The holiday season is fast approaching, and with it comes the opportunity to help those in need and give back to the community. This is also a great opportunity for you to show your gratitude to those who have dedicated so much of their time and effort to furthering the success of your organization in the past year. And coming up with holiday charity ideas for the office is not as hard as it seems.
71% of employees say it’s important for them to work for a company that is supportive of giving back and volunteering. Giving back during the holidays is a meaningful way to show your appreciation and honor the spirit of giving, but it also provides plenty of great business benefits.
But what exactly are those great business benefits, and what are some of the best holiday charity ideas for the office in 2024? Read on to find out what you can do right now to make this holiday season a more joyous time for your employees, as well as your local community.
The holiday season is a perfect time to bring your team closer together. Listen to our podcast episode, CSR Meets Holiday Team Building, to explore creative holiday giving ideas that not only foster camaraderie but also benefit those in need.
The Benefits of Holiday Giving
As a leader in your organization, you’re always looking for those win-win situations in which good deeds and acts of charity can also prove beneficial to the company. That kind of synergy can go a long way toward furthering your organization’s goals, improving employee engagement, and strengthening your community all at once. So, why not seek it out wherever you can?
Here are some of the many benefits your organization can enjoy when you decide to give back this holiday season.
Stronger Relationships
When your organization lends a helping hand, be it to charities, to employees, or to your community as a whole, it lays the foundation for a strong relationship that can prove beneficial to all involved. The recipients of your organization’s charity will reap the rewards of those contributions, while your organization can garner a good reputation and the goodwill that charity evokes.
Increased Employee Engagement
You know by now how important employee engagement is to the success of any organization. According to Gallup, companies with highly engaged employees are 21% more profitable and outperform competitors by 147%. In other words, companies that are committed to improving the overall employee experience can directly impact the customer experience, which ultimately leads to higher profits.
One of the best ways to improve employee engagement is to give back to the community during the holiday season. Whether by allowing employees to volunteer at a charity of their choice, by volunteering your own time, or by donating to causes that speak to them, you can inspire and motivate your people to connect with their place of work and become more engaged and productive.
“We have some companies that we work with who survey their employees, and they said they like their company more because of this event that they did with us, or they’re more passionate about their company, or they’re proud to be an employee because they are doing these, these volunteer events with us.” – Baylee Goldstein
An Improved Community
Making your community better by investing in projects and initiatives that people care about not only helps the community grow but can also directly impact the prosperity of your organization. Whether you’re beautifying public spaces, putting forth an effort to combat issues afflicting the community, or making donations to improve schools in your area, your company gains just as much from your giving as everyone else.
5 Simple Holiday Charity Ideas for Work
Now that you know just how beneficial to your organization giving back can be, you’re probably wondering how best to make it happen. Let’s look at a few of the best Christmas charitable giving ideas to show your gratitude to your workforce and your community during the holiday season this year.
1. Donate to a Meaningful Cause
Donating to a charity is one of the simplest ways to extend a helping hand and focus on giving back during the holidays. Not only does it provide funding for a noble cause and offer help to those that need it most, but it can also help to build a strong reputation for your company within your community and among your employees.
Choosing a charity that reflects the core values that your organization strives to uphold is a great way to strengthen company culture. If you want to go a step further, you can even ask your employees which charities they wish to support and then make donations in their names. This way, you are essentially taking the spotlight off your corporation or business and placing it on your deserving employees.
2. Organize a Charity Event
Simple donations to a meaningful cause can go a long way but holding a charity holiday event can go even further than that. Seek out a foundation that reflects your company’s values, and then organize an event to raise funds.
Provided your event is a successful one, you should be able to raise far more than what your organization would have been able to donate all on its own. In doing so, you’ll also be providing a great time for all of those involved. A fun holiday event that provides money to a great cause is one of those win-wins that you just can’t pass up.
Consider charity team building events like Impact Online that have a charitable aspect. Engage your employees with fun challenges, quizzes, and trivia while also enabling them to make meaningful contributions to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
If you’re looking for more localized charitable initiatives, Paws For a Cause is a unique team building workshop that also uses games and trivia to get people involved in making the community a happier place for everyone. What better way to achieve that than by having your employees work together to make and donate essential supplies to local animal shelters.
3. Corporate Volunteering
You can give back to your community and your employees at the same time this holiday season by creating a workplace initiative to encourage corporate volunteering. Providing your employees an opportunity to volunteer for a charity that’s meaningful to them can help to improve employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention, while also providing a great cause with a helping hand when they most need it.
This method of giving back should prove to be especially useful with the younger members of today’s workforce, as they’re more motivated to do work that they find meaningful. In fact, the 2014 Millennial Impact Study found that 53% of Millennials said that having their passions recognized by employers is one of their main reasons for not leaving the company. In a separate study, 77% of surveyed companies believe that they can attract more job applications from Millennials if they offer employee engagement opportunities.
TeamBondingCSR is our comprehensive corporate volunteer management team, providing employee volunteer programs that empower your team to surpass social impact goals. With seamless execution, comprehensive tracking, and a tailored plan perfectly aligned with your company values, you can make a meaningful difference in the world with ease and purpose.
4. Host a Charity Drive
A charity drive focuses on collecting essential items like food, clothing, or toys, which are then donated to local nonprofits and shelters. This charity event idea can be as simple as putting a box in your lobby for donations or making a whole day of it and encouraging your entire community to drive by and drop their essential goods with you.
You and your employees can decide on the type of drive – whether it’s a food drive, winter clothing drive, toy drive, or something else – and prepare the materials to make sure your whole community knows about the event. You can even set a goal of how many items you’d like to collect during the drive. It’s a great way to get your office working together towards a common goal!
5. Improve Your Local Community
You are almost certain to feel the impact of your organization’s giving much more if you focus on local causes. Perhaps the goods or services that your company provides can be offered for free to members of your community who need them most during the holiday season, or maybe you can give donations to areas of your community that require repair, reform, or renewal.
Whatever you choose to do this holiday season to better your community is just as much a gift to your company and its employees as it is a gift to your neighbors.
Check Out All Our Holiday Charity Ideas for the Office
These are just some ways your organization can give back this holiday season and give thanks to your employees and your community. If none of them speak to you, don’t worry, there are plenty of other creative ways to give back, such as throwing holiday parties, making efforts to offset your carbon footprint, or simply being more flexible as the holidays draw near.
Whatever you choose to do, know that TeamBonding is always available to facilitate your holiday charity events. Browse our charity team building activities and contact us today to out your holiday giving ideas in motion.
