Huntington Bank
Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is a $36 billion regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Through its affiliated companies, Huntington has more than 140 years of serving the financial needs of its customers. Huntington provides innovative retail and commercial financial products and services through more than 380 regional banking offices in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.
Quick Tips:
- Keep a record of past campaigns for reference.
- Maintain momentum through year-round communication.
Target Your Market
At the Huntington, two separate communication efforts are employed—one to senior leaders and one to all other associates. To executives, Huntington stresses meeting goals. In fact, it communicates weekly throughout the campaign to determine where executives are in terms of goal attainment. In communications with other associates, the emphasis is on fun and involvement.
The Huntington believes in being “loud” in their communications, as well as striving for high frequency in their message delivery. In order to make the message effective and personal, the Huntington has even set up signage at branches saying, “If you know anybody that’s ever been helped by United Way, sign it,” and using that information to boost awareness of how United Way impacts so many lives throughout central Ohio.
Keep It Fun
In one recent campaign, the Huntington chose to stress a “give because it’s the right thing to do” theme, removing the more enjoyable aspects of participation, and the campaign fell flat. They have determined that campaigns that combine fun and awareness while engaging employees on a broader basis are the most successfully. One of the most popular aspects of past Huntington campaigns was an incentive that allowed employees to wear jeans to work on certain days.
Healthy Competition Helps
Nobody wants to think that they are the reason a goal is not being met, so the inclusion of friendly competition works to encourage strong participation. The Huntington doesn’t force people to give, but instead spurs the voluntary spirit of giving through widespread communication, not only of the goals and status of the campaign, but of the benefits to individuals and the community as a result of United Way and its agencies.
