Creative Ways Staff Can Give Back to the Community

Staff Blood Drive

Blood donations are a constant need in the United States, according to the Red Cross. This specific volunteer project might not work for all your employees; some people are squeamish about needles and won't want to be pressured to participate. However, if you have a willing team of a few volunteers, it can be a good bonding experience for all of them to go donate blood on the same day.

Coffee & Hot Chocolate Giveaway

A chilly day can be the perfect time for several of your staffers to head downtown and give away free coffee, hot chocolate, or even donuts to passersby and the homeless. All you need are a few thermoses filled with hot chocolate or coffee, a few cups, and some smiling faces to improve other people's day.

Local Shelters Always Have Needs

Local homeless shelters and women's shelters are often run by non-profits that have constant needs. A great way to promote some staff community engagement is by contacting a shelter and asking what they need right now.

Once you have a list of items that the shelter needs, have an employee drive to either donate those items or encourage them to chip in some money and buy them. Once the donations have been collected, have the staff deliver them as a team, so they can see how their efforts helped needy community members.

Note: Some women's shelters may only allow female staffers to make in-person donations.

Diaper and Baby Wipes Drive

Another team volunteering idea is to hold a donation drive in the workplace to collect diapers and baby wipes. There are national and many local non-profits that help low-income families with baby items, which can be costly. This can make a big difference in the lives of local families that are struggling to make ends meet.

Join a Charity Run

Most cities have some type of 5K or 10K charity run each year. If a group of employees wants to join, you can pay for their race entry fees, gym memberships, and some other needs to promote a company team for the race. This can give employees a fitness goal to work toward together. Staffers who don't want to run in the race still come to the event and help pass out water, or volunteer to help as staff for it.

Homeless Gift Bags

Collecting items to help the homeless is a good team volunteering idea that can help in most cities these days. The homeless have some constant needs, and it's easy for staffers to stop on their way to work and hand them a gift bag of necessary items. These can be affordable items that are easy to assemble, like toothbrushes, travel-sized sunscreen, nail clippers, and wet wipes. Socks and some non-perishable food items like granola bars can also be huge gifts for people in need.

Fostering a Culture of Giving

Corporate social responsibility initiatives like these have been shown to reduce stress and increase employee happiness and satisfaction. These are just a few ideas to get you thinking about creative ways staff can give back. Ask your employees for their own ideas to increase engagement as well!

If you're feeling inspired to foster a culture of giving within your organization, there's no time like the present.