Employee Giving Campaign Begins Oct. 8

Doing Good in the Neighborhood, Duke's employee giving campaign, is underway.

This year's campaign, which runs Oct. 8 through Nov. 16, aims to provide thousands of dollars to local programs and not-for-profit organizations, while increasing the number of employees who give back to communities that surround Duke.

"Doing Good in the Neighborhood is the one opportunity in the year for all Duke University and Duke University Health System employees to have meaningful impact on the quality of life in our community," said Phail Wynn, vice president for Durham and Regional Affairs, whose office organizes the campaign.

Last year, 1,022 faculty and staff gave $633,461 to local schools, neighborhoods and not-for-profit organizations through Doing Good in the Neighborhood. The goal for the 2012 campaign is to increase participation by at least 300 employees.

Faculty and staff who donate to the campaign choose how their gifts make a difference in Durham and the Triangle by directing donations to any of six categories: Schools, Youth, Neighborhoods, Health, Community Care Fund and United Way of the Greater Triangle. Because Duke picks up the cost of the campaign, 100 percent of donations to the first five categories go directly to the programs supported by the campaign.

"We have identified those organizations that have significant impact in the community so that we can direct the money to areas that have the most need and where the largest difference can be made," Wynn said.

This year, the Doing Good in the Neighborhood campaign is eliminating most paper-based donation requests and relying on email and other online communications.

Employees can donate online through payroll deduction or a one-time electronic check or credit card payment. Paper donation forms are available for download or can be obtained by calling the Office of Durham and Regional Affairs at (919) 684-6960. Individuals who donate online will be entered into a variety of raffles for donated prizes.

A group that has benefited from the campaign is the Center for Child & Family Health, which runs the Healthy Families Durham program. This intensive home visiting program teaches parenting skills each year to approximately 130 first-time parents in Durham to increase child safety and decrease child abuse and neglect. Over the past two years, with support from Doing Good in the Neighborhood, Healthy Families Durham has also offered parenting seminars in Spanish and strengthened the child/parent psychotherapy program for families who have experienced domestic violence or other trauma.

"Without the Doing Good in the Neighborhood grants, we wouldn't have been able to offer either of those programs," said Jan Williams, program director for the Healthy Families Durham program and an instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke. "Support from Doing Good in the Neighborhood fills the gap that happens when the government funding gets cut."

To encourage employee participation in the annual giving campaign, Duke is hosting a departmental giving challenge. The three departments with the highest percentage of employee participation before Oct. 25 will win a pizza, ice cream or breakfast party. To participate in the departmental giving challenge, email Neil Hoefs by 6 p.m. Oct. 25.

Lila Edwards, emergency communications officer for Duke University Police Department, appreciates how easy Duke makes it to participate in the Doing Good in the Neighborhood campaign. She gives to youth programs through payroll deduction.

"If I give just $8.50 a pay period, it comes to a little over $200 a year," she said. "When it is taken out of my paycheck a little at a time, it is not painful for me, but it sure can help make a difference for those who are not as fortunate."