Wrapping up another (best-ever!) United Way workplace campaign

Although activities started rolling out all the way back in April, our 2025 United Way Workplace Campaign officially kicked off in a big way in early September. We carried that momentum through our campaign, and are thrilled to share that this year’s campaign raised (another) record-breaking amount: $606,166 (or just over 100% of our goal)!

This year’s wrap-up

On October 3, staff across the country gathered virtually to celebrate the success of this year’s campaign and to award prizes to our regional staff. Those who made donation commitments for a 2026 payroll deduction toward the United Way Workplace Campaign were eligible to win some highly-coveted prizes… including days off with pay, gift cards for airlines and local retailers, and a perennial crowd-pleaser: Payworks swag!

Prizes were drawn and distributed by members of our volunteer United Way Committee, a national group of employees who give their time and talents to help organize United Way impact speakers, pancake breakfasts, and even days of caring.

“Thank you to our Payworks team for taking the time to participate in this year’s campaign, whether that was making a donation pledge, taking in an impact speaker, enjoying pancakes, going on an agency tour, sporting jerseys or participating in a Day of Caring event,” said Michael Penman, President. “And thank you to our United Way committee members across the country who made these events happen.”

Back to the beginning

While much happened in the months before our campaign kickoff, from Days of Caring to Agency Tours, we started off our campaign (and our day) on the right foot with a pancake breakfast in our offices across Canada on September 11. We celebrated together, listened as United Way impact speakers shared their stories, and enjoyed a tasty array of breakfast treats.

Photo: United Way committee members in Toronto served up breakfast for their campaign
kickoff on September 11.
Photo: United Way committee members in Winnipeg whipped up a whole lot of pancakes on September 11.

On September 12, United Way committee members participated in the United Way Winnipeg’s Plane Pull event, marking their city-wide campaign kickoff. While we weren’t the fastest team, we were one of the loudest (and we think we had the best team cheer)!

Photo: Payworks’ team cheering at the United Way Winnipeg Plane Pull event on September 12.Photo: The Payworks team pulling an airplane across the finish line at the United Way Winnipeg
campaign kickoff event.

The next two weeks were filled with events, more impact speakers, and opportunities for togetherness while learning about the impact United Way agencies make in communities across the country.

Photo: Our Pitt Meadows team attended a United Way impact speaker event on September 18.

Photo: Payworks’ newest office in Cambridge held a kickoff event on September 11 – what a great reason
to get together!

In Winnipeg, our teams heard from Kelsey Hutton about United Way agency Huddle: a safe space for youth ages 12-29, offering free, trauma-informed and culturally-safe health services in a youth-friendly atmosphere. We also toured Villa Rosa, a safe haven for single pregnant persons.

“It’s incredible to see how we’ve come together from coast to coast over the past two weeks, encouraging each other every step of the way.” said Matt Sachkiw, Regional Vice President (Eastern Canada) and Treasury Operations at Payworks.

Rolling up our sleeves… or tying our laces!

Our United Way campaign wouldn’t be complete without opportunities for our employees to participate in events or initiatives where they feel actively involved in our communities.

In Calgary, Payworks staff joined together to assemble sandwiches for local United Way agency Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY) on September 17, and then put together 60 lunch kits (and had some fun!) on September 23.

Photo: The Payworks team in Calgary made Sandwiches of Support on September 17.

The Payworks team in Montréal leaned into their creative side with arts and crafts for the holidays with residents of StimuleArts (link available in French only).

Earlier in the year, the Payworks Winnipeg team held a Day of Caring at Rainbow Community Garden, where seeds of hope, culture and connection are planted every day. The Immigrant Integration Farming Co‑op (IIFCC) is the not‑for‑profit organization behind Rainbow Community Garden, a vibrant initiative supporting newcomers and fostering community through agriculture.

While so many Payworks folks put their hands to work for United Way, this year we got our feet moving, too! A new addition to our national campaign was a movement challenge, where we stepped our way across Canada (virtually!) in support of United Way. We tracked our collective journey, celebrated milestones, and shared the amazing ways United Way is making a difference in communities from coast-to-coast.

“Together we walked 6,536 km. That’s more than 8.7 million steps powered by 100 amazing people,” said Tara McCarthy, the United Way committee member at Payworks who coordinated our Walk Across Canada Challenge. “Along the way, we hit 16 out of 20 destinations on our Walk Across Canada map, making it all the way to Calgary from St. John’s!”

Participation prizes for United Way swag, as well as a grand prize for our overall step champion, were awarded at the wrap-up event.

Wrapping things up

At the very end of our workplace campaign, one of our Payworks client service representatives approached our United Way Employee Campaign Chairs with an idea that they couldn’t turn down – a foot race! In an effort to cross the finish line of our campaign together, a challenge was put forward: if someone beat this (very confident) Winnipeg flag football player in a 50m sprint, he would double his personal donation to the campaign this year. While he won the foot race, the real winner was United Way, because we collected additional cash donations at this event and put them all towards our campaign. Plus, we started a fun new tradition!

We held a virtual National United Way Campaign Wrap-Up call on October 3, where we revealed our final donation raised and announced our national prize winners. A few days later in Winnipeg, we invited our Payworks Family to our head office grounds to celebrate the success of our United Way Winnipeg campaign. We enjoyed coffee and donuts, listened to live music, and participated in activations with our community partners from the Winnipeg Sea Bears, Manitoba Moose, Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, and The Dream Factory.

“We want to thank all of the members of this year’s United Way Committee,” said Jennifer Johnston, Vice President of Human Resources at Payworks. “Thank you for all of your hard work on this year’s campaign. The committee is thrilled to share that together we hit an all-time record of more than $600,000 for the United Way. This support will make a lasting impact for individuals and families across Canada.”

We’re working together with United Way to improve lives locally. If you want to learn more about our Pay it Forward program or be part of an organization that values giving back, check out some current career openings: https://www.payworks.ca/about-us/careers.