5 Fundraising Ideas at the Office

Tis’ the season for giving! As many charities and nonprofits gear up for the holidays, they often look to team members or volunteers to raise funds at their place of work. Have you ever been asked to become a supporting member of a local charity or nonprofit?

It can be uncomfortable to ask coworkers for money, even if it is in support of a positive cause. Because of this, I wanted to write down 5 fundraising ideas that you can implement at your place of work which will not only help your fundraising efforts but will be fun for the entire office!

1. Soup lunch during the winter.

The bitter cold can take a toll on everyone in the office. To fight back the winter blues, host a warm-themed lunch in which staff bring in their favorite hearty dish to share with coworkers. Make an event out of it and ask that staff provide a $5 donation to indulge in the deliciousness.

2. Bury a pipe in a snow pile.

You might be thinking – what!? Here is a fun idea we do in late winter/early spring… Acquire a 6 foot piece of pipe (or wooden rod) and paint the bottom foot of the pipe in a bright orange color. Take that pipe and bury it in the largest snow pile in your parking lot with the orange portion at the bottom. Create a staff spreadsheet so that employees can guess the date on which the orange portion of the pipe will appear. It’s a snow melting contest 🙂 $1 per guess or $20 for 5 guesses. The winner will receive half of the funds raised or a predetermined prize that the fundraising organizer has provided.

3. Jean day.

This one is simple enough – jean day for staff members. Pick a few days throughout the year and ask staff members to donate $5 to your cause, in turn they will be able to wear jeans to the office that day.

4. Raffle drawing

Depending on what you are giving away, you can raise some serious moola from a raffle drawing. Ideas range from resort trips to NFL tickets. Determine your entry fee based on the dollar value of the giveaway. For example, gift cards = $1 entry, NFL tickets = $25 entry.

5. Ice cream sundae/root beer floats

Everyone likes sweets! Bring in the fixings for sundaes or root beer floats and ask for a $2-5 donation to partake. Besides making for a good fundraiser this one should also be a good mid-day morale boost for your team!

Whether you decide to use one of these ideas or not, the important thing is to be creative. Think outside of the box and do your best to appeal to the masses at your workplace. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. The goal is to get the team to buy-in. The more participation, the more $$$ going towards your cause!