Charity Team Building Ideas for work

a guide to hosting charity team building events

This article will feature our best tips for hosting a great charity team building event, as well as ideas and organizations you can support!

In today's climate, giving back to our communities holds greater significance than ever before. However, it can be challenging to determine where to begin. How can we choose a suitable organization? How do we include different team dynamics ie. hybrid, in-person, and remote? How can we make sure our efforts are valued? Our charity team building guide will help you answer all these questions and much more.

Remember, engaging in charity team-building activities benefits all parties involved. Your chosen cause will receive valuable assistance, and your team members will take pride in their contributions. Your employees will get an opportunity to come together and make a positive impact on their community. Through these activities, team members will deepen their connections, apply their skills, and experience the satisfaction of making an impact. As leaders, it falls on us to make informed decisions regarding team involvement and provide unwavering support throughout the process, so everyone feels supported, included, and empowered.

our guide TO HOSTING A CHARITY TEAM BUILDING EVENT

1. TALK TO YOUR TEAM: First, let your team know that you intend to get involved with a charitable organization. This can be an opportunity for your team to shout out causes that are important to them, and organizations that are doing awesome things you may not know about! It can also be a great way to connect with your team over shared values and purpose.

2. DO YOUR RESEARCH: There are many untrustworthy and sketchy ‘non-profits’ out there. Run any charity you are interested in donating to or partnering with through Charity Navigator and on the IRS database to ensure they are a legit organization worthy of your time, efforts, and money. Similarly, if possible, avoid third-party intermediaries and liaise with the organization directly.

3. LEAD BY EXAMPLE: As organizations, we have the resources and power to make a difference. While we absolutely should encourage our teams to get involved with a great charitable cause, do not place the burden of monetary giving on them. Similarly, do not organize charitable team-building events outside of the work day.

4. PLANNING YOUR EVENT: Once you have chosen your organization and established a partnership, begin planning your involvement! Be conscious of any other major deadlines or projects due around the time of your charity event, and ensure this does not disrupt workflow. Get your team involved in deciding what skills they would like to volunteer and how they can contribute.

5. STAY IN TOUCH: Following your event, reach out to your chosen charity to discuss how to keep in touch and follow up on the fruits of your labor. This can be incredibly rewarding for your colleagues to see. Share this on social media and your company website and let your clients and partners know how they too can get involved!

unique TEAM BUILDING ACTIVITIES FOR TEAMS

1. CHARITY ARTS AND CRAFTS

Provide your team with a unique learning opportunity and a fun two-in-one experience. Using our arts and crafts, your team can relax and unwind while crafting, and use their final product to support their community. For example, our terrarium-making kits would make a delightful and bright gift for a nursing home resident, and our candle-making could be a great addition to a self-care hamper for low-income mothers.

2. CARD MAKING

You can brighten up someone’s day by sending a homemade card to those who may be struggling and could use a pick-me-up. Cardz For Kids provides uplifting cards and you can help fulfill their card demand by choosing high-demand cards for veterans, cards in Spanish, cards for seniors, and many more! Send a Smile Today provides uplifting greeting cards for cancer patients through diagnosis, treatment, and beyond. Inquire here about our card-making kits and supplies for your next event.

3. VIRTUAL GAMES

Get involved with your local community by partnering with a community center or nursing home to provide a fun game night! This could be an incredible opportunity to help your team connect with a local organization and provide a fun and light-hearted opportunity for everyone to have a good time. KraftyLab’s Music Bingo or Team Trivia would be perfect for the occasion!

4. POLLINATOR GARDENING

Pollinators are an important part of our ecosystem, and we have them to thank for many of the foods we enjoy daily. So how can we help them? With our pollinator gardening class, your team will get an opportunity os support local pollinators, and provide them with a safe haven to feed and lay eggs. As an organization, you can empower your teams to have a direct impact on their local environment and build a company-wide campaign. You could even sponsor your teams to become certified with the National Wildlife Federation, and join over 13,000 other gardens across the US.

CHARITY TEAM BUILDING IDEAS AND ORGANIZATIONS

1. FOOD POVERTY

According to the USDA, more than 38 million people, including 12 million children in the US are food insecure. Certain communities and minorities are more vulnerable to food insecurity including BIPOC, seniors, and children. Feeding America provides incredible resources to take action today against food insecurity and food poverty and shows how you can make a difference in your community. As a corporation, you can get involved by sponsoring your employees to spend a work day away from their desks and on the ground helping the community!

Food Bank: Depending on where your team members are based, check out Feeding America’s resource for finding your local food bank by area. Based on the needs of the organization, colleagues may be sorting and packing food, delivering meals for vulnerable members of the community, tending to the food bank’s community garden, or even assisting at drive-thru pantries.

Food Drive: Get in touch with a local food bank to find out how you can best serve them and organize a food drive! Connecting with them directly ensures that you can provide the products that are higher in demand, which could be super beneficial for the community.

2. UNEMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY

Unemployment can often contribute to the cycle of poverty. It is difficult to go back to unemployment due to the prejudice surrounding gaps in someone’s resume, or the opportunities available are limited and are often low-pay. For most, holding down a job, and receiving a paycheck is an incredibly empowering thing, so how can your team help more people achieve this?

Working Wardrobes: Working Wardrobe’s mission involves helping at-risk clients who may struggle to find employment including veterans, former inmates, and senior citizens. You can help Working Wardrobes by setting up a clothing drive and donating gently used clothing for work interviews, or providing corporate support through in-kind donations like computers, printers, and office supplies.
Cara Collective: By connecting job seekers and employers, Cara Collective helps break the cycle of poverty through ‘the power and purpose of employment’. They provide job seekers with training, work placements, and coaching as well as work across communities to establish strong workforces for the future. You can support Cara Collective by hosting Corporate Service Days where you can put your teams’ skills to use! Your team can use their corporate experience and help out through interview training, resume, and cover letter coaching, or even as a clothing room volunteer.

3. SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

It can be difficult to know how can you support the brave men and women who fight for your country. We often don’t realize we can provide practical support that can reach stationed soldiers and veterans here at home! Check out some incredible organizations supporting the troops:

Semper Fi’s and America’s Fund: Oftentimes, soldiers come with physical and psychological wounds that can make it harder to reintegrate into society. Semper Fi’s and America’s Fund work towards providing immediate financial assistance and lifetime support to injured and combat-wounded service members, veterans, and military family members. Your organization can get involved by hosting a fundraiser (check out their list of ideas ‘Events from A to Z’ or participating in community-athlete-sponsored walks/runs. They even provide a super helpful planning guide for hosting your fundraiser!

Soldier Care Packages: Come together to send a gift to stationed soldiers! Operation Gratitude helps create kits, an incredible way to supply key items for soldiers. Build care packages to include necessary hygiene items like sunblock or lip balm, plus comfort items like socks and weather-proof snacks, plus add handwritten letters to share your gratitude to the receiving soldiers. USPS helps provide military mail through free military shipping kits, military address tips, and free package pickup.

Pets for Patriots: Pets For Patriots’ mission is to unite veterans and pets who will benefit from companionship and friendship. They also help reduce the cost of owning a pet for veterans! Your organization can support them through corporate event fundraising or volunteering services such as writing and social media efforts. For an incredibly heart-warming experience, check out their Wet Nose Blog where you can learn all about the new families created!

4. KIDS IN NEED

17% of children in the US live in poverty, with children of color being disproportionately affected by childhood poverty. How can your organization help support children in need in a practical and tangible way?

Fill School Backpacks: Under-resourced students benefit greatly from adequate school supplies to help them thrive in academics. Your company can help reduce the stress on low-income families and children by providing them with a new school bag and all the necessary supplies to be set up for success. Kids In Need Foundation’s Supply A Student program can deliver pre-assembled backpacks on your behalf, or deliver bulk goods for your team to host a backpack-building event!

No Kid Hungry: No Kid Hungry provides year-round support for hungry children across the US. Leading into summer, food insecurity becomes particularly prevalent for school-aged children who may depend on schools for their daily meals. Part of their programs includes School Meals which provides healthy breakfasts, after-school meals, and summer meals for kids in need. Corporate partnerships can help a very worthy cause on a large scale!

5. ANIMAL SHELTERS

While not everyone may be in a position to adopt or foster a sheltered animal, we can still help out in other ways. Animals can be such wonderful companions and friends and deserve the chance to live happy and healthy lives. Your company can sponsor your team to reach out to a local shelter or even organize a team pet-good drive!

Pet Goods Drive: Pet shelters can really use a wide range of items to make their animals more comfortable. These include old towels or linens that can be super helpful in providing comfort and coziness to animals, unopened pet food, lightly used pet toys, and more. Most shelters will have a wish list on their website that you can check out and try to make their day!

Volunteer At A Shelter: Animal shelters are largely helped by volunteers and there are an array of volunteer opportunities depending on your team’s skills. Many help out through companionship and by giving animals a chance to exercise, be given attention, and socialize. If you want to volunteer skills, you can help out in a shelter by maintaining kennels or using your skills to improve the likelihood of adoption in the shelter through pet photography, bio writing, or admin work.

What’s next?

We hope this guide has inspired you to become involved in your community and help your team give back in meaningful and impactful ways. If you are still looking for inspiration, reach out to a KraftyLab virtual event specialist and we can help you plan your next event. You can schedule a call, send an inquiry, or call us directly on 551-430-5384!

ABOUT KRAFTYLAB

KraftyLab is a leading corporate event provider hosting virtual team building activities across the US & Canada. Our focus is on creating fun and engaging experiences through activities and games wherever your team may be!

How To Host An Awesome Charity Team Building Event At Work