4 Fun Charity Activities for a Memorable End of Year Party
Are you planning the same old humdrum end of year office party? Routine chit-chat, cocktails, and a bunch of fun stuff that your team would rather be doing with their friends and family instead? Sorry to be harsh, but that’s the reality of most holiday parties, and it’s not the best way to reward them for the past year.
But instead, what if you could turn that party into a fun activity that they can’t get anywhere else? That could make your celebration genuinely worthwhile for your team instead of just a mandatory social gathering.
Or perhaps you’re planning an end of year celebration for your students just before summer break. This could be the perfect opportunity to throw a unique experience to welcome summer vacation and give them an amazing last week of school.
Rather than having your group feel obligated to attend a social gathering, let’s turn the format on its head. Give them a memorable experience that rewards them for their hard work and ends on a high note. But how do you do that?
The secret is to engage them in an activity that is not only enjoyable, but also promotes a sense of unity and collaboration. Even better, if this activity is led by a facilitator, it feels less like a chore and more like a captivating group game. This is precisely where the concept of charity team building becomes a game-changer.
Let’s look at 4 fun ideas for charity team building games that you can organize for a memorable end of year party.
- Here’s Why Your Next End of Year Party Idea Should Involve a Charity Activity
- It’s Not Just Good for Charity, Though
- Donate Bicycles to Local Children In Need While Building Your Team
- Donate Several Dozen Pounds of Non-Perishable Food (That Double as a Mini-Golf Course)
- Combine Your Team’s Unique Strengths to Make Toys for Children
- Donate to Students, Soldiers, or Anyone in Need with a Customizable Obstacle Course
- Don’t Just Throw a Party—Create a Celebration!
Here’s Why Your Next End of Year Party Idea Should Involve a Charity Activity
Let’s talk about why making your event a charity is a great idea. After all, a charity activity is probably not the first thing you think of when choosing a memorable end-of-year party.
First and foremost, it’ll give your team members a fun way to give back during the holiday season. They’ll feel a sense of pride and fulfillment for having made a difference with the help of their coworkers. Plus, they’ll feel honored to be part of an organization that actively contributes to the well-being of the community.
Second, consider that this is a win-win for the company or organization. Not only do their team members get a morale boost, but the organization can use this opportunity to practice their social responsibility. The charity can be tailored to help any number of great causes, such as:
- Providing crucial aid to families and children devastated by weather events and other calamities
- Helping children and families recover lost belongings due to unforeseen circumstances
- Giving children school supplies that they may be lacking
- Comforting brave soldiers stationed overseas with thoughtful care packages
Really, the list is endless. You can always choose which charity aligns best with your organization’s values. Not only that, some of the charity games can be customized to that end, too (more on that below).
Regardless of what kind of charity you team up with, the actions of you and your team can help elevate the lives of individuals who need your help.
It’s Not Just Good for Charity, Though
Consider your usual end-of-year work party. They can sometimes be as predictable as a rerun of a sitcom. Delightful, sure, but missing that zing of novelty and excitement. You know the drill—some chit-chat here, a toast there, plenty of hors d’oeuvres, and the same familiar faces. Likewise, schools might try for something like a talent show, ice cream party, or carnival games. While these are fun activities, they don’t require participation from everybody. A great year-end celebration, on the other hand, will ensure all your participants have a good time and provide an excellent opportunity to engage everybody.
So, while these different activities are enjoyable, they rarely offer opportunities for employees to truly engage, connect, and work towards a meaningful cause. It’s like expecting a thrilling rollercoaster ride from a peaceful carousel. Both have their merits, but one definitely packs more adrenaline!
A charity team building event, on the contrary, does much more than just bringing people together for merriment.
Charity team building will leave a lasting impression long after the end of year party is over
It facilitates cooperation and teamwork. By working towards a shared goal, employees learn to communicate effectively, collaborate actively, and leverage each other’s strengths. This experience enhances team cohesion and boosts workplace performance.
It promotes problem-solving skills. These events often involve challenges that require creative solutions. This stimulates critical thinking and problem-solving skills among participants, making them better equipped to handle work-related challenges.
