Creative Ideas For Campaigns
Using various incentive ideas and activities can make a difference between an average and record campaign year.
Below are some fun campaign activities. Some are even ready-to-go – just download the materials to use at your rally or on your intranet. You can pair these up with your campaign theme, use them as a stand-alone or use them to raise additional money by asking employees to "pay to play."
Games can be tailored to United Way by going to this website. Contact the United Way office if you need help.
Click here for a PDF of Fund-Raising Ideas
Sports Related Activities
- Tricycle Races
- Wastebasket Shooting Contest
- Putt-putt Tourament
- Washers Tourament
- Hula-Hoop Contest
- Walk or Run-a-thon
Food Related Activities
- Pancake Breakfast
- Pie-Throwing Contest
- Bake Sale
- 24-Hour Barbeque or Tailgate
- Build your own Sundae
- Popsicle or Cookie Cart
- International Food Day
- Hot Wing Eating Contest
Games and Contests
- Trick or Treat Party: Treat kids from an agency to a tour of the office in a costume parade. Give each child a treat bag with candies, pencils and erasers.
- "Executive (fill in the blank) for the Day": Put together a board with headshots of company executives. Place an envelope below each picture for "votes." The executive who receives the most contributions of money in their envelope has to do (fill in the blank).
- Dollar-an-Inch Contest: Employees cut an inch off their favorite executive’s tie each time they give to United Way. Employees can donate $1 per inch.
- Where/Who am I?: Have employees try to guess the United Way agency by sending out clues through email or posting on your intranet.
- Website Scavenger Hunt: Hand out questions about United Way and have employees search the United Way website for the answers.
Creative Fundraisers
- Stand Up/Sit Down: Each person takes out $1. Have a person call out United Way agencies and non-United Way agencies. Employees put the $1 on their heads if they think its a United Way agency or put it on their tails if they think it is not. Collect the $1 if people guess wrong
- Candy Jar Guessing: Fill a jar with candy and display it. Have employees make guesses on how many items are in the jar.
- Theme Basket Raffle: Each department within your company sponsors a theme basket (golf, chocolate, day of pampering, etc.) by purchasing products to fill it. The baskets are then auctioned off live or by silent auction.
- Casual for a Cause: Sell Casual Day Badges allowing employees purchasing them to dress casually on certain days.
- Less Stress for United Way: Bring in a professional who will donate their services for stress reduction.
- Ugly clothing contest. Employees enter an "ugly clothing" contest in which they wear an item they consider ugly. Sell ballots to select a winner and runner-up.
- Dunk tank. Employees can buy two balls for $1 and try to dunk various top executives in the tank.
- Amazing race. Teams of employees work together to move through a course requiring different forms of transportation during each leg (i.e. pushing hospital beds, riding tricycles, etc.). Teams are charged an entry fee for participation.
