about one another, we watch out for one another, we support one another.  

This caring extends beyond our walls and into our communities.  Last year 97% of Team Members gave in some way to their communities.  Whether in donation of time or money, each of these Team Members made the choice to reach out a hand to help those who need it most.  Even in the midst of these difficult times our Team Members chose to continue giving to others, as demonstrated by our continually high Company-wide participation and level of giving.  Because of the generosity of our Team Members Graniterock has been recognized with the Gold Award from United Way, an award we have received for the last 20+ years.  Graniterock has also been honored throughout the years by United Way with the Company of the Year award multiple times, several Campaign Coordinator awards, and most recently, the first (and only to date) Stewardship award.  Graniterock is the largest United Way workplace donor in both Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties.  Most recently, Bruce Woolpert and several dedicated Graniterock Team Members have worked tirelessly to bring United Way services back to San Benito County.

We have an amazing group of people who work at Graniterock; people who care for each other like family and care for their communities because it is in their hearts to do so.  People want to be able to help their communities through a trustworthy, easily accessible, and effective means.  Graniterock supports each Team Member’s desire to give by matching each donation to the United Way dollar-for-dollar.  Graniterock Team Members support each other and our individual communities, and choose to LIVE UNITED every day.  Thank you, Graniterock Team Members and United Way, for being our channel every year to supporting those in need and helping us to connect to our communities.