How to choose a charity for vitality initiative that suits your organisation? 🌐

Let your colleagues choose ⚖️

Imagine this: you are preparing a vitality initiative and wondering how to make sure everyone gets involved. As in the programme "Buying without Looking", people want to know what they are choosing. This also applies to your vitality initiative. Your colleagues want to feel a connection with the charity they are committed to. By involving your colleagues in choosing the charity, you increase their motivation and commitment.

Questions you can ask are:

• Which charity is really important to you?
• Which charity would you like our organisation to support?

You could also possibly make your own selection of five charities. For example, send out a poll via email or on the intranet to let employees vote for your pre-made selection.

Unique idea: Let employees compete for their favourite charity.

We saw organisations try out this unique idea. Employees could register themselves in teams where each team represented a charity. The winning team determined where the amount raised went.

An alternative is to organise a workshop where employees can learn about different charities and how they align with the organisation's values. By inviting a guest speaker from each of the selected charities, employees can ask questions directly and build a personal connection with the representatives. After the workshop, employees can vote for the charity that inspires them the most. This not only provides insight into your colleagues' personal preferences, but also creates a space for education and dialogue. Organising such an event can increase employee involvement in the vitality initiative and motivate them to actively participate in future activities.

Reinforce corporate vision 🚀

Collaborating with a charity is the perfect opportunity to show what your organisation stands for and what values you consider important. For example, choose the charity based on current or future business goals. What is currently going on within your organisation? For example, is there a lot of focus now on safety, innovation in technology or does the organisation want to provide a platform for young talent? To gather these answers, you could even engage the management team. For example, during a brainstorming session on your initiative, ask them which business goals or vision they would like to highlight. Linking a corporate goal to your vitality initiative can be a supporting argument during the presentation of your vitality initiative to the management team.

You could also consider organising an annual vitality day, focusing on the chosen charity. On this day, employees can take part in activities tailored to company values, such as personal development workshops, team-building activities or health tests. You can also organise a competition where teams are challenged to come up with innovative solutions to support the chosen charity. The best ideas can then be presented to the management team, which will decide which team gets to implement its idea. This vitality initiative not only strengthens the corporate vision, but also encourages creativity and collaboration within the team, while having a positive impact on the wider community.

Key insights

Involving your employees in choosing a charity is crucial to increase their motivation and commitment. By giving them a chance to help decide, you create a vitality initiative that is personal and meaningful. In addition, you can use the company goals as the basis for your choice, further reinforcing your organisation's vision. Linking a good cause to your vitality initiative adds value to the organisation's image, which can garner admiration and respect both internally and externally.

Another valuable insight is organising monthly reflection moments, where employees are invited to share their experiences with the vitality initiative. This can take the form of an open forum or an informal lunch session, where everyone can express what they have learned and what impact the charity has had on them. These moments of reflection help create a continuous learning process and make the vitality initiative dynamic and adaptable. By incorporating employee feedback into future plans, you show that their opinions are valued and that you are ready to move the organisation towards greater engagement and wellbeing.

With these insights, you will take your next vitality initiative to the next level! Want to learn more about how to launch a successful vitality initiative? Then let's have a digital cup of coffee!