For instance, let’s say you started a new career during the pandemic. It took a while to get into the swing of things. You were working from home for the first year. But now, you understand your job role. You know some of your coworkers fairly well. You also know who you report to, who is responsible for what, and what you need to do to advance.
In 2022, things started to change, though. The boss threw you a curveball. For the first time, you had to come into the office (at least some days every week.) So, for the last year, we’ve all been rebuilding our team cultures.
Now, the specter of “recession” is on the horizon.
So, this post has two parts.
Post-Pandemic, Team Environments Have Changed Dramatically.
In 2020 and 2021, more people started working from home than ever before. For some, this was a spontaneous adaptation to their previous job. Others, though, started new jobs with new companies for the first time remotely.
These two years were anomalies. They were unlike anything the modern business-world had ever seen or experienced.
So in 2022, we all desperately just tried to “get back to normal.” However, those strange transitions in the previous two years caused more challenges. Forbes reported that “49% of leaders and 42% of non-managers said they have felt, or are feeling, anxiety about returning to the office.”
Now, teams are finally working together again. So, how do we help support and build on this teamwork in 2023? In this post, we will give you a few ideas to keep developing this teamwork using charity team building events.
How and Why to Use Charity Team Building Activities in 2023.
Before we get to the ideas for 2023, it is important to understand the purpose of each. Each of the charity team ideas below has a specific purpose. So, before you pick an idea, you want to make sure that the idea gives you the result you want most from your group. Below are some important reasons why you may want to change things up a little in 2023.
The first two reasons are holdovers from 2022. However, because of the challenges from 2020 and 2021, the first reason is having a bigger resurgence now.
You Can Use a Corporate Charity Activity to Get Your Team Back Together for the First Time.
Interestingly, we are still hearing both of these today. Organizations are adding a fun charity team-building event to these first meetings to create a unique and memorable experience.
We are also now seeing mergers of two or more smaller companies. Buyouts and acquisitions are happening more and more often post-pandemic. So, many companies are using these corporate team activities as a way to solve two problems at once. They are letting the entire groups meet each other in person for the first time. And second, they are building team culture at the same time.
For instance, last week, I led a Build-A-Bike ® charity team activity in Phoenix for a software company. Prior to the pandemic, company growth had been slow and steady. However, a couple of years ago, a venture capitalist group took over. Since then, the company has acquired three other companies.
They use the team acts as a way to meet their new teammates in a fun way. Then, they donated the bikes to charity at the end to build more team culture. The new members of the team were able to see how community-focused the new company was.
So they got to have fun, network, and they also got to give back to their community.
You Can Use a Charity Team Building Event to Welcome Remote Employees Back to the Office.
Bosses were urging their team members to come back. However, they were being met with heavy resistance. The New York Times took a poll to see why.
Poll respondents listed many reasons to remain a remote worker. They listed, “Sunlight, sweatpants, quality time with kids, quality time with cats, more hours to read and run,” and more. “But the most strongly argued was about workplace culture.” The New York Times even interviewed people to get a first-hand explanation of the hesitation to return.
One lady mentioned why she enjoyed working from home. She felt that the pressure to socialize at work, with people that don’t like her, makes for a horrible workday.
To keep this from happening at your office, you want to foster an atmosphere where people are proud to work and want to come to work. Team building games that support a local charity are one of the best ways to do this. They have both a positive impact as well as a way of uniting the team in purpose beyond the everyday work.
Philanthropy Combined with Fun Team Building Exercises Boosts Team Morale.
One of the best charity team building ideas of 2023 is to partner them with a strategic corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. Your team members (especially the newer Generation Z folks,) have concerns for social causes. Companies can rise to the occasion by implementing programs to help with child obesity, literacy programs, or helping the homeless.
Your workforce not only wants to see a change in these areas but they want to be part of the solution. Having events tailored to achieving these ends helps create an emotional bond between your workforce and the company. According to a Neilsen poll, 73% of millennials said they would pay more for products when the company helps solve social causes. And even more telling is that 62% would be willing to take a pay cut to work for a company that more aligns with their values!
So, for the 2023 workforce, choose a charity team activity that aligns with your team’s values. For instance, you could build bicycles for kids to encourage them to exercise more and fight obesity. Or, you could stuff backpacks with school supplies to give these kids the tools they need to help reduce illiteracy. When you add charitable team-building programs like these to your meetings, you can boost the morale for the whole team!
Use a Fun Activity to Demonstrate the Application of Content of Annual Meetings.
For instance, a medical equipment company was rolling out a new line of surgical equipment that was designed to reduce infections. They added a Rescue Bear ® charity team activity and donated the hypoallergenic teddy bears to a local children’s hospital. The facilitator was able to reinforce some of the content from the earlier speakers as well.
In addition, a little friendly competition can add some team spirit to your meeting. A well-led charity team building activity will get the entire team to participate regardless of the group size. By the way, this is more difficult to do for large groups. So, if you expect 50 or more participants, a good team building company is a wise investment!
Best Charity Team Building Ideas 2023.
Here is a list of the best charity team building ideas for 2023. Each of these concepts combines the tips above. They can be a fun way for coworkers to meet for the first time and encourage your team to want to come back to the office. These team building ideas can also build morale and reinforce your corporate values.
By the way, most of these activities can be delivered in one to two hours. So, you can combine them with a happy hour for corporate groups. Or, you can invite family members of your team to join you as well. Events like these are an easy way to build team bonds and have a little fun at the same time!
The secret to this activity, though, is that it encourages team communication. The more that the teams get out of their silos and share information with the other groups, the easier the challenges become.
The food is then donated to local food banks.
Teams are separated into personality temperaments (without the group really realizing it.) Just as in the Build-A-Bike ® program, each group is given a series of team challenges. However, this time, the challenges are geared toward the strengths of each personality temperament. What they realize during the program, though, is that they need the strengths of the entire group to accomplish the task.
If your team experienced communication challenges or morale problems during the pandemic, we suggest this program. It has magical results!
BONUS CHARITY TEAM BUILDING IDEA FOR 2023: By the way, if you are looking for a charity team building event on a budget, this is a great choice. For instance, when you donate bikes or canned goods, these items are heavy and costly to ship. However, if you donate backpacks to kids, you can donate up to three times more items to a charity at almost half the cost!
Each team get to choose a charity from a list of charitable organizations pre-approved by the Corporate Social Responsibility group. The process is similar to a celebrity game show. Each team gets to identify a charity partner in their local community that they are “playing for.”
You can also get a huge whiteboard check printed at a local printer. Then, the winning team can write in their chosen charity and take photos with it. This is a fun way to do a good deed for a good cause and simultaneously make a fun corporate event.
Want to Organize One of These Fun Charity Team Activities for Your Group?
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Chris Springer is a consultant and instructor for The Leaders Institute ®. He started his career with a tour in the Navy before becoming a professional trainer. His background is in logistics and management processes.