On October 1, 20 Vancouver tech companies participated in TechPong, a charitable ping pong tournament, and raised $71,131 for Downtown Eastside charities.

In order to send a player to the event, participating companies were required to raise a minimum of $1,000 for a DTES charity — or charities  — of their choice. Many went above and beyond, taking fundraising to a whole new level of creativity. From lip synch battles to headband knitting and more, the range of creative, unique fundraisers went way beyond expectations.

“It was amazing to see the different ways companies ended up fundraising, and it really took on a life of its own,” says Chimp’s Steven Davis, who organized TechPong.

“At the end of the day, it was about everyone getting together, rallying behind a cause and doing something really worthwhile for the community.”

Solutions as Unique as Your Business

TechPong illustrated how businesses can benefit from rallying around a common cause to effect positive change — inside and outside the office. Putting on a charitable ping pong match, however, is just one example. How you choose to inject charity into your workplace can be as unique as your business, says Steve.

“Regardless of what business you’re in or what kind of fundraising activity you want to facilitate, Chimp is the tool that will really help your company take all of your charitable giving and effect change that wasn’t possible before.”

The Benefits of Adding Charity to Your Workplace

After the event, we talked to some of the companies that participated in TechPong. We asked them about their experience introducing charity to their workplace and got lots of thoughtful comments — some of which are featured in our video above.

Here are some additional thoughts on why adding charity to your workplace is worth the effort:

“Community involvement is a pretty big part of our culture. When we get people together to do something to give back that really helps build our culture. It’s what bonds people together and brings them out of their shell.” Wisam Abdulla, COO at PaySavvy 

“Doing something for the community together feels good. It makes you feel more in touch with Vancouver the city and not just Vancouver the tech community. It forces you to get out of your bubble to give back to the people that live here.” Sarah McCredie, Business Development Manager at Unbounce

“Adding charity to our office through fundraising and our own programs really provides a sense of community — externally with other organizations and partners, but also internally with coworkers. Doing things together for an organization in your community means a lot to people.” Michelle Malpass, Director of Community Performance at Traction on Demand

“It [office fundraising] makes for an awesome work culture. You know, happy employees are more creative and more productive. I think some of our best ideas take place outside of work over events like TechPong or ping pong night or other social events.” Rick Perreault, Co-founder of Unbounce

Interested in ways to add charitable giving to your workplace? Chimp offers a wide range of solutions to fit your needs. Please get in touch at [email protected] or 1-877-531-0580.