Campaign Fun Ideas

---

Pancake or Waffle Breakfast
Start the day off right by cooking breakfast in the company cafeteria. Don’t forget the bacon, sausage, butter and syrup!

Midnight Breakfast
If your organization has a third shift, charge employees for a midnight breakfast served by the executives and other day employees. Ask your United Way representative to schedule an agency speaker.

Bakery Cart
Wheel a serving cart through the workplace and sell bagels, doughnuts, cookies, Danish, coffee and juice.

Latte Stand
For more distinguished coffee drinkers, offer a latte stand during a morning rally. Give examples of what giving up one cup of coffee, one soda or one candy bar a day can do for a person in need. Ask if they can donate that same amount (or more) each week to United Way.

Corn Roast
Great autumn activity Grill sweet corn and charge by the ear. Be sure to have plenty of Wisconsin butter and salt available!

Lunch Box Auction
Ask employees who enjoy cooking to create a lunch box to be auctioned on a specific date.

Potluck Payoff
Organize a potluck lunch and have everyone bring in their favorite dish. Charge employees to have lunch.

Chili Cook-Off
Employees cook their favorite chili. Charge employees to sample the entries and vote for their favorites.

Good Neighbor BBQ
Join with other companies near your business to have a cook out with games and giveaways.

Bake Sale
Ask each employee to donate an item for a company bake sale. Have items available for purchase.

Candy Grams
Sell candy with your company or United Way’s logo on it.

Ice Cream Sundae Social
Set up an ice cream bar with a variety of toppings and charge by the scoop. Or try selling root beer floats!

Employee Cookbook
Encourage employees to donate their favorite recipes to be collected, published and sold in a company cookbook. Request employee’s children to provide illustrations.

Eating Contest
Who can eat the most in a given amount of time (hot dogs, pie, crackers, pickles, etc.)

Whipped Cream Pie in the Face
Host a whipped cream pie throwing contest. Get management to be the targets and have employees pay to play.

Apple Pie Bake-off
Find out which employee can make the best apple pie. Hold a competition in which employees can put their family recipes to the test. On the day of the event, sell taste tickets and have employees vote on the best apple pie maker in the company.

Aerobic-a-thon
Secure a local health club to sponsor a three or four hour aerobic dance session. Participants collect sponsorship to get into shape!

Exercise for Money
Fill in a mileage log for miles walked, run or cycled. Secure a company contribution for total miles covered. Give away company logo items for participants who meet program requirements (i.e. work out two times a week for one month).

Slim into Shape
Hold a two-month contest at work for everyone who wants to lose weight. Each person pays a set amount for every pound lost or gained. Secure donated prozes for those who attain their weight loss goals.

Guess the Weight of the Department.
Invite co-workers to pay a set amount to predict the total wieght of the department. This is a great kick-off to a weight-loss challenge.

Administrators for Sale
Employees purchase raffle tickets to win an administrator for the day. Administrator agrees to work for the winning employee or department that raises the most.

Arrest the Boss
See how much money co-workers can raise to get the boss "out of jail" or keep the boss "in jail!"

Power Lunch
Pay said amount of money to have lunch with an executive.

Go Home Early
The boss collects a set amount of money at the front door from everyone who wants to leave work early that day.

CEO/Executive Agreement
Ask managers to do something crazy if employees meet a certain goal. For example, managers can do a polar bear jump, shave their head, get duct-taped to a wall, or wear a tutu to work.

Human Sundae
Place pictures of managers on jars in the company lobby. Employees can vote with their change for their favorite manager to be made into a human sundae. The winning manager is given a rain poncho and a shower cap and members of their department cover with ice cream. chocolate sauce, etc.

Valet Parking
Have management park employees cars and retrieve them at the end of the day for a fee.

Easter Egg Raffle
Fill plastic eggs with raffle numbers. People buy eggs or “chances” for springtime prizes such as potted flowers and gift baskets.

50/50 drawing
Employees can put their name on a dollar bill for a drawing to see who receives half of the money collected. The other half goes to the United Way.

Ornament Raffle
Bring in hand-made or purchased ornaments to hang on a tree. Names/numbers are chosen until all ornaments are picked from the tree. Raffle tickets are sold for $.25 each or five for $1.

A Ghoulishly Good Time
Have a Halloween party, create a haunted house and have a pumpkin carving, pie eating or costume contest.

Be a Life Saver
Have some fun, beach style! Sand, sunglasses, beach balls and some festive music make your office a whole lot hotter. Give out Lifesaver candy for donations.

Bon Voyage
Use a traveling theme to host a “Bon Voyage” party as a victory celebration. Contributors are given “passports” to get into the party.

Funniest Home Videos
Employees can create original and funny home or work videos. Have a viewing party and charge and entrance fee of donations.

