COMMUNITY FUNDRAISERS IN THE WORKPLACE

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1 COMMUNITY FUNDRAISERS IN THE WORKPLACE A Workplace Community Fundraiser is aimed at employees and organized and managed by staff, e.g., casual days and office luncheons. Larger corporate events open to stakeholders or the general public can also be organized. Why in the Workplace? raise funds in honour of a co-worker, friend or family member affected by heart disease and stroke; boost employee morale and employee loyalty; encourage team building and leadership skills; give staff the opportunity to relax and have fun; increase employee motivation and retention; get involved in the community; get to know your co-workers; work together for a common cause; acquire skills, knowledge and experience; celebrate employee and organization successes; and promote your organization s commitment to its community. As the organizer, it is also your responsibility to: customize your fundraising event to fit with your organization s values and culture; register your fundraiser with your local Heart and Stroke Foundation area office; facilitate and manage the event; maintain open communications with the Foundation; act within the Foundation s Fundraiser Guidelines; and thank all participants and sponsors. Recruiting Volunteers Often larger workplaces have event organizing or social committees in place. If no such committees are in place at your workplace, create one. Find volunteers who have a variety of skills and who are passionate about your goals to help your vision come to life. Personal invitations are always most effective. A volunteer recruitment , memo and/or newsletter blurb are all great, easy ways to reach all employees. Posters in common areas like a staff room or lunch room can also prove to be an effective recruitment tool. Remember to post the information in the Human Resources office as well. Choosing your Fundraiser Consider incorporating the fundraiser in an already established workplace event, such as a holiday party or a staff barbeque. You might plan your event around a product launch, corporate announcement, or corporate anniversary. Review the events that your workplace participates in throughout the year and identify activities

2 that could support the Foundation. This can be done as easily as designating a portion of participation fees to the Foundation. How to Raise Funds at your Workplace Community Fundraiser There are various ways to raise funds at your workplace fundraiser: participation fees ticket sales donation boxes prize draws auctions pledge forms product sales online fundraising Remember that you always have the option of making your Heart and Stroke Foundation contribution in memory or in honour of someone affected by cardiovascular disease. Gift Matching Many companies will match the funds raised by their employees in order to support and encourage their charitable activities. Check to see whether your company has a gift matching policy in place. Organizations that match employee donations will receive a HSF certificate of appreciation and a tax receipt for its charitable contribution. Promotion Get the word out! Promotion is essential to build support for your workplace fundraiser. Be creative and have fun with your promotion. Promote your event well in advance so participants can plan ahead to attend. Provide a contact phone number and address and put one person in charge of RSVPs. It is also recommended that you call and personally invite participants, as individuals are less likely to turn your invitation down when approached one-on-one. How to Gain the Support of your Workplace Consider creating a health information display in your workplace in order to encourage participation. The Foundation has a variety of health education resources and fact sheets available. Your workplace may be more inclined to help if their contributions are made in honour or in memory of a co-worker affected by heart disease or stroke. Talk with your co-workers and managers one-on-one to solicit their support. Personal invitations are generally the most effective. Registration can be done by or on a signup sheet posted in a common area of the organization. Event Try not to schedule events around popular vacation times like July and August, before or after long weekends or during the holiday season. Choose the day carefully. A Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday is often best for employee events.

