How to Convince Your Coworkers to Donate

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There is a ton of ways to raise money for charity at work. And you don’t have to stand at the entrance rattling a bucket, harassing your co-workers as they stumble into work first thing in the morning. Joking aside, most of us have a philanthropic side and want to help others, so probably wouldn’t mind donating under any circumstances. But you might want to try a subtler approach, with incentives, to gather as much as you can from your co-workers.

1. Suggest theme days

We’ve had a few of these at my office, and they always seem to be pretty successful. This kind of thing works best if it ties in with current events or national campaigns. Here in the UK, we celebrate Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day every year which raises funds for local and international causes. This is a prime example of an event that could be used to raise funds for charity in the workplace. You could ask staff to come to work in silly and hilarious outfits, and make a small donation to Comic Relief. Let’s just hope nobody turns up in a Borat-style mankini.

2. Hold an event

I’m not talking about hosting a fancy charity ball or anything. Although that would be a really nice idea if you have the time and skills to put something like that together. Doing something small a few times each year could be rewarding. Here are several examples of simple events you could hold to raise money for charity:

  • A bake sale
  • A raffle
  • A quiz
  • A talent show
  • An auction

You get the jist. Just be sure to spread the word about your small event and cause in advance through word of mouth, posters and emails.

3. Appeal to their philanthropic side

Convincing co-workers to donate requires a good cause to donate to. This can be any cause – there are no good and bad causes – your co-workers just need to know why it’s a good cause. So, it helps to provide co-workers with lots of information, give them a story, tell them the background of the charity, and show them the people who are in need. Sometimes, people can be touched more deeply by a local or smaller charity, so why not do some good for those who might not get as many donations as larger national charities? Your workplace could even partner up with the local charity and become a sponsor. This will gather everyone together in support of something that’s important to the business as a whole.

4. Join in local events

Last but not least, you could encourage co-workers to join you in taking part in local charity events. This might be a sponsored run or a sponsored skydive, etc. The idea here is that you all have fun while raising funds for a charitable cause.

Convincing co-workers to donate to charity should be easy. It’s all about finding a cause that will melt their hearts and make them want to donate, and inviting them to have fun while they’re doing it.