VIP Lounge
Decorate a door to a room where employees for a one time donation would be invited to enjoy snacks & refreshments.

Theatre Party
Employees can write skits that involve the United Way. Perform skits at kick off party, luncheon, or have a company movie night.

Theme Kick off Party
Hold a pot luck lunch with a certain theme. Employees can make food, add decorations to the office and dress according to the theme.

Book Sale
Ask employees to bring in new books they have recently read. Sell the books during lunch hour.

Flower Sales
Sell flowers at the office to employees. This works great in conjunction with Administrative Professional’s Day or Sweetest Day!

Dead Flower Bouquet
This is a great Halloween idea. Get flower shops and restaurants to donate dead flowers. Employees pay to have a dead flower bouquet with a message sent to another employee.

Rummage Sale
Ask employees to donate old items (books, CDs, videos) for a company or department-wide sale. Unsold items may be donated to charity.

Balloon Sale
On a piece of paper write down a prize or United Way fact. Place each piece of paper in a balloon and have balloons available for employees to purchase during the campaign. The money for each purchase goes to the United Way.

Night at the Movies
Sell tickets to a screening of vintage movies and cartoons.

Dance Lessons
Here's your chance to learn those disco or line-dancing moves. Coordinate recreational dancers to teach interested employees some new moves. Sell lessons.

Trash or Treasure Raffle
Ask employees to bring in a wrapped white elephant...an unwanted, still usable (although not necessarily useful) object from their home. All who donate can get a raffle ticket, and when their name is called, they can choose one of the mystery items.

Turkey Giveaway
Use the Thanksgiving holidya as an inspiration for special events. Raffle off a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.

Corporate Challenge
Take on another company in your field in a campaign goal challenge. Celebrate together when the results are in.

Old-Fashioned Carnival
Invite employees to an old-fashioned carnival, complete with cakewalks, bake sale, bubble blowing, and 50-cent hotdogs. Have a hula hoop contest and hoop shoot. Charge participants a fee to enter contests.

Dunk Tank
Set up a dunk tank in the parking lot. Have executives take turns on the “hot seat.”

Car Wash
Employees can get their cars washed by the boss. Have managers/CEOs available to wash/wax/vacuum employees’ cars. Get neighbors or neighboring business involved by having the carwash open to the public. Charge a small fee for the service to donate to United Way.

Stress Reduction Workshop
Hold a workshop at lunch or in the middle of the day for employees to relieve stress. Things to include are neck and hand massages, exercise and facts about what causes/relieves stress.

Tailgate Party
Create a sports theme to coincide with football season. Serve hot dogs, chips, soda and peanuts. Play a game of flag football or video football with participants donating an entry feel.

Pucker Up and Kiss a Pig!
For a donation, employees can cast votes for the co-worker or manager who will “kiss the pig” at the end of the campaign. This would also work with goats, cows, or any other animal.

Casual Day
If your business does not have a casual dress code, then offer employees the option to dress casual one day a week through the campaign. Have additional casual days available to purchase.

Auction
Auction off staff services (i.e. babysitting, oil change, lunch for a week), executive parking spaces, donated merchandise or services. Or ask each department to sponsor, create, and fill a theme basket (spa, chocolate, golf, etc.) for the auction.

Crazy Hat Day
Ask employees to come to work with their favorite hat or ask them to create a crazy hat. Set a time to model the hats around breaks or lunch. Award prizes for the most creative. Email pictures to United Way.

Hula Hoop/Jump Rope Contest
Let employees know that at a specified time there will be a “hula” and/or jump rope contest, & encourage them to practice during the week prior to contest date. Play some fun music. See who can hula or jump rope the longest or most hulas or jumps. Hula or jump rope towards a goal or line & back. Award prizes.

Football toss
Measure for distance and accuracy. Charge per each attempt.

Golf Outing
Organize a golf outing for employees. Participants pay an entry fee. Have goofy prizes for highest score, most putts, longest game, etc.

Miniature Golf Outing
A variation fo the traditional golf outing, this idea would work well for a wide range of employee groups. Four-person teams compete for prizes in such contests as hole-in-one, highest score, lowest score, etc.

Bowling
Coordinate a company bowling outing. Each person pays a set amount for missing a pin.

Volleyball/Softball/Football/Basketball Challenge
Play real or improvised games with teams of employees. Charge an entrance fee for each participant. Have spectators bet for the winning team.

Office Golf
Provide putters and build a nine-hole course featuring slinkies, staplers, chairs and other creative obstacles. Participants sign up in teams of two.

Fun Run
Charge an entry fee to compete and provide a prize for the winner.

Frozen Turkey Bowl
Use 2-liter plastic bottles filled with water for bowling pins and a frozen turkey as a ball.

