5 Swag Ideas to Encourage Office Giving, Charity and Community Service
Boosting team morale and productivity within the office can be done through day to day activities and easily monitored, but inspiring your office to volunteer, donate, and give back to the community through service is not always as simple or easy to execute. Here are 5 helpful community service ideas to encourage office giving, charity donations and community service projects.
Make it Part of the Company Culture
The first step in exciting your employees to want to give back is to layout community service as one of the core values of your company and highlight in each office location. During employee training, make sure to highlight the importance and expectations you have when it comes to community service and volunteerism.
A great way to do this is to establish volunteer work days or paid time off that is dedicated specifically to volunteer opportunities or community service. Members of different departments could alternate occasional Fridays off to volunteer at the charity or non-profit of their choice. Say one employee is heavily involved with a charity, give them some paid time off over the holidays to go a step further and spend a full day or two at the organization during the work week. Some ideas on where they can donate their volunteer time are local high schools, senior citizen centers, soup kitchens or homeless shelters.
Or another way to increase participation and integrate these efforts into your culture is to bring the charities to your office. Many local animal shelters will host adoption events or fundraisers onsite. Who can refuse cute puppies and kittens in the office? Hosting a blood drive in your office is another great way to give back without having to leave the office. A third option is to build care packages for troops or others in need in your office.
Donation Box
Donations might seem daunting, but we all have clothes, shoes, and everyday items lying around, or maybe your kids have outgrown their toys, keeping a donation box in the breakroom is a great way to collect items to be donated to various charities. Some charities need toiletries, while others might need canned goods. Donation boxes gave these causes visibility in your office and make it convenient for your employees to contribute.
Each month, designate a week where you set up four boxes in the breakroom: one for toiletries, one for clothes, one for food, and another for various miscellaneous items. A donation box is an easy way to encourage your employees to give to charity, while also helping them to remove clutter and unnecessary items from their homes. You can give the food to a food drive or local food bank. The toiletries are a good option for a local shelter. Clothes are great for charities that support families in need or the local homeless population.
Pick a Different Charity Each Season
Choosing a charity for your office to focus on isn’t always easy, each employee might have a different preference or view one charity closer to their heart than another. A great way to mix things up and make sure everyone’s preferences are met is to pick a different charity and place to volunteer each season.
Over the holidays, focus on toys for underprivileged children, or set up morning shifts at the local soup kitchen. Serving food to those in need at a food pantry is a great way to give back during the holiday season.
In the fall, encourage your employees to help pre-packing lunches for children, or to bring extra school supplies for the donation box or to donate materials or time to a local library. Or maybe participate in an after-school program at a local school. Or have team members help tutor students or help with college applications.
Spring, specifically around Earth Day, is a great time to organize a community clean-up at a local park or public space. Get your hands dirty and rake leaves, plant trees or plant flowers as a team.
Summer is a great time to work outside with an organization like habitat for humanity or a local community garden. Switching up the community service opportunities for your employees helps them to stay engaged and to not be afraid to bring new ideas and volunteers opportunities to the table.
Office Races
Many charities and nonprofits organize races and walks, ranging from 5ks to full marathons. A great way to encourage your employees to give back is to organize a group from the office to run a race together. Another idea is for the office to organize their own charity race and event for the organization of their choice. Group races are a great way to invite family, friends, and other offices to join in on the event. The group can train together and collaborate fundraising and sponsor ideas. On top of giving back to the community, office races help to establish teamwork, collaboration, and encourages employees to stay in shape. You can also work with a local sports team to see if they have any events or specific charities they would support.
Matching Funds and Show Support
Volunteering and service is an important part of establishing a service-oriented culture. But your staff may also be interested to raise money for their favorite causes. Giving them a match on donations raised can show that you recognize and support their efforts.
Also, share their efforts on your corporate social media accounts. This can amplify their efforts and help them be more successful. It can also get your company some good publicity and show that these efforts by your employees are important to you.
All of these ideas can help your team be more engaged in service efforts and help support your local community charities and help make your organization a valued member of the community.
