Use this high school throwback for a full week of virtual fun; pay a set amount to participate in things like Crazy Hair Day, Favorite Team/Jersey Day, Hat Day, Company Color Day, Opposite Day, Fun Zoom Background Day . . . you get the idea! Set a time for a virtual call to show your spirit, or just let it show in video meetings. Raffle a prize at the end of the week for all who participate.  

Create a fun, competitive way to get employees involved with what United Way is all about. Trivia questions can be sent out everyday that your company is running the campaign. The campaign leader may send out an email with 1-2 questions a day with the first person responding with the correct answer will get a prize. 

Guess the combined height and weight of the “Heavyweights” (management).  

Work together to create a joke or cook book where employees submit their favorite jokes or recipes. 

Organize a resource hunt that employees can complete from their phone! The hunt can be themed to your company or even a fun way to learn about United Way!  

If appropriate in your workplace, use e-mail or voice mail to share human interest stories about people who have been helped (check out the United Way website for the stories), prize updates, progress toward your goal, United Way news, etc. 

Have team members submit their favorite recipes to share in an electronic cookbook. Charge a set amount to “buy” the book. 

Suggested entry fee: $10 (suggest employees donate what they would have spent on snacks/drinks for the in-person club) 

Have employees donate items to put in an online or silent auction that is then rolled out to the whole company. There are great online services like eFlea that are free and easy to set up to help run your auction.

Hold your own fundraiser-talent show, tag, flower/plant, book or bake sale, car wash, silent auction, wiffle ball or office golf tournament, balloon or flower delivery, walk-a-thon, line dancing or 1950s dance-a-thon, or a dunk tank.

Beep beep … have company executives deliver lunch to the highest bidder or raffle winner (or use a delivery service like Uber Eats).

Offer “late-riser” or “early-exit” coupons for employees to come to work late or leave early one day as a reward for campaign participation.

Consider a week of United Way “events” to publicize the campaign – a car wash or shoe shine by managers, a dress-down day, crazy hat day, an ice cream social, etc.

Use United Way items such as stickers or pins to publicize the campaign – people can wear them as part of the kickoff, when they give, or you can sell them as part of a fundraiser.

On Fridays, hold weekly drawings for small prizes for anyone who turned in their completed pledge card that week. Hold the drawing in a location where employees can stop for a moment and watch.

Hold a wrap-up rally (ice cream social or pizza party) where the CEO or manager announces the amount raised and thanks employees for participating. Have management serve the food.

If your company reaches their goal. Managers agree to trade jobs for the day, serve breakfast or lunch, kiss a pig, wash an employee’s car, dress up in a prom gown, shave his or her head, sit on a block of ice during a full staff meeting, buy snacks for everyone, etc.

Post signs by soda or coffee machines that say, “For the cost of a cup of coffee or a soda you can: make a difference in the life of a handicapped child who needs therapy, help provide shelter to the victim of domestic abuse, give a warm meal to a homeless person on a winter night”, etc.

Have a drawing for 4 lobsters, dinner for 4, theatre tickets, etc. for employees who return their pledge cards the day of your individual campaign kickoff or United Way presentation. Ask employees if they might have something to donate such as a quilt, weekend at their camp, UMaine tickets, etc.