Ping Pong Tournament
Set up a ping pong table and charge a tournament entry fee.

Croquet Tournament
Set up a croquet course on a nearby lawn and charge a tournament entry fee.

Tricycle Races
Run a tricycle race around your building using children’s tricycles.

Fishing Tournament
Charge an entry fee and award prizes for catching the largest fish (by weight) and total catch by weight, limit 8 fish.

Wii Challenge
Set up three or four video machines in a small conference room. Employees pay to play and try to beat the previous players' scores. This can take place over several days with many repeat players.

Bed Race
Each department forms a team to push the department head in a bed along a designated course. Participants raise funds by collecting pledges or paying an entry fee.

Company Olympics
Teams participate in "Olympic" events such as wastebasket paper ball free throws, balance a styrofoam cup on a serving tray while navigating an obstacle course, make a paper airplane and fly it the longest distance, make the longest paper clip chain in one minute or staple, fold and stuff letters into envelopes in one minute. Teams pay to participate, and the company provides prizes or lunch for the winning team.

Penny Wars
Employees can put pennies in a jar set up for their department. At the end of the given time period the department with the most pennies wins. Departments can sabotage jars by donating sliver which can be subtracted from the amount. Give proceeds from the jars to the United Way.

Who's the Baby? Photo Contest
Ask co-workers to bring in their baby pictures. Each week feature a new group of pictures on the bulletin board. Employees then purchase chances to guess which picture belongs to which employee.

Adorable Baby Photo Contest
Post pictures of employees' children or grandchildren. Co-workers pay a set amount per vote for the most adorable child. Ballot box stuffing is encouraged.

Pet Photo Contest
Employees post a photo of their pet on the bulletin board and co-workers pay to vote for the cutest pet, most unusual, ugliest, funniest, etc.

Quarter Shot Glass Contest
Fill a large jug with water and put a shot glass at the bottom. Invite co-workers to drop quarters through a slot cut in the lid. Provide prizes to those who drop their quarters in the shot glass.

Lip Sync or Air Guitar Contest
Jam out to your favorite tunes with a lunchtime lip sync or air guitar contest. Have the audience vote for their favorite with a donation.

American Idol
Employees make a donation to vote for the singing group of their choice.

United Way Jingle
Employees can create with a jingle for the United Way. Each employee sings their jingle over the PA system. Prize goes to the best jingle.

Top Ten Lists
Ask employees to write a top ten list of reasons to give to the United Way. Award prizes for most creative list or most original ideas.

Guessing Game
Display a jar filled with skittles, M&M, or peanuts. Have employees guess how many are in the jar to win the goodies inside. Charge $1 for each guess.

United Way 007
Have you ever wanted to be a secret agent? Give clues to employees in the form of riddles. The department or individual who figures out all the riddles receives a prize at the end of the campaign.

Look-a-like Contest
Employees dress up like famous personalities such as Marilyn Monroe, Nixon, or Elvis. Employees pay to vote on the best costume.

Envelope Contest
Envelopes available for purchase with one containing a prize such as Packer tickets and the rest containing United Way facts. Make sure all the envelopes look the same and have employees pick one.

Talent Contest
Ask employees to show off their hidden talents. Award prizes for funniest talent, craziest talent, and most creative.

Board Games
Groups of employees compete around a chosen board game. They may move their piece for every returned pledge card, for every $10 raised, or for participation in volunteer activities.

E-mail Bingo
Sell Bingo cards for a small fee. Send e-mails sporadically throughout the week with one or two Bingo numbers each time. The first person to get Bingo should let everyone know by sending an e-mail to all users.

Kids Coloring Contest
Involve employees’ children by asking them to make a picture that shows giving or sharing. Display the artwork. Sponsor a contest and give a prize to the top three artists.

Ugliest Apparel Contest
Contestants pay to enter the ugliest tie, earrings or socks contest. Take pictures of the participants and have employees ‘vote’ on the ugliest apparel by contributing a dollar.

Team Chia Pet Contest
Employees will need to divide into teams. Each team will be given a Chia Pet to care for. The Chia’s hair may be trimmed, primped and styled. Prizes will be awarded for fullest growth, longest singe sprout, most original, etc.

Spelling Bee
Hold a spelling bee, charging $5 entry fee. Gallery observers place $1 bets on their favorite participants. Present winner with special award.

Scavenger Hunt
Leave fun clues and have the employees find the items hidden within the office.

Pumpkin Decorating Contest
Employees or departments carve and decorate pumpkins. Vote by placing money in container for each pumpkin.

Chair Races
Set up a race track in your office and use desk chairs for employees to compete in drag races. Have employees place bets on who they think will win with proceeds going to the United Way.

Hot Wheels Race
Hold a Hot Wheel car race and have employees sponsor their favorite car. Have separate heats and award prizes to the winner.

