Successful community giving has two things in common, good planning and company wide participation. Here are ideas to spark involvement and FUN! Successful coordinators say special events take planning! Ask yourself these questions before your event:
- What are your organization’s goals for community giving?
- What do you hope to accomplish through a special event?
- What non-monetary goals do you have?
- Creating greater community understanding
- Increasing volunteering
- Building morale
- Others
What resources are available?
- Materials
- People
- Incentives
- Entertainment
- Inspiration
Think about the return on your investment—what makes a special event valuable? What “returns” do you expect? Above all, have fun and say thanks to everyone!
America’s Funniest Office Video Party
Find an employee who can volunteer to bring in their video camera to take candid video footage around the office. Schedule a short meeting in a conference room to show the video to your employees. Sell tickets, soda and popcorn and donate the proceeds to Orange County's United Way campaign. If the video is a big hit, perhaps hold an opportunity drawing off a copy or sell duplicates. (It could make a great office holiday gift!)
$$$ A Dollar an Inch Contest $$$
Executives participate in an all-day competition to end the day with the shortest tie. Employees cut an inch off their favorite executive’s tie each time they give to Orange County's United Way. Give prizes for the shortest tie, ugliest tie, etc.
Auction Alert
Different departments donate lunches to auction every day for a week. Use your organization’s intercom system, or other employee communication system, to temptingly auction the lunches. Employees call in with their bids. A variation of this event is to have employees pay $5.00 for the “boss” to deliver coffee and muffins to them, with all proceeds going to local men, women and children in need.
Auction Hotline
Set up a special voice mailbox with weekly messages announcing auction items, including their face value. Employees call the hotline to record their bids.
Update the recorded message daily, announcing the highest bids received to date. Each Friday announce auction results for the week and the following weeks items.
Ask employees to donate items or services for the auction.
Baby Picture Match Game
Invite employees to try their luck matching baby and/or pet pictures of management. Award the entry with the most right answers a paid day off or some other fun incentive. Charge employees $2.00 per ballot.
Balloon Pop
Employees donate prizes for this event—a variation of the traditional opportunity drawing. Before filling a balloon with helium, put a note inside with the name of a prize. Employees pay $1.00 to buy a balloon and pop it to find out what prize they’ve won.
Bingo
Sell bingo cards for employees to purchase. Get a local store to donate prizes for all winners.
Blue Light Special Rallies
Hold daily/weekly “Blue Light Special” rallies throughout your employee giving time. Different divisions, departments, or project areas host each “special.” Serve pastries and juice. Invite a speaker to talk about one of Orange County's United Way's Targeted Investment areas. Schedule entertainment by a youth or elderly group. Organize prizes and games.
A Book Fair
Call up Books at WorkTM to have a portable book display brought into the office. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds go to your employee United Way campaign. Call 1-800-468-1232.
Book/Video Sale
Employees donate their old books, videos and cassette tapes for an employee book sale. Sell paperbacks for $1.00, hardbacks for $2.00, cassettes and videos for up to $5.00.
Bowl-a-Thon
Employees pay a $2.00 entrance fee to participate in this event. Give each participant a pledge form in advance to use when asking employees for their support. Encourage fan support, fun and enthusiasm.
Casino Night
What are the ingredients for a successful Casino Night? A few blackjack tables. One Bingo game. A bean-bag toss. A bushel of sandwiches and sodas. Invite employees and their families. Local businesses can donate prizes and items for winners.
Casual Day
Sell casual day badges allowing employees purchasing them to dress casually on certain days. Employees purchase badges for $5.00 each. The badges carry an expiration date, depending on the amount donated. Designate certain casual days as “Casual Days” and encourage your employees to show their wild side:
Tuesday - Stupid Hat Day
Wednesday - Outrageous Socks Day
Thursday - Sports Team Day
CEO Car Wash
Employees donate $5.00 to have their car washed at high noon by their “boss” in business clothing. Charge extra for special services like cleaning the interior or polishing the rims. Charge for Polaroid photos of the employees and the boss washing their cars.
Children’s Drawing Contest
Give employees “official photographs” of one or two top executives to take home for their children to draw. Or, have children draw what “helping others”, “what hope” or another theme means to them. Contest is limited to children under 12 who are related to any employee. There is s $5.00 entry fee per child. Employees vote for the best drawing by paying $1.00 per vote.
Give prizes to all participants (get a local fast food restaurant to donate a certificate for a free lunch).
Display winning portraits as a part of the organization’s permanent art collection.
A variation of this event: Employees submit photography, drawings, paintings, poetry or collages depicting people helping people.
Chili Cook-Off Contest
Employees (or a team of employees) cook their favorite chili recipe and enter it into a cook-off contest. You can charge teams or employees to enter the contest. This activity can also add “spice” to a Community Fair. A panel of chili experts selects the official Chili Champion and employees pay a small amount to taste the chili. Talk to a local hotel representative about donating a weekend stay at their hotel for the winner.
