Looking to Get Into the Holiday Spirit? Here are 5 Creative Office Charity Drives

With Halloween behind us, it’s officially the holiday season! Some will love it, others cringe at the thought of Jingle Bells blasting from every retail store they walk into. But one fail-proof way to bring the holiday spirit to your office is offering volunteering time off and of course, hosting office charity drives!

There are several office charity drives you can host that are creative, easy and fun. Whether you plan to spread some holiday cheer with a toy drive, food donation, or volunteering your time with some office mates, we’ve got you covered. Check out these 5 creative charity drives to spark inspiration for your office.

1. Feeding America

“No one can thrive on an empty stomach,” says Feeding America. The non-profit partners with a nationwide network of food banks in the fight to end hunger. With Thanksgiving fast approaching, you can help families in need enjoy a meal.

To get involved, identify a food bank partner in your area. Options for creating a workplace giving campaign are available on their website. The Feeding American team will work with your organization to develop a campaign that includes promotional materials, employee engagement ideas, and donation options.

A holiday gift card or an extra day of vacation can motivate employees to get in on the spirit of giving.

2. #GivingTuesday

Every year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, #GivingTuesday encourages community members to support a local cause. Help those in need by giving a gift, donation, or volunteering your time.

The simple concept of #GivingTuesday makes organizing office charity drives appealing. Sign up your organization online to get started. You’ll receive a toolkit, office ideas, case studies, and additional resources to launch your drive successfully.

3. Coats for Kids

As temperatures fall this holiday season, we can’t forget about those struggling to stay warm. Each year Coats for Kids strives to collect 50,000 winter coats for families in need. This creative charity drive partners with local non-profits, social service agencies, schools, and businesses to reach their goal.

The organization offers companies the opportunity to get involved by hosting a coat drive in their town. Coats for Kids supplies all of the materials needed to make your drive a success, and it doesn’t require spending money on the part of your employees. Have them part with old jackets or the coats that their children may have grown out of. Register your company online to become a collection partner this year.

Coats for Kids supplies all of the materials needed to make your drive a success, and it doesn’t require spending money on the part of your employees.

4. Toys For Tots

Toys For Tots offers many ways for businesses to get involved. The charity’s website will help you locate a drive closest to you. To launch a Toys For Tots fundraiser at your company, start by promoting the event around the office. Encourage employees to donate toys to kids in need.

To make Toys For Tots one of your office charity drives, designate a drop off location in the building for all donations. Once all contributions are accounted for, employers send the gifts to a Toys For Tots location. Encourage some friendly competition among your team by offering a prize to the individuals who donate the most, or the team that donates more than the rest of the company. A holiday gift card or an extra day of vacation can motivate employees to get in on the spirit of giving.

5. Penny Wars

A great way to raise money fast is to host a penny war. These friendly competitions are often held to donate funds to a school, non-profit, or social cause. Hosting an office penny war is quick and easy.

To get started read through the rules and regulations. Next, distribute empty containers around the office, ideally divided up by teams. These will be used to collect pennies from teammates. Choose a start and end date. Penny wars typically last between one and two weeks, and the goal is to end up with the most point; points are calculated by the amount of pennies a team collects. To sabotage other teams, drop a silver coin into their buckets– a nickel will detract 5 points from their container, a dime will subtract 10 and so on. Once the fundraiser ends, all of the cash collected in each jar is donated to a cause of choice.

Penny wars first became popular in schools to raise money for new supplies and encourage students to embrace the gift of giving in a fun atmosphere. Today, these creative charity drives are prevalent in all types of organizations to make an impact on those in need. And you don’t have to stop here– there are all kinds of office charity drives to offer throughout the year or at once!