Global Impact was founded as the federation for international charities in workplace giving campaigns. Now, with nearly 70 years of experience under our belts, it’s safe to say that we are experts in workplace giving and connecting organizations and employees with the causes and charities they care about!
Every June, we have the opportunity to walk the walk in our very own workplace giving campaign: Caring@Work! Mandy Huckins, this year’s committee leader, put it perfectly when she told staff, “This is your way to live our mission.”
Personally, I had the pleasure of serving as a keyworker in 2021 and as a participant every year since. The energy surrounding the campaign this year was so inspiring that I had to share our secrets and successes. I hope you find this information useful when planning your own charitable giving campaign at work.
Learn more about how we run our campaign and get ideas for philanthropic employee engagement at your own workplace!
Key Pieces: The 3 T’s
First, there are the essentials — the structural elements that get the campaign started and make sure that it runs smoothly. The three T’s: team, theme, and timeline.
1. Team
Our Caring@Work team is made up of committee leaders and keyworkers. The leaders are responsible for assembling the team, hosting planning meetings, and communicating the important details across the organization. Keyworkers are selected from each department so they can easily answer questions and encourage their group to participate.
TIP: Need help assembling your team? Check out the Campaign Ambassador Guide for support.
It is also incredibly encouraging to have executive leadership involved. Our senior executive team had members on the committee and Scott Jackson, President and CEO, gave a personal testimony about a child that his family sponsors through their nonprofit giving.
TIP: Here are a few strategies to engage and highlight senior leaders in your campaign.
2. Theme
This year, the campaign theme was the Caring@Work Olympics. With the 2024 Summer Olympic Games right around the corner, this theme was a fun way to emphasize how far our contributions go and encourage some friendly competition between departments.
3. Timeline
Arguably the most important detail of any employee giving campaign is the run dates. Caring@Work pledges were accepted June 11-21, 2024. Some workplaces accept them year round. Others have a limited time frame. Even if your employees are free to pledge anytime, a solicitation period can give employees something to look forward to and motivation to submit.
TIP: Use this planning worksheet to get your timeline started.
Engagement Activities
Now for the fun part! Every step along the way, the Caring@Work team had something fun and exciting to keep staff engaged. Global Impact and Geneva Global operate in a hybrid environment, but the campaign was hosted completely virtually via Microsoft Teams.
1. Kick-off Event
Because of the Olympic theme this year, the kick-off event was better known as the Opening Ceremonies. During our monthly all-staff meeting in June, the Caring@Work committee set the tone, shared critical details, and announced the campaign goals in a light, fun way. Each goal had a matching incentive for extra holiday time, generously offered by leadership. For example, the Friday between Independence Day and the weekend was an incentive, giving us a four-day weekend to strive toward if we could hit our fundraising revenue goal!
The kickoff finished with the first competition of the week: a live scavenger hunt. In the hunt, a committee member called out a possible nearby item (water bottle, smart watch, blanket) and the first person to show theirs on camera won. Even remotely, the camaraderie was palpable!
TIP: We offer an entire training on planning strategic virtual events!
2. Daily Challenges
Each morning, we were met on the Teams chat with a hilarious pre-recorded introduction video featuring two staff members, Brent and Jess, comedically commentating on “the games” and explaining the daily challenge. That’s right, the scavenger hunt was just the beginning.
Virtual competitions varied from the paper ball waste basket toss to a speed typing race and a pet photo contest. Every competition had a bronze, silver, and gold point value that counted toward each department’s total. The team with the highest total at the end of the campaign got an extra donation toward the charity of their choice.
3. Guest Speakers
The committee organized and hosted a Lunch & Learn for staff to attend featuring a charity speaker. This year, it was Global Impact Charity Alliance member Outright International. The presentation focused on legislative advances and setbacks for the LGBTQIA+ community in countries and regions around the world. It was informative and inspirational for our staff to hear from one of the thousands of charities we can pledge to. It also aligned perfectly with Pride Month celebrations and highlighted our organization’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice values.
4. Closing Ceremonies
Just as it began, we wrapped everything up in a fun, final event. Medals were awarded, goal progress was announced, and the entire team was thanked. When it was all said and done, we ended the day with a virtual game of trivia. Again, I felt so close to my coworkers and uplifted by the fun we had and all the good we were able to accomplish.
Results
Without further ado, *drumroll, please* — we smashed our goals and brought home the gold!
The 2024 final numbers:
- 92% staff participation
- $66,420 dollars pledged
- 2,620 volunteer hours pledged
- $1,000+ extra dollars donated on behalf of challenge winning teams, thanks to the generosity of the leadership team
Over $1.2 million has been raised through Caring@Work since 1998. At Global Impact Ventures, our staff is made up of passionate, philanthropy-minded individuals. By the nature of our work, we all clearly care about making the world a better place for all.
But you don’t have to work at a global philanthropy organization to care about your charitable impact. In fact, 71% of employees think it’s important to work at a company that gives back through philanthropy and volunteering. That’s why it’s so important to ensure your employees are engaged in your workplace giving campaign this year!
When it comes to your corporate social responsibility and employee engagement goals, we are here to lend our expertise! You can reach out to Global Impact’s Campaign Engagement team and explore the Employee Giving Hub for tools to have a successful workplace giving campaign of your own.
