A Tax Supervisor at Kerkering, Barberio & Co., Erin Fuller has lots of experience working under pressure; experience which served her well as she became a first-time campaign coordinator in the midst of a global pandemic.

Like many of us, Erin and her team were busy adjusting to the challenges of remote work environments and Zoom calls. Add in the tax deadline changes and it would have been easy to skip their United Way campaign. Fortunately, Kerkering, Barberio is a big supporter of United Way and community activities. Though their campaign was delayed, and took some creativity to pull off, there was no doubt that it would happen, especially with Erin leading the effort.

Erin’s connection to United Way goes back to her childhood in Indiana. Her father, who passed away when she was very young, was an active volunteer for United Way and instilled that same passion in her. “I love the opportunities to help our community and give back, but when I do so with United Way, I also feel like he is doing it with me.”

As they began to plot out their strategy amidst the “new normal,” Erin was grateful for all the resources United Way had developed to help them run a successful virtual campaign. First up was an online gift basket auction that Erin hosted. It was not without challenges as she admits, “Everything I thought I knew about being prepared and using Zoom failed me and I made more than a few mistakes. I learned that nothing is ever going to go as planned and perfect, but it is how you handle, learn, and laugh at your mistakes that makes you a stronger person.”

From that experience, Erin was much better prepared for the “Battle of Bosses,” a virtual holiday happy hour where four of the shareholders participated in a drink mixing contest to see who could make the best Kerkering, Barberio signature drink while employees followed along from home. This event raised hundreds of dollars for their campaign as employees paid a cover charge to attend.

Erin and her team’s creativity shows that you don’t need to be in the same place to enjoy a feeling of camaraderie and deploy a successful United Way Campaign.

When not working, Erin, a self-professed “tax geek,” loves to travel the world. She has run half marathons on six continents (wow!) and enjoys cooking, photography, running (of course) and, most importantly, time with her family.