They cultivate empathy and social responsibility. Contributing to a charitable cause enables employees to understand broader societal issues. It also fosters a deep sense of empathy and social responsibility.
They enhance job satisfaction and loyalty. Participating in meaningful activities that make a difference can lead to increased job satisfaction. It also reinforces loyalty towards the company, as employees feel proud to be part of an organization that values community involvement.
In essence, a charity team building event not only transforms a team into a more cohesive and productive unit but also helps individuals grow on a personal level, creating a workforce that is empathetic, socially conscious, and deeply engaged with their company and community.
1. Donate Bicycles to Local Children In Need While Building Your Team
The Build-A-Bike® is sort of what it sounds like: a team building game where you build a bicycle! It’s not just one person building the bike, of course (that wouldn’t be a very good team game). Your group is divided into teams of 6 to 8 and must race against each other to complete their bike the fastest. However, to make it a real challenge of teamwork, teams will only earn a bike part after correctly answering a trivia question. After all the bikes are finished, they can be donated to children in need.
What makes it memorable?
The Build-A-Bike® will push your team to work together and think outside of the box, and they’ll love the idea of competing. Winning the race, however, is far from the most memorable part of the game.
To really make your Build-A-Bike® memorable, coordinate with a local charity. They can work with you to select the group of children who will be receiving the bicycles. Then, ideally, they can even arrange to bring the children to the event. Your team will be able to hand deliver the new bikes to the very same children that will be riding them!
Over the years, we’ve organized many emotional and heartfelt Build-A-Bike® events. One particularly memorable case was when the recipients of the bikes were just two families. Each family had experienced the misfortune of losing their fathers. In order to help ease the children, the bicycles built that day were donated to the children of the two families. It helped give the children a glimmer of joy and happiness during a challenging time, and the families were grateful for the thoughtful gesture.
Is it right for your group?
While the Build-A-Bike® can be done for smaller groups, it works best when teams are composed of 6 to 8 members each.
On the other hand, this event works very well with massive groups, even as many as 1000. If your group is over 100 people, we recommend getting in touch with one of our expert instructors (running an event for a large group is not something you want to do without any experience).
Although there is a competitive element of this game, high-energy, competitive teams might more appreciate some of the other games on this list, instead.
2. Donate Several Dozen Pounds of Non-Perishable Food (That Double as a Mini-Golf Course)
If you have a competitive team, Ace Race® is a game they’re going to love. Not only that, but you can affect the lives of many people, since the proceeds of this game results in several pounds of donated food.
First, teams are separated into groups of 6 to 8 person teams. Then, they’ll be tasked with collecting their non-perishable food items. As they acquire their goods, they’ll build mini golf holes with them, such as by using boxes as side rails. Once the course is completed, the race begins!
What makes it memorable?
Due to this game’s fast paced nature, the game itself won’t be soon forgotten. Highly competitive teams will love every aspect of gathering the course “parts,” to building the course, to playing the courses.
However, to really strengthen the impact of Ace Race®, keep in mind that the size of your group will greatly increase the pounds of food you can donate. One group in California managed to donate a whopping 1,680 pounds food to families in need!
The more people you can include in this game, the more of an impact you and your team can make on the community, and the more memorable it will be for your organization, your team members, and those who will receive the food.
Is it right for your group?
One thing that’s great about Ace Race® is that the game has no cap. Up to 75 people can build and play a single nine-hole course (that’s about 800 pounds of food, by the way). For bigger groups, all you have to do is add an additional mini golf hole. Just keep adding more holes to accommodate your entire group!
As stated a couple times already, this game is a great way for competitive teams to have some fun. Whereas the Build-A-Bike® is all about using teamwork, Ace Race® has more of an emphasis on the game itself.
3. Combine Your Team’s Unique Strengths to Make Toys for Children
Build-A-Bike® and Ace Race® are great choices for teams that already work well together. If your team is new or hasn’t had much in-person interaction due to virtual teams, you might consider Rescue Bear® instead.
