As we get closer to the holidays and year end festivities, it’s a good time to encourage ourselves and others to support those who may be struggling. There are so many worthy causes out there that could use time and money and it’s a great way to encourage teamwork and build relationships. Providing our staff with an opportunity to engage in different work for a couple of hours or a morning or afternoon can help with productivity in the long run.
When’s the last time you had a group project that focused on a local charity?
Choosing the cause can be obvious (if your organization is already involved with a charity) or you can make that part of the activity by allowing staff to nominate a charity and then voting to see which one “wins” your time/money or have a drawing with a charity reveal. You can set parameters as to the types of organizations if there is concern about bringing in politics or controversial options as the point is to make this a fun and meaningful project.
You can even make the “donation” part of the team decision. Do you want to collect money or gift cards or other items to donate or do you want to devote a few hours at the charity helping in some way? What works best and is most impactful for your team?
Maybe you break up the momentum and donate items to one charity and donate time to another over different weeks (maybe one week in November and one week in December). Whatever you do, involve your team to help make the decision to ensure their buy-in and participation.
Refocusing on others can help us refocus on our role. It can be a reminder of what others are dealing with and is a good way to strengthen or build relationships. And it’s a good thing to do!
What a great way to kick off the holidays!
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