Campaign recipe for success final

RECIPES FOR SUCCESS

EVENTS

HOLDING SPECIAL EVENTS IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS TO MAKE YOUR WORKPLACE CAMPAIGN MORE FUN AND SUCCESSFUL.

help raise more money, increase awareness of United Way,

BOOST COMPANY MORALE, improve teambuilding and help employees

FEEL GOOD ABOUT

GIVING.

MANAGEMENT INVOLVEMENT It always boosts morale and demonstrates corporate support for the campaign when “The Boss” or senior management get involved in the fun. A little humility can go a long way!

Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner with the Boss Have your top executives serve employees breakfast, lunch or dinner at the office. Employees “tip” them for their service.

Executive Karaoke For a $2 donation, employees get to vote for the executive of their choice during a lunchtime karaoke party.

Executive Relay Races Set up a relay race for executives and time them. Observers can wager $1 on their favorite leader. Giant tricycles are fun!

CEO Car Wash Employees donate $5 to have their car washed by the boss.

Raise more by charging extra to clean the interior.

Executive Jail Transform an office into a jail cell, “arrest” the top execs, take mug shots and lock them up! They can make phone calls to staff to “bail” them out with all “bail” money benefiting the campaign.

Trading Places Employees pay to vote for who gets to be boss for the morning.

The winner gets to act and dress like the boss and sit in their office. The boss has to dress like the winning employee and do their work! Finish the event with a special lunch.

FOOD RELATED EVENTS If you serve food, they will come! Show off your own culinary prowess or sample the wares of others.

Iron Chef Have top executives cook their favorite dish or cook with a special ingredient. Employees donate to taste and cast their vote.

FIND YOUR BEST WAY.

Food Trucks Contact local food trucks and arrange a special time at your location. Ask that they contribute a percentage of their proceeds to United Way. Potluck Colleagues sign up to bring in a homemade dish and then employees pay for a plate to enjoy the potluck lunch. Great for a small office!

Pizza Party One of the classics and easy to execute, employees donate per slice of pizza that they’d like.

Ice Cream Social Set up an ice cream bar with all of the toppings! Employees donate to participate and senior management does the scooping!

Bake Sale/Treat Trolley We all know who the bakers are in the office! Ask them to make their specialties and sell them for a good cause. All proceeds will benefit the campaign. Take the bake sale “on the road” and bring treats directly to your colleagues — a great way to include multiple departments and floors. Call center colleagues will love this!

The Great Chili Cook-off Everyone loves chili! Have employees sign up to make their “award-winning” recipes. Employees make a donation to taste and cast their vote! Consider adding a cornbread cook-off to get bakers involved.

Harvest Festival/Pie Baking Contest Host a farmer’s market or harvest festival and include a pie baking contest! The fall is a great time to ask your colleagues to donate some of the bounty of their gardens with proceeds from the sale benefiting United Way. Consider asking a local vendor to donate mums and pumpkins. Employees pay to vote for who bakes the best pie.

30 Laurel Street • Hartford, CT 06106 860.493.6800 unitedwayinc.org

Balloon Pop Write some prizes on small pieces of paper and put them in the balloons before inflating them. Employees then pay per balloon to pop them to win prizes.

Penny or Coin Wars Each department starts with an empty jug and employees can drop their change into it. All change counts as “positive” and all dollar bills or checks count as “negative.” Employees can “sabotage” other departments by putting bills into their jugs.

The department that raises the most money gets a prize.

Jeans or Casual Day Employees donate a few dollars every Friday or for the whole month to be able to wear jeans to work or dress casually — a great way to involve lots of people and boost campaign proceeds.

Cubicle Decorating Contest Hold a cubicle decorating contest and use a theme like “Everything Elvis,” or follow the “Trading Spaces” model where employees get to decorate each other’s cubicle.

Craft Sale Calling all crafty colleagues! Have employees bring in their handmade crafts for a sale with all proceeds benefiting the campaign. Consider finding vendors who will donate a portion of their proceeds back to United Way.

Putting Green Bring in a putting green or create one! Charge employees per attempt at getting the golf ball in the hole. Those who succeed get a prize with all proceeds going toward the campaign.

OTHER FUN SPECIAL EVENTS

Employee Tag Sale or Used Book Sale Employees bring in donated items with all proceeds going toward the campaign.

Paper Airplane Toss Employees make their best paper airplane and then pay to see who can throw theirs the farthest. Set up a target and let the planes fly! Provide prizes to encourage participation.

Hawaiian Luau Get those grass skirts and Hawaiian shirts ready! Charge for admission and turn on some Hawaiian music for an employee luau with proceeds benefiting the campaign.

Pumpkin Carving Contest A great event for the month of October! Employees get to show off their pumpkin carving skills and make a small donation to cast their vote for the best pumpkin. Employees who carve can pay a small entry fee that goes toward the campaign as well.

Display the jack-o-lanterns around the office.

Costume Contest Perfect for Halloween or any time of year! Employees make a small donation to wear a work-appropriate costume and others can vote on a winner.

Baby Picture Match Game Invite employees to see if they can match baby pictures with their fellow colleagues. Charge a fee to play and give a prize to the employee who gets the most correct.

Game Show Contest Host a game show to highlight knowledge about United Way based on shows like Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, or Who Wants to be a Millionaire?. Email information about United Way every day for a week and base the contest on trivia questions created from the emails. Employees make a small donation to play.

PRIZES AND INCENTIVES Prizes and incentives can provide a boost to the campaign while showing your employees that they are appreciated.

Examples include: • Time-off: an extra vacation day, a half-day, etc.

• Movie or entertainment passes • Lunch with the boss or CEO • Free oil changes • Gift certificates to stores, restaurants, spas and salons • Snack time •P rime parking spaces, perhaps a sign saying “United Way Rockstar” or the CEO’s reserved spot for a week • Lottery tickets • Free night at a local hotel for a “mini-getaway” • Tickets to sporting or music events, etc.

•V alet parking by an executive/supervisor for the week of the employee’s choice • Sleep-in late awards • Corporate clothing or “swag” • Call in “well” day

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOSTING A SPECIAL EVENT CONTACT YOUR UNITED WAY LIAISON. FIND YOUR BEST WAY.

30 Laurel Street • Hartford, CT 06106 860.493.6800 unitedwayinc.org