Chocolate Kickoff Rally
Excite those “sweet tooth's” when kicking off your campaign! Print gold paper candy bar wrappers with the employee-giving theme. Put the wrappers on chocolate bars and distribute at your kick-off.
Comedy Hour
Local comedians amuse employees during the lunch hour (pro bono, of course!). Employees buy tickets to attend Comedy Hour, with all proceeds going to Orange County's United Way.
Community Fair
Non-profit organizations set up information booths at your work site.
Everyone loves a carnival!
Try a carnival theme with free hot dogs, soda, and popcorn. Employees try their luck at games like ring toss and the fishpond. Include entertainment and art displays from youth projects.
Publicize well!
Strong leadership sets the pace. Ask your leaders to send a memo or e-mail emphasizing the importance of learning about the needs in Orange County.
Coupon Books
Many organizations that sell “entertainment” coupon books will sell the books at a discount to organizations that are fundraising. Generally, you only pay for the books that you sell. There are many different types of coupon books available.
Craft and Bake Sale
Host a craft and bake sale to help employees get a start on holiday shopping. This popular activity gives everyone a chance to share his or her hobbies and special talents.
Cruise for Donors
Organize a local cruise on the Blue and Gold Fleet or Hornblower Yachts for a fundraising event/dinner dance. Use a nautical/pirate theme for invitations and incentives.
Diversity Events
Tie in United Way programs and services to special events at your office. For example, during Latin American History Month, invite a speaker from a partner organization serving Latin Americans to share how United Way donations help promote Latin American History.
"Donate a Quilt" Drive
Employees donate a quilt featuring a theme of giving to the community and being involved. Sell opportunity drawing tickets to interested employees.
Employee Cookbook
Collect and group recipes and helpful household hints into a customized cookbook. Ask employees to have their children create illustrations for the cookbook, including the cover. This event has been so popular that some organizations have not been able to fill all requests. Plan for an enthusiastic response.
Employee Guessing Events
Employees guess:
- The organization’s grand total given to the community
- The per capita gift of the organization
- Community needs questions (“How many homeless people live in our community?”)
- The amount of candy or other items in a jar
Employee Opportunity Drawing
Ask employees to contribute something special for an opportunity drawing prize:
- Home made pies
- Lunch with a co-worker
- Car wash
- Tickets to a special event
- Weekend stay at a vacation cabin or condominium
- One-day vacation
- Prizes donated by vendors
Employees make contributions using an opportunity drawing donation form. Those employees turning in pledge forms early receive three opportunity drawing tickets. Employees turning in pledge forms after the “early” date, but before the campaign’s final event, receive one opportunity drawing ticket.
Executive Chair Race (or “Execu-Glide”)
Set up a relay course for executives to go through sitting on chairs or on tricycles. Use a stopwatch to time contestants, with the best time winning a prize. Observers wager $1.00 on their favorite contestant.
Executive Fantasy Auction
Executives at your organization create “fantasy” packages, which employees can bid on at a special auction.”:
- Cooking the winning bidder a special dish
- Singing at a wedding, party or special event
- Mowing the winner’s lawn
- Changing the winner’s car oil
- Babysitting the winner’s children
- Washing the winner’s car
- Washing the winner’s windows
Packages include fishing trips, dinners or movie tickets. Executives also auction their special “services."
Executive Prison
Transform an office into a jail cell. Next, round up your prisoners (the usual suspects). “Arrest” managers and executives and allow them to make telephone calls to their staff members to “bail” them out. All bail proceeds go to help local men, women and children.
Flashback Carnival
Invite employees to an old-fashioned carnival, complete with cakewalks, bake sales, bubble blowing and $.50 hot dogs. Hold a hoola-hoop contest and hoop-shoot to really give it that flashback flavor. Charge participants a fee to enter the contest. Set up a dunk tank with all your favorite dunkable executives. Charge $3.00 for three balls. Throw those pies at all your favorite executives.
Food Around the World
Employees team together to create taste treats from around the world. Employees decorate their own booths and dress in appropriate costumes. Hold the event over the lunch hour, allowing employees to purchase tickets redeemable for food at the booths. Have a panel of “celebrity” judges award prizes.
Grandma’s “Heart Attack” Chocolate Cake
Sell your grandma’s favorite chocolate cake recipe to interested employees. Tempt them first with little bite-sized pieces for samples.
Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest
Plan a Halloween theme and hold a pumpkin-carving contest. Find a local business willing to donate pumpkins for your organization to sell to your employees. Employees buy pumpkins individually or by group. Charge $5.00 to enter and $1.00 per vote.
Award prizes in various categories:
- Best traditional pumpkin
- Most creative pumpkin
- Best effort by a group
- Best effort by an individual
- Throw a Halloween party to end your campaign!
Hawaiian Luau
Have a mini luau. Serve ham, pineapple upside-down cake and other Hawaiian fare. Give prizes to employees wearing the most outrageous Hawaiian attire.