Think “Build-A-Bike®” with teddy bears instead of bicycles. But there’s a twist! This game first identifies the unique personalities of your team members. Then, they’re split into teams based on their strengths. Similar to Build-A-Bike®, teams will be awarded materials for building their stuffed animal in exchange for solving a puzzle.
What makes it memorable?
The stuffed animals that your team will create in Rescue Bear® go directly to children who need them the most. In some of our events, we’ve had the privilege of hearing directly from the first responders who use these stuffed animals. In this case, a fire chief from a Florida fire department was able to speak on the matter.
A seriously ill mother was being rushed to the hospital. Her six-year-old daughter was in attendance since no one was able to watch her. The child grew more upset at watching her mother suffer, but fortunately, the paramedic had a stuffed animal on hand to give her. She tightly clung to the bear and began to calm down, and as the child settled down, the mother’s condition gradually improved.
With every stuffed animal that your team builds, they can feel satisfied knowing that they’re helping ease a child. Children in crisis need comfort, and a fluffy toy can help.
Is it right for my group?
In terms of group size, a Rescue Bear® team building event is similar to Build-A-Bike®. Your best results will be with a large team, but smaller groups can be accommodated for, as well.
Competition is certainly an element that can drive this game, but overall, Rescue Bear is especially good at helping your team members identify their own strengths. For teams that don’t have much experience working with each other, this can help them build new connections that they can take back with them to the workplace.
4. Donate to Students, Soldiers, or Anyone in Need with a Customizable Obstacle Course
Good communication is the key to good teamwork! And a game like the Amazing Builders is one that will help improve your team’s verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
The beauty of Amazing Builders is its versatility. The rules of the game are simple enough that it can be modified to fit your charity of choice.
Groups are split into teams of 6 to 8 people. Each team must race through an indoor obstacle course while blindfolded. Meanwhile, other team members will help them navigate. The obstacle courses are filled with items for charity that the blindfolded member will have to pick up. Whichever team gets the most items wins!
What makes it memorable?
To make this event truly memorable, we recommend aligning the donation with your organization’s values. When organizations don’t have a preference, we recommend donating backpacks full of school supplies for children in need. However, we find that groups are more motivated to play Amazing Builders when they know that the donation items are going to a cause they relate most to.
For example, a group in Texas decided their event should be for the benefit of Support Our Soldiers. Many soldiers don’t have family or a support network back home. This non-profit helps by sending them custom care packages, supplies, and letters of support. During this particular Amazing Builders event, a representative from the charity shared photos of the soldiers who would be receiving the care packages. This helped add an emotional element that you don’t normally get to experience when you can’t see the person you’re donating to.
Is it right for my group?
You may have read “obstacle course” and be wondering if this game is right for your team. We assure you that we’re using the term “obstacle course” lightly. This game is suitable for all ages and all physical abilities. It’s also an indoor obstacle course, so you don’t have to worry about planning for the weather.
As you can imagine, an obstacle course race can get very competitive. This makes it the ideal game for a high-energy team.
This game is not difficult to adapt to larger groups, either. You’re only limited by the size of the venue!
All in all, if you like the sound of the other charity games in this list but want to donate to a specific cause, then Amazing Builders can accommodate you.
Don’t Just Throw a Party—Create a Celebration!
The beauty of these fun charity activities lies in their ability to strike a perfect balance between festive celebration, team building, and giving back to the community – all at the same time.
The shared experiences of these activities create unforgettable memories, strengthen bonds, and instill a strong sense of pride and satisfaction amongst your team. Not only does this promote a healthier, more engaged workplace, but it also helps reinforce your organization’s values and commitments towards social responsibility.
This year, dare to move away from the traditional holiday party. Embrace a more meaningful, engaging, and unforgettable end-of-year celebration with charity team building games. Transform your obligatory social gathering into a remarkable event that your team looks forward to, cherishes, and, more importantly, one where they truly make a difference. After all, what could be a more rewarding and fulfilling way to end the year than by spreading joy, fostering unity, and giving back to those in need?