Meet our newest ECM Spotlight: Carrie Parsons of John Deere!
John Deere just concluded their campaign in mid-May. We were thrilled to sit down and discuss the role of ECM with Carrie, technology product manager at John Deere. “I have had several years of experience at John Deere leading events during campaign week”, said Carrie. When last year’s co-chair reached out to her, at first she was intimidated about taking on the role. “But then I thought about it and how it would be very rewarding to contribute in this way, to help those in the community, but also help to rally those at John Deere towards the greater good.”
With John Deere, it was important for their campaign to include both in-person and hybrid events since most of their employees work offsite, across the U.S. and Canada. “For us, it’s been interesting to determine what will generate excitement onsite and hybrid. One popular event is the pancake breakfast, and this year we added an element that allowed folks to buy a meal for the homeless. Later in the year, they are going to volunteer to see where their money went, and serve meals to those in need within our community.” John Deere also hosts popular online events for employees to participate in, including “Name that tune” and “Drawasaurus”.
What really interested Carrie to get involved with United Way was the variety of services offered. “From 211, to more strategic opportunities and working with a variety of agencies, folks who are in need can have one point of contact to reach services they might be in need of.” Carrie has been a longtime volunteer and enjoys sharing her time with local food pantries. “I feel most united when I get involved, whether that’s volunteering my time and raising funds within my workplace, community, or church.”
Though running an internal corporate campaign can be a lot of work, Carrie says it has been worth it to see her colleagues come together. “It’s been very rewarding to see my colleagues step up to help run a successful campaign, but also getting involved in different events and work together as one team – united.”