Health and Giving Events
Each department in your organization hosts a special event that will raise money for local men, women and children, and better the health of employees at the same time:
- Yoga Classes (10 lessons, once a week for $50.00 per person)
- Brown Bag Lunch Workshops put on by service providers on such topics as children, health, independence, families or leadership giving.
- Stress Reduction Classes
- Personal Trainer Consultations ($20.00 for one hour)
- Horoscopes ($10.00 for daily horoscope, $20.00 for birth horoscope)
Charge a fee to attend the classes, with all proceeds going to Orange County's United Way.
Karaoke Party
This has the potential of being a BIG fundraiser and a GREAT team builder! Participants pay $2.00 to enter and are given a list of songs and a pledge form in advance. Participants ask employees to support them by pledging an amount of money. At the event, have a big box of funny hats, boas and other costume items available for participants to use. Pass the hat at the party to receive even more pledges!
Note: A variation on this activity is “Executive Karaoke”. Employees pay money for executives to get up and sing the song of their choice. Videotape the event and sell copies, as well.
Laugh Olympics
Employees compete in crazy “athletic” events for silly prizes. Participants donate a $5.00 fee to enter. Observers wager bets on their favorite entrants.
Miniature Golf
Build a nine-hole course featuring slinkys, ramps, water and sand around the office laid out to test the skills of your employees. The lowest score (which may be decided by tiebreaker) will take home a tacky golfing sport coat. Interested twosomes return an entry form, bring a putter the day of the event, and pay an appropriate entry fee:
- $25.00 for twosomes of upper management
- $15.00 for twosomes of middle management
- $10.00 for twosomes of all other staff
Try a “Golfing in America” theme with each hole highlighting a different state/city (i.e., a hole-in-one in a Hawaiian volcano, a birdie in Boise, sand traps in Arizona).
Nacho Party
Plan an afternoon to sell nachos or popcorn to interested employees in your break room. Employees pay $2.00 for each serving with all proceeds going to Orange County's United Way.
Rose Event
Ask local florists to donate roses or carnations that employees buy for $2.00 to send to fellow co-workers. As an added incentive, the organization matches each $2.00 donation. Try the same event with cookies, as a variation, with employees donating the cookies for the event. Interested employees pay $1.00 to send a cookie and a note to friends or co-workers in the organization just to say thanks.
Scavenger Hunt
Employees participate in a scavenger hunt that requires them to find unusual items from around the neighborhood or office building, as well as to demonstrate community knowledge. You can “plant” items to be “discover”. Teams of four, their choice, pay a group entrance fee. If each team member has a different job title, present at the end of one hour. If a team arrives late, assess a penalty of 2 points per minute (or fraction thereof). Award winners with something special just for their team.
Spelling Bee
Hold a spelling bee contest, charging a $5.00 entry fee. Galley observers place $1.00 bets on their favorite participants. Present the winner with a special "Dan Quayle Spelling Bee" Award.
Tailgate Party
Create a sports theme for your campaign to coincide with football season. Back a truck into the employee lounge, lower the tailgate, and sell football fare:
Hot dogs
Chips
Soft drinks
Peanuts
Play a game of tag or video football with participants donating an entrance fee and observers waging bets.
Ticket Giveaway/Gift Certificates
Give free tickets to movies, theater productions, amusement centers and other attractions for pledge incentives. Give movie passes to every employee who meets the challenge of pledging a certain dollar amount increase. In addition, enter the names of all employees who turn in a signed pledge form during the first hour following the kick off into a special drawing. Get tickets to a fun local destination such as Disneyland for your special drawing.
Trivial Pursuit Match
Create a pool around the winning team, and give all employees who bet on the winners a prize. Hold the challenge during a staff meeting. Give the event a game show flavor with participants using bicycle horns if the answer is known.
Tupperware ® Fund Raising
Call up Tupperware to arrange a fundraiser in your office, with 15%-25% of retail sales to go Orange County's United Way campaign (percentage depends on program plan selected). For the local distributorship near you, look in the white pages or call 1-800-858-7221.
Ugly Tie/Ugly Earring Contest
All contestants pay $5.00 to enter the best awful earrings or ugly ties they own (or can make or borrow)! Place voting boxes at various places around the office, and charge $1.00 per vote.
Vacation Day
Many coordinators say this event easily guarantees almost 100 percent participation. Employees “buy” a vacation day. When an employee chooses to participate, their wages from a day’s work are deducted from their paycheck. The organization may choose to match the amount deducted, with all proceeds donated to Orange County's United Way. Everyone wins through the implementation of this activity. The organization achieves high participation, the employees get a vacation day, and Orange County is helped.
Note: This may not be an incentive that is approved in your organization. Please check with your Human Resources Department or with your supervisor for authorization before implementing this activity.
White Elephant Sale
Employees donate “white elephant” gifts that others can buy at affordable prices. This is especially popular at carnivals.
Wine Drawing
Offer employees a chance to win an assortment of specially selected wines from a number of different wineries. Sell tickets for $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00 (what a deal)! Display the wines in an employee common area to entice wine lovers.
