The King County Employee Giving Program (EGP) has been named a winner of the United Way of King County‘s Outstanding Employee Campaign Award for the 2014-2015 year. The award was presented on February 4, 2016, during the EGP’s Annual STAR Awards Ceremony by Cole Hardman of United Way to Leslie Arai, the 2015 EGP Committee Chair.

Cole Hardman’s inspirational presentation showed the very real impact that workplace giving can have as he shared his personal story. During his childhood, he was a recipient of services of Kindering, a United Way Grantee and KCEGP member nonprofit, and now works every day to help nonprofits continue their great work and make a lasting impact.

“Awards like these are extra special,” Junelle Kroontje, EGP Administrator said, “because our Annual Giving Drive is not just for one nonprofit, but over 900 in 2015 alone. Whenever we are recognized by nonprofits for our work it is astonishing and exciting because they are amongst a huge pack of very worthy causes and it tells me that we are able to do well by them and supporting their work.”

Every year, United Way gives the Outstanding Employee Campaign award to companies that run great workplace giving campaigns and achieve exceptional results. Criteria such as employee participation rates and campaign percentage increases allow companies of all sizes to compete equally.

The King County Employee Giving Program, now in its 28th year, leverages employees time, talent, and dollars for the greater good. In that time, employees have donated more than $24 million to the hundreds of nonprofits in the program. The EGP, run by employees for employees, is guided by a volunteer, 15-member employee Committee. The EGP Committee oversees the diverse, year-round work of the Program while a large cadre of volunteer employee Ambassadors brings the Program to work sites across the county during the fall Annual Giving Drive. Opportunities abound to join in meaningful work that benefits nonprofits locally and around the world.