San Rafael, CA – Generous County of Marin government employees recently demonstrated their ongoing community spirit by committing $82,098 to the 2015 Marin County Employees Combined Charities Campaign, known internally as the Heart of Marin. Since 2007, employees have contributed more than $600,000 through the annual campaign.
![A coffee mug that says "Marin County Community of Caring 2015" is shown on a patio outside the Civic Center.]()
With the 2015 contributions, the County has now contributed more than $600,000 to the campaign over nine years.
The campaign, which took place in October and November, allows employees to make biweekly paycheck deductions and one-time donations toward the annual program that benefits Bay Area nonprofits. The employees contribute to nonprofit federations that assist a variety of charities or hand-pick charities of their choice. This year the federations included United Way of the Bay Area, Bay Area Black United Fund, Community Health Charities of California, EarthShare California, Global Impact and Local Independent Charities.
“It was heartwarming to see participation increase in several departments and to see many individual employees increase their biweekly donations,” said program chair Lynda Roberts, the County’s Registrar of Voters. “There is a real feeling of wanting to give back to the community.”
The Heart of Marin campaign provides a convenient chance for County employees to learn about and support the participating organizations. By giving at the office, the program saves charities the time, effort and expense of seeking out and processing individual donations. The payroll deductions create a reliable way for the nonprofits to predict contributions and plan for consistent revenue streams.
Among the County’s 23 departments, the County Counsel’s Office had a 95 percent participation rate when combining the giving through payroll deductions and one-time donations. Child Support Services came in second with a 75 percent participation rate. Participation increased in five departments with the Retirement Department coming in the highest at a 33 percent improvement.