The holidays are a time for giving, not only to friends and family but also to worthy local causes. Giving back during the holidays reinforces the season’s spirit, helps those struggling with finances or loneliness, and strengthens community bonds.
For businesses, providing workers with ways to give back at work enhances employee loyalty and the company’s image. Holiday charity initiatives can boost team morale, foster camaraderie, and positively impact the community or charitable cause.
Best Corporate Events organizes meaningful corporate social responsibility (CSR) events all year, but the holiday season is the most important. They offer 27 different CSR programs, all focused on helping people in need.
The Importance of Holiday Giving in the Workplace
Incorporating holiday giving initiatives into corporate culture boosts employee engagement and morale, builds stronger teams and communities, and enhances brand reputation. Most importantly, it demonstrates the company’s values in action.
Today’s workers, especially Millennials and Gen Z employees, often seek employers who are aligned with their values. Incorporating charitable CSR team building activities within a culture of giving makes a company more attractive to prospective employees. It can also help retain talent by reinforcing a sense of shared purpose.
Corporate events that give back build stronger cross-functional and cross-generational teams, reinforce collaboration and problem-solving skills, and even help employees develop friendships at work.
7 Best Corporate Holiday Giving Ideas to Inspire Your Office
Once your organization has committed to making holiday giving part of its corporate culture, it’s time to implement that pledge. That begins with creating a plan that lays out what actions will be taken, who is responsible, and the timeframe for each activity.
Below are seven practical, creative ways to express gratitude to employees and the community during the holiday season. These ideas are designed to inspire meaningful participation and create lasting memories for the entire team.
1. Organize a Charity Drive
Collect or coordinate cash or in-kind donations to benefit local food banks, homeless shelters, or community organizations. Items may include canned or boxed food, jackets, blankets, socks, school supplies, and toys.
For example, our Operation Toy Donation CSR program is an emotionally rewarding charitable activity that boosts employee morale and engagement through team building. At the same time, they assemble and package toys and other items for children in need.
Whatever approach you take, it’s essential to set goals (for participation and results); promote the activity to build interest among your workforce; and involve employee volunteers from different departments or functions to make the campaign collaborative.
2. Sponsor a Family in Need
Another meaningful way to give back is by sponsoring a family in need. Employees can join forces to provide holiday gifts, clothing, groceries, and other necessities that help brighten the season for underprivileged families. This activity delivers direct, tangible support and gives teams a shared purpose that reinforces camaraderie and compassion.
To make the experience smooth and impactful, consider partnering with local nonprofits, social services, or faith-based organizations that can connect your business with families and outline their specific needs. A clear wish list ensures contributions are practical and thoughtful, helping volunteers feel confident their efforts are making a difference.
3. Host a Fundraising Event
Holiday-themed fundraising events are a great way to engage employees while supporting a worthy cause. Whether it’s a bake sale, silent auction, or charity raffle, these activities combine fun with philanthropy. Teams can showcase their creativity by contributing baked goods, donating items or experiences for auction, or volunteering to organize event logistics.
Select a charity that resonates with employees and set clear fundraising goals for the best results. Promote the event early through internal communications, and encourage different departments to get involved by sponsoring a table, donating prizes, or encouraging colleagues to attend. Gamifying the activity by offering small incentives, like friendly competitions or recognition for top contributors, can boost engagement and maximize the funds raised for your chosen cause.
4. Volunteer as a Team
Organize a team of employees to volunteer their time and efforts for a local charity or community event. Nonprofits will often schedule activities around the holidays to benefit children, families in need, seniors in assisted living, and other groups. Find an opportunity that fits your corporate purpose and employee interests and participate in the event.
Volunteering together strengthens both team bonds and community connections. Following up the volunteer activity with a catered lunch or similar social activity provides a small reward while reinforcing the positive, shared experience and team bonding.
5. Assemble Care Packages
Another rewarding and impactful team activity is assembling care packages of essential items for military troops deployed overseas, people in homeless shelters, and hospital patients.
Our Donation Nation Care Packs CSR event combines fun challenges and friendly competition with a care-package assembling activity to benefit the group or cause of your choice. Items for the care packages will be chosen based on specific needs identified by the selected nonprofit, whether it’s a homeless shelter, food bank, hospice, animal shelter, nursing home, veterans’ organization, or other community enterprise.
This hands-on activity engages employees and benefits worthy recipients. It combines fun and collaboration with a powerful purpose.
Need help connecting with the right nonprofit? Best Corporate Events has built relationships with national and local charities nationwide to help match your activity with a deserving group. We can often bring a representative from the chosen nonprofit to your event to accept the donation and thank your team, adding to the positive emotional impact for your employees.
6. Holiday Themed Team Building Activities
All corporate team building activities include common pillars such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and relationship building, while also being fun. Many team building programs can be customized for the holidays, enhancing employee interest and impact.
Our holiday and Christmas team building activities are specially themed versions of our most popular game shows and team building challenges that deliver the perfect entertainment break from your seasonal meetings or virtual activity for your annual holiday party. These holiday-themed programs combine team building, festive cheer, and giving back to the community.
7. Implement a Matching Gift Program
In our previous post on why your company needs a CSR program, we noted that financial matching for employee charitable contributions was a common feature of such plans. Company matching of employee donations doubles the impact of each contribution.
When an organization implements financial gift matching, it’s vital to communicate the details and promote the program through multiple channels. Recognizing contributors through public acknowledgment or even small tokens of appreciation encourages more employees to participate.
Take the Next Step: Plan Your Holiday Giving with Best Corporate Events
Corporate holiday giving has a ripple effect that touches employees and the wider community. For teams, it creates opportunities to connect beyond daily tasks, building a sense of unity and shared purpose. For the community, these initiatives provide tangible support, from meals and warm clothing to financial donations, that bring comfort and joy during a season when need is often greatest. Corporate holiday giving activities foster a culture of empathy and generosity that extends well beyond the holidays.
Customizable programs that integrate charitable activities with team building enable you to achieve both specific business objectives (such as improving collaboration or problem-solving skills) and goals for community impact (e.g., the number of care packages assembled, or volume of food donated through a program like our Mini-Golf Build and Food Donation).
To arrange and deliver a seamless and impactful event, partner with professionals who are experienced at selecting, customizing, and facilitating CSR and holiday-themed team building programs. For charitable team activities designed to help specific groups, such as people experiencing homelessness, children, people with mobility issues, veterans, or active duty military, cancer patients, or people impacted by Alzheimer’s, work with a partner that has relationships with local and national nonprofits already in place.
Explore the complete list of charity team-building activities Best Corporate Events offers. These activities are designed to inspire generosity, build stronger workplace relationships, and enhance teamwork. These programs enable groups of any size, from 30 to 6,000 people, to have fun, give back, show their holiday spirit, and collaborate more effectively.
Do you have questions or want to learn more? You can find additional information at BestCorporateEvents.com. Contact us to start a conversation or get a quote.
