Avoid these issues with virtual charity team building activities

Managers and company leadership like to do virtual charity team building activities. These workplace activities often include raising money for a good cause or volunteering together. The company might get some good press out of it. More importantly, they accomplish something great in the community while their employees get a chance to bond. What’s not to like?

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Turns out, some employees love these activities. Others dread them! By thinking through the plan a little more, you can avoid what makes employees dread these events.

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Why employees dislike charity team building events

There are two reasons why employees turn against team building activities for charity. It generally comes down to whether the burden falls on the employee or the employer.

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1. The company is asking them to give of themselves. It could be their money, their free time, or their network. In any case, the company has the power since they offer the jobs. The pressure is on when a company asks you to fundraise or volunteer.
2. The company picks the charity, not the employee. It can feel like leadership is speaking for the whole staff.

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At their worst, team building charity ideas start with the CEO liking some specific charity. They then mandate that all the employees volunteer. They start a competition to raise money for this organization during their time off. There’s at-work accountability and shaming for not participating as much as others. Yuck!

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You don't have to give up on team building activities for charity just because of this bad scenario. You can support your team and encourage actual bonding by revamping the ideas above.

Three ways to support charities with better philanthropic team building activities

You can still support charities and bond with your team without wasting their time or making them feel frustrated.

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1. Host “show and tell” about your team’s favorite causes

During a company happy hour or other event, create a "show and tell." 

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Here's how:

• Ask each team member to prepare a 2-3 minute talk about a favorite charity or passion project.
• Let fellow team members ask follow-up questions.
• Create a one-page document with basic details for getting involved to send after the show and tell event.

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Rather than focusing on donations or volunteering, these mini-presentations raise awareness. If they are effective, the people listening will learn a lot. They may even discover a new place they want to volunteer or spend time, but it's low pressure.

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2. Play team building games where prizes are company donations

All kinds of virtual team building games using team building software can be made more competitive with a prize. At work, though, big prizes can feel unfair, since it can feel like a bonus for some and not for others.

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What if you could:

• Support local charities
• Make team building games competitive
• Avoid unfair additional compensation or perks

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It is possible! Pick an amount of money that the company will donate to a charity of the winner's choice.

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It’s good for the company because they still make a donation and get the goodwill of doing so, all while building your team. It boosts the competitive spirit, but without awarding cash or perks to just a few people who are good at games.

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Related reading: 

Want quick games? Check out these bonding activities and games that take less than 15 minutes.

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3. Share about your team’s on-the-clock volunteering opportunities

Optional virtual charity team building events can be popular. People do like volunteering and fundraising, it's just not what everyone signed up for as a mandatory part of work.

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Many companies create valuable bonding activities by offering on-the-clock volunteering opportunities. For this activity, employers give employees a set number of hours per year, such as 10, when they can volunteer as part of their job. Many employees will take the chance for a little variety and volunteer during their work hours. Other employees will be grateful that it's optional, since they are swamped at work and can't get away right now.

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You can offer these hours in two ways. 

• One is to let your team members volunteer at whatever charity they prefer. This is popular but might not create many opportunities for the team to bond. To make it more team-building, host the above "show and tell" for the team to hear about what everyone did.
• The other option is to coordinate a few on-the-clock opportunities per year. Choose charities that are varied and not politically charged. Consider asking your team members about their favorite causes and picking opportunities based on what they say.

Bond over the greater good for continued collaboration

Even with a virtual team, there is something powerful about bonding over causes that help others. The key is to not add new requirements to a team that might feel resentful for another mandatory activity. Instead, support your team as they share their passions and take part in causes in-person or via a virtual platform, and realize that cross-functional collaboration helps your team get in sync with each other. Plus, choosing a charity to support, is a great add on to your next Christmas team building activity, end of year, or winter team building event.

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Need more ideas for virtual charity team building activities?

• Host a “Virtual 5K” where employees get pledges and donate to a cause after walking or running 5 kilometers. Document each person with photos to share virtually.
• Watch documentaries about different good causes and vote as a team about where to send a company donation (or how to divide it up).
• Work as a team to determine a way to offer your services pro bono to a worthy local charity, such as a web design team picking a local charity to offer a free website face-lift once per year.
• Attend a virtual lecture or virtual charity event held by an organization and then discuss it as a team afterward to bond and learn more about each other.