Kevin Prust never thought that when his company, RSM McGladery Inc., became a pacesetter for this year’s United Way campaign, he would have to sit in a dunk tank. And he certainly never thought the event would take place in Capital Square for the public to see or that someone would invite Grand View College baseball players to try to knock him into the water.

RSM McGladery is one of eight pacesetter companies that set the tone for this year’s United Way campaign by agreeing to hold its campaign before the public kickoff in September and to raise 20 percent more money than the year before. This year’s pacesetters raised about 24.7 percent more than last year, which United Way will use as an example as it tries to raise an unprecedented $22 million.

“We want to create expectations of what can be accomplished in the United Way campaign,” said Shannon Cofield, director of the Des Moines chapter of United Way, “It provides a jump-start and demonstrates early positive results.”

United Way asks a select group of about 10 companies to be pacesetters each year. The companies tend to be from different industries and size and to have had significant growth over the past few years. This year’s pacesetters are Ahlers & Cooney P.C., Anderson Erickson Dairy, Iowa Health – Des Moines, ITAGroup, John Deere Credit, RSM McGladery, True North LLC and West Bank.

Other companies in Des Moines may run early campaigns, said Cofield, but they don’t have to publicly commit to raising 20 percent more money.

Cofield said there are 10 different techniques to running a United Way campaign, which often involves a mix of fun and education. The tactics pacesetters use usually become examples for companies running later campaigns. Activities may include a chance to buy jeans days, ice cream socials and lunches where someone affected by one of United Way’s agencies speaks.

“We spent time educating people so they know when they make that $1, $10 or $20 per week contribution, they know how the money is spent,” said Steve Chapman, CEO of ITAGroup and chairperson of this year’s United Way campaign, “They know they’re making difference that would not be made if it wasn’t for them.”

Unlike most pacesetters that run a 30-day campaign in August, ITAGroup had a special event for United Way each month since February. Some events included having a group of employees serenade a co-worker around Valentine’s Day, a coffee bar with Irish cream coffee and pastries for St. Patrick’s Day and a bowl-athon. The company also held fund-raisers such as a book drive and blue jeans drive.

Besides getting their name on United Way’s advertisements, pacesetter companies see benefits internally. .

There’s not only a huge sense in pride by giving to United Way, said Diane Subalski, who co-chaired ITAGroup’s campaign with Charlotte Flander, but there’s also “a lot of team building and camaraderie in the organization when working with other co-workers you don’t normally work with on a daily basis.”

Both RSM McGladery and ITAGroup plan to do the same kinds of activities next year, even though they won’t be pacesetter companies.

The only thing Prust would do differently: “Next year we’ll charge more per ball,” at the dunk tank.