3 Fundraisers can be planned during or outside of work hours, depending on your organization s policies. If outside of work hours try to hold the event during lunch hour or right after work in order to increase participation. Events during work hours can serve as a great way to recognize employee s hard work while rewarding employees with a break from their regular work day. Prize Giveaways Prize giveaways can serve as great incentive tools to encourage staff participation. Be creative when choosing prize giveaways. Great ideas include: day off or half day off with pay, sporting event or concert tickets, gift certificates, corporate logo items or a heart healthy gift basket. Promotional Ideas Include posters and sign up sheets in common high traffic areas like the employee lunchroom, staffroom or cafeteria s fax personal invitations intranet memos bulletin board announcements at staff meetings internal newsletter promotion sheet attached to payroll stubs word of mouth Have Fun Kick back and have a blast on event day! Take pride in your fundraising efforts. Great Fundraiser Ideas for your Workplace: A thon of any kind Organize a triathlon, walk, bike, skate or run event in support of the Foundation. Events like these help promote active living while raising significant funds for the Foundation. Charge a participation fee, encourage participants to collect pledges, and donate the proceeds of food and beverage sales. Auctions Auctions are a terrific way to raise funds. Consider offering heart healthy auction prizes, such as sporting goods, heart healthy gift baskets and stress relievers, like a stay at a local spa. Maximize your charitable contribution by requesting sponsorship from the business community. Consider holding a dinner, social or lunch in conjunction with your auction. Baby Picture Match Game Invite employees to try their luck at matching baby pictures to co-workers and/or management. Charge a participation fee and award a prize to the individual with the most correct matches. Casual Day Dress casual, wear red or wear corporate colours for a participation fee. Workplace casual day fundraisers are very popular and simple to plan.

4 Dinner, Gala or Social Coordinate an evening of dinner and dancing in support of HSF. Benefit dinners are great for rewarding employees and for promoting their work in the community. To save costs, try to organize the dinner within your workplace. If your organization doesn t have a space suited to this type of event, consider renting a hall or banquet room. See if any of the companies near you provide discounts for charitable fundraising events. Family Day Organize a heart healthy BBQ, lunch or picnic and include activities like mini golf, go-carting, facepainting, caricatures, scavenger hunt and/or a carnival. Raise money for the Foundation by selling tickets to these activities and designate the proceeds of any food and drink sales. Add an educational element by displaying the Foundation s resources that educate families on the importance of healthy living. Fitness Lunch Session Arrange for a trained fitness professional in Pilates, Yoga, golf, etc. during lunch and charge employees a participation fee. Grand Opening/Launches Raise awareness and profile of your organization, while raising funds for the Foundation. Hold a barbeque, prize draw or party and designate the monies raised to the Foundation. Lunch Money Ask everyone to bring in sandwiches for a day and donate what they would have normally spent on lunch. Office Olympics Split employees up into teams and have all players pay a participation fee for taking part. Come up with at least three activities that incorporate physical activity. Choose activities that are safe and can be performed by the majority of your workplace. Award the winning team a prize, such as a half day off work, a gift certificate or a ticket to a concert or sporting event. Office Survivor Split employees into two groups and give them a variety of challenges they must complete. Choose an uneven number of challenges so a winner can be determined. At the completion of each challenge, the group that finishes first will be rewarded a flag. The team with the most flags wins. Paper Heart Sale The Foundation can provide paper hearts which can be sold and displayed around the office. Point of Purchase Donation If you are a retailer, you have an opportunity to collect donations from your customers at the time of purchase. We encourage you set a fixed donation amount, such as $1 or $2. Product/Service Sale Organize a used-book, rummage, craft, or heart healthy bake sale. You could also sell flowers, balloon bouquets, or paper hearts on Valentine s Day. A car wash is also a fun way to raise funds while at the same time demonstrating your organization s commitment and support of its community. Show, Concert or Production Ask a local musical group, comedian or magician to perform for your workplace and raise money by selling tickets, merchandise, food and refreshments. Encourage employees to put on their own production, such as a fashion or talent show. Sport Event or Tournament Take the day off or extend the lunch hour and organize a sport tournament or event in support of the Foundation. Consider holding the event or tournament after hours in conjunction with

5 another event such as a dinner, barbeque or picnic and even include families. Raise funds by collecting participation fees and promote physical activity by choosing an active sport, such as baseball, soccer, hockey or tennis. Tug-of-War A great team building exercise; popular at office barbeques and family days. Workplace Food Function - Hold a heart healthy luncheon, barbeque, potluck, pancake breakfast or party in your workplace to benefit the Foundation. Employers and employees donate money in exchange for participating in an event filled with food, beverages, music and entertainment. Add a theme to your event to encourage participation. Thank you At the Heart and Stroke Foundation, we appreciate the time and effort you spend organizing and executing your workplace event. Your fundraising efforts directly support longer, fuller lives for Canadians. Please remember that we are always happy to answer your questions.