Hybrid fundraising
Hybrid working doesn’t need to be a barrier to successful workplace fundraising. We’ve got some ideas to help you get all of your colleagues involved, whether they’re at home or in the office.
Things to consider
- Who needs to be involved? Key teams are often internal and external comms, wellbeing teams, operations and senior leaders.
- Charity champions. Having a group of colleagues to help run fundraising and wellbeing events helps generate more ideas, and you’ll be able to achieve much more working as a team.
- Ask colleagues for input. Don’t waste time guessing what people would enjoy. Fundraisers will be more successful if you know there’s appetite for the activity.
- Look at the whole year. Check out Mind’s key dates and match this with your business calendar to take advantage of planner events.
Bake sale and cookbook
Bake sales are always a winner, but how do you include homeworkers? A hybrid bake sale and cookbook!
- Host a bake sale on a day when people are likely to be on site, and set up an online meeting room where colleagues taking part can join for a chat, cuppa and cake. It’s a great opportunity to factor some wellbeing time into the week.
- For an added edge, run a small competition with a prizes for the best cake and cake design. Colleagues taking part from home can send in photos of their creations. Ask colleagues to vote with a £1 donation.
- For extra engagement, ask the bakers to share their recipes, and create an online company cookbook.
- Ask for a small donation to access the recipes, so everyone can enjoy the treats.
Active challenge
There are lots of ways to host active challenges for a hybrid workplace.
- Set your goal. Depending on the size of your workforce, you could attempt to walk the distance between everyone’s homes, collectively cover the length of the UK or even walk to the moon!
- Use Strava’s integration with JustGiving, or a platform like Challengize, to connect steps with your fundraising. Alternatively you could use a spreadsheet and get everyone to record their own step count.
- Decide when you’ll run the challenge, and how long for. Consider arranging it around a key mental health awareness date, National Walking Month in May or Bike Week in June.
- Ask for an entry fee to join and make sure you have good prizes to entice entries. You could either run an individual or team challenge, reaching out to friends, family and wider networks for sponsorship.
- Consider asking for sponsorship from suppliers or clients. Could you offer an incentive like including their logo in event comms or a dedicated social media post to thank them?
- Getting active is important for wellbeing. Use the opportunity to share Mind’s information on physical activity and mental health.
- For more engagement, run a photo competition for the best photos while getting active!
- Consider how your company can support the challenge – could you donate £1 per mile or 1000 steps walked, or match the entry fees?
Senior leader talent show
Getting senior leaders involved in fundraising is always a crowd pleaser.
- Gather a group of senior leaders who’d be willing to show off their talents. Maybe there’s a hidden singer among them, or someone with a secret talent for an instrument?
- Either host it virtually or at an in-person event. Make sure you give as many colleagues as possible the chance to watch.
- Ask each contestant to perform, and set up a JustGiving page where colleagues can donate to vote for their top performer. Set a low minimum, with the option to donate more if colleagues feel able.
- Managers could reach out to their networks for sponsorship too.
- The show could offer some great social media content (with the contestants’ permission of course). Record some acts or snap some photos of the event!
Quiz night
These can also work well for hybrid workplaces – make use of our guides for a successful event.
Auction of promises
Ask colleagues from across the business to donate their time and efforts in return for a donation to Mind.
- Are there any bakers who could make a cake for a colleague’s special occasion? Could a keen DIY-er paint a room or 2, or build some flat-pack furniture? Is there a maths expert who could tutor a colleague’s child? Does anyone have a holiday home they could offer up for a free stay?
- Make sure to look for a range of prizes so everyone can participate in offering their skills and bidding for a prize.
- It helps if your company can commit a minimum amount, say £5, for each lot. That way, everyone’s talent is recognised even if no-one bids.
- Host a lunchtime social – online and in-person – for some live entertainment, or set up a silent auction in advance and announce the winning bids on the call.
Through the keyhole
Get to know each other better with this challenge.
- Ask colleagues to submit a picture of a small corner of their home or a favourite item.
- It’s great if you can get senior leaders on board, as colleagues are more likely to donate if they get an inside scoop on their boss!
- Charge a fee to enter a competition guessing which photo belongs to who. If you can gather enough photos for several rounds, you could send a weekly email for one month with different entries.
- Make sure to arrange a prize for the winner, and remember to reveal the answers at the end of the challenge!
Festive fundraisers
Get in the Christmas spirit with some festive fundraising!
- Source donations of sweets or candy canes and give colleagues the opportunity to donate £1 to send a colleague a Christmas treat – or keep it for themselves!
- You can do the same for Christmas cards, encouraging colleagues to pass on wellbeing messages to each other. These could be physical cards or e-cards for remote workers.
- Set up a gift-wrapping service. Buy some wrapping supplies and ask for donations to have gifts wrapped at work.
- A virtual Christmas quiz is always a crowd pleaser. We’ve got templates you can use for question and answer sheets.