Radio-Controlled Car Race
Set up a pre-determined course. Use timers to see who can run the course in the shortest time. Charge per attempt.

Plinko
Just like the “Price is right”. Set up a game board with slots full of prizes or of course Plinko slots. Prizes can range from football tickets to cash. Employees can pay $2 for three turns.

Trading Spaces
Take-off from the reality show “Trading Spaces” and have employees decorate each others cubicles and offices.

Dollar an Inch
Executives participate in an all-day competition to end the day with the shortest tie. Employees buy the privilege of cutting an inch off their favorite executive’s tie. Give prizes for the shortest tie, ugliest tie, etc.

Pins
Give each person a pin & have them pin it on their shoulder. Instruct everyone they cannot use the words Ex. yes or yea, etc. When they do, the person they said this to gets their pin(s). The person then adds the pin(s) to their other pin(s), the person with ALL the pins at the end of the day wins a prize.

Survivor
Take-off the popular television program by voting people on or off your “Campaign Island.” Each dollar contributed is a vote for that survivor.

Beat the Bad Habbit
Get co-workers to stop being tardy to meetings, popping their gum, failing to recycle, leaving letterhead in the copy machine, etc. Offenders pay for their transgressions.

Celebrity Bagger Program
Imagine the grocery shopper's surprise to find the mayor, a surgeon, radio personality or district attorney bagging groceries at the checkout stand. These celebrities raise a pre-determined amount before they arrive at the grocery store. Then, they bag groceries for an hour to raise tips any way they can.

Vending Machines
Raise the cost of vending machine items by a set amount for a designated month.

Flamingo Visit
Purchase a small amount of plastic flamingos and place them in someone’s office. The right to determine where the birds land next is up this employee’s discretion and a donation to the United Way should be encouraged. Employees can purchase “flamingo insurance” to insure flamingos do not land in their office. Charge a premium which can be donated to the United Way. For variation substitute an ugly lamp!

Brown Bagging It
Designate a day as “Brown Bag Day” every month. Encourage staff to bring their lunches on that day and donate the money that they would normally spend going out to lunch.

Employee Joke Book
Encourage employees to donate their favorite jokes to be collected, published and sold in a company joke book.

Compliment-o-grams
Make up special forms and sell them to employees as an anonymous way to give a compliment to someone in the office. Charge one dollar per compliment. Or attach the messages to helium balloons.

Believe it or Not
Construct a board with several topics listed on it. The categories should be about the United Way and its partner programs. Under each topic list some facts that are true and some facts that are false. Have teams of employees pick out the true facts.

Volunteer Fun
Ask teams of employees to get together to do a fun volunteer project. They could paint a house, do yard work, or do some light repairs to someone’s home. Have team leaders award prizes for fastest to climb a ladder or quickest to change a light bulb.

Vacation Day
For those employees who donate at least a days worth of wages to the United Way, give them an extra day of vacation at the end of the year.

Agency Tours
Invite a group of employees to tour one of the many United Way agencies. This is a great way for employees to see how their donations are used to help the community.

Carnival
Hollywood Glamour
Roaring Twenties
Fifties Sock-Hop
Australian Outback
Wild, Wild West
Survivor
American Idol
School days
African Safari
Around the World
Popular TV/Movies
Superhero
Hawaiian Luau
Disco
80s
Sports
Disney
Casino Royale
NASCAR
Indy 500
Medieval Times
New York! New York!

Bonus vacation days
Day off for birthday
Sleep in for a day
Subscription to favorite magazine
Reserved parking space
Open Vending machines
Longer lunch
Catered Lunch
Paid hours to volunteer
Traveling trophy for department with highest participation
Dinner Cooked by Executives
Early dismissal on Friday
Flowers
Limo Ride
Phone Cards
Candles
Casual days
Lunch or dinner with the CEO
Company Memorabilia (Mugs, hats, shirts)
Health club membership
Short term membership to YMCA
Spring cleaning/housekeeping services
Sports Tickets
Restaurant gift certificates
Gas Coupons
Lottery Tickets
Movie/Video Rental
Golf/Golf Lessons
Company Car for a day
Mall Gift Certificates
Books
Family Portrait
Massage
Manicure/Pedicure
Plants
Bring your pet to work day
Weekend Getaway
Family Vacation
Airline Tickets

Donors and campaign volunteers need to hear how important their contributions are to the community. Here are some ways to thank your volunteers:

Hand out awards, certificates, and pins.
Produce a special “Thank You” addition of your company newsletter.
Handwritten thank you notes from executives.
Surprise people with a note, flowers or balloons.
Plan a “Thank-You” breakfast, lunch or ice cream social. Have management serve the food.
Organize singing telegrams performed by coworkers.