6 Ideas to Help Your Office Fundraiser Succeed

Charities are often front and centre in the relief and rebuilding efforts from major disaster, and fundraising campaigns in support of these efforts are often very successful in the first few days after the disaster. But in the days and weeks following a tragedy like the Fort McMurray wildfire, donations may dwindle due to reduced press coverage and waning interest. But for many tragic world events, support for relief and rebuilding will be needed for months and years to come. Here are some ideas for engaging your office and community year round to support causes like #ymmfire and others like it. Chimp makes all of these ideas easy to do; donation collection and distribution are tracked and tallied, automatically and completely free. Set up a giving group today!

1. Boss for the Day
   Employees contribute donations to #ymmfire for the opportunity to switch places with their manager for a day. The donor works from the corner office or boardroom while the boss fields calls at reception or spends the day in a colleague’s cubicle.
2. Challenge Yourself and Others
   Whether it’s about developing new workplace skills, achieving personal goals, or simply vying for a chance to win bragging rights, a workplace challenge encourages participants to push themselves a little harder than they normally would in the name of a charitable cause. Host a trivia night where the losing teams have to contribute small donations to #ymmfire. Or cut out the middle man and offer a prize to the employee who raises the most money for the fire relief effort. The allure of competition cannot be underestimated.
3. Company Swear Jar
   Trying to eliminate jargon from your office? Charge a small donation for people who utter the word “synergy” or “transformational” or “actionable”.
4. Plan an Event
   Invite employees to participate in office events like lunch-and-learns or yoga. Make the admission fee a small donation to #ymmfire. By dedicating company-sanctioned time for fundraising, you can foster greater participation.
5. Costume Friday
   In exchange for a small donation, staff are free to come to work dressed however they like. Run a fun contest for the wackiest or ugliest outfit.
6. Play a Guessing Game
   Everyone loves a chance to guess on an expected outcome, whether it’s quarterly sales results, newsletter open rates or something a little more personal like a baby pool. Why not put a charitable price on those guesses and donate the total amount raised to #ymmfire?

All of these ideas are easy to set up on Chimp. Start a giving group now and you’ll be collecting donations and making coworkers smile in no time.