Events that Give Back
Charitable contributions and the holiday season go hand in hand. But lately, event planners are finding that more and more events are incorporating charitable activities into events on a regular basis throughout the year. Keeping in line with the “less is more” mentality, organizations want to stretch event dollars as much as possible. By working with a charity, organizers and attendees can practice benevolence simply by attending an event. It’s an easy way to give back and a chance for organizations to integrate attendees outside interests into their event.
Here are some of our favorite charity ideas:
- Host a charity walk or run. Encourage residents to come out and cheer on the runners and walkers. This is a great addition to an outdoor event. Set up areas where people can watch safely. Consider contacting certain celebrities who have participated in similar charitable events. If a celebrity is passionate about a certain cause, such as autism or breast cancer, they may be more willing to participate in your event.
- Build a bike. This is an activity that takes about 2 hours. Usually you would partner with a local Boys and Girls club and literally construct a bike to be given to those kids at the end of the event. It is an excellent team building activity for employee events.
- Silent auction. Hosting a small silent auction during the networking portion of your event allows attendees to shop and contribute to a cause. Solicit donations from your personal and professional connections, pick a charity and donate the funds to your chosen cause.
- Donate centerpieces. If you are unable to coordinate an interactive way to work with a charity you could simply donate your leftover centerpieces to your favorite charity. Or, collect non-perishable food items to be donated to local a food bank.
If you are interested in a particular charity and need to know if they are legitimate don’t forget to check it first on a site like www.charitynavigator.org.
