Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska (BCBSNE) recently wrapped up its 2025 fundraising campaign for United Way of the Midlands (UWM) where employees raised $326,770 to support the organization.
UWM is a nonprofit that supports individuals and families in need across the Omaha and Council Bluffs area. Its work focuses on expanding access to essentials, like food, housing, education and financial stability.
BCBSNE has been a proud supporter of UWM for more than 30 years. Throughout that time, the company and its employees have contributed funds and volunteer hours to help strengthen the community.
This year’s campaign featured a mix of hybrid events designed to bring employees together in support of UWM’s mission. The flexible format allowed everyone to get involved in ways that worked best for them.
In person, BCBSNE employees took part in several activities, including a 5K run/walk along the nearby Keystone Trail.
They also tested their knowledge during the United Way Trivia Challenge, which encouraged friendly competition across departments.
“It was great to see so many of Team Blue come out to participate in the United Way Trivia Challenge,” said Jen Wichern, talent development manager and 2025 fundraising event lead. “We enjoyed putting this event on to help the United Way continue their mission in our communities.”
BCBSNE also added several new summer fundraising events, including Pizza, Puzzles and Prizes and a Dunk Tank Fundraiser.
Pizza, Puzzles and Prizes encouraged employees to form competitive teams and complete a 500-piece puzzle in under two hours.
For the Dunk Tank Fundraiser, BCBSNE partnered with Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) and allowed employees to purchase tosses for $5, $10 and $30. This gave them the chance to drop their fellow coworkers into a large tank of water, with all proceeds going directly to UWM.
“We added a few new fundraising activities to keep our momentum going,” said Stephanie Francl, BCBSNE’s vice president of customer operations and 2025 United Way campaign chair. “We’re always cooking up creative ways to keep people engaged and support our community — with a little fun along the way.”
In addition to these events, BCBSNE employees joined United Way’s annual Day of Caring. This community-wide volunteer initiative brought individuals, families and teams together to support nonprofit organizations across the metro. Employees also had the option to volunteer at an organization of their choice.
Apart from in-person activities, employees were given even more ways to participate virtually. This included making individual pledges to UWM, along with a Rocket Carwash fundraiser and a Best Dressed Pet Contest.
The Rocket Carwash fundraiser allowed employees to purchase a discounted carwash for $12 with a portion of the proceeds going back to UWM.
The Best Dressed Pet Contest invited employees to both submit photos of their outfitted pets and help determine the ultimate winners, contributing $1 per vote to support UWM.
“Donating to the United Way of the Midlands is a great way to offer support to my neighbors through challenging times, which helps my neighborhood be the place I love to live,” said Madeline Miller, customer service representative II and Best Dressed Pet Contest participant. “As a bonus, I love showing off my cats, and Hiccup loved the attention of a little photoshoot. Combining a great cause with the opportunity to go full stage-mom and campaign for my teammates to vote for him — and donate by doing so — is a win-win.”
Overall, BCBSNE was able to mark the completion of another year of employee-driven fundraising and community support.
For more articles like this, see Community Engagement.
