Campaign Ideas

Who said your campaign had to be all work and no play? This is a list of creative and fun ways to have an effective employee campaign. These events can be used to kick-off your campaign, thank your employees, or simply build teamwork. These are reminders that successful campaigns are fun!

Getting the Word Out

• E-mail/Intranet messages
• Posters, banners
• Stories in employee newsletters
• Payroll stuffers
• Calendar of campaign events
• Announcements in meetings
• Table tents

Incentives and Prizes

• Bonus vacation days
• Gift certificates
• Golf lessons
• Mugs, T-shirts, key chains
• Movie passes
• Sleep-in-late passes
• Traveling trophy
• Casual day
• Department pizza party
• Job swap (boss/employee)
• Prime parking spots
• Day off to volunteer
• Cafeteria coupons
• Gift baskets
• Early dismissal on Friday
• Raffle prizes

Fundraiser Ideas

• Cook-offs - Teams pay an entry fee to participate and provide the food of choice. They decorate booths and some dress up. Employees purchase a bowl of chili and give prizes to the top three teams and those who participate.
• Company Carnival - This can be a kickoff or thank-you event for your campaign. Have a pie-in-the-face for the executives, sell cotton candy, hot dogs and soda. You can run games like ring toss, a cakewalk and others where employees can win small prizes. Money raised can be given as a corporate gift, and the event can be an incentive during the campaign for donors.
• Drawings - Have drawings set up to win donated items like stereos, laptops, movie passes or gift cards to restaurants. For each level of giving your employees can be entered into a drawing.
• Theme Week – Pick a theme for every day of the week. Examples: Treat Yourself – certificate to a spa, Night Out – restaurant certificates, Game Day – Baylor tickets, or Food Day –baked goods. Employees that donate have opportunities to either purchase these items or win them.
• Chef for a Day – Have your boss cook breakfast, lunch or dinner for employees that meet the company United Way giving goal.
• Baby Photo Match-Up – Have the staff try to match up their co-workers' baby pictures. You can charge for the ballot and offer a prize to the one who gets the most right.
• Rewards for Fair Share Givers – Allow those who pledge their fair share to dress casual one day, or give them a day off from work or a two-hour lunch break. Be creative, and you can be inexpensive.
• EBingo – Sell bingo cards to employees that donate. Send e-mails throughout the week with bingo numbers. The first person to get bingo should let everyone know and win a prize.
• Look Alike Contest – Have employees dress up like famous personalities such as Marilyn Monroe or Elvis. Employees vote on the best costume. The contestant receiving the most votes gets a prize.
• Penny Wars – Have department teams decorate the jars and begin putting excess change into them. Other coins (besides pennies) placed in the jar decrease the value, if you want to sabotage your competitors. Once the jars are filled whoever had the most pennies wins. All the money goes to United Way, and the winning team gets a prize.
• Live Goal Thermometer – Have your CEO or boss wear a tie that can be cut each time you move up a notch on your United Way goal. Once you have met the goal the tie should be gone. Your boss should wear the tie throughout the campaign.
• Basket Auction - Have teams of employees create a theme gift basket, then auction it off to the highest bidder for a donation. Theme Ideas: Texas BBQ, Family Movie Night, Let's Go Fishing, Baker's Rack, Wagon of Summer Fun.
• Office Olympics - Set up an obstacle course in the break room, several offices or throughout floors. One station can be for typing a couple of paragraphs, another station for filing, another for copying, etc. The contestants pay an entry fee, and the winner gets a prize.