Three Virtual Company Fundraising Ideas and Why CSR Is Important

Corporate social responsibility’s (CSR) impact reaches far beyond your organization’s nonprofit partner. It affects morale, is an asset to human resources, and positively impacts your brand in a real way.

A 2018 charitable giving report found that “90% (of companies) indicated that partnering with reputable nonprofit organizations enhances their brand and 89% believe partnering leverages their ability to improve the community.” It also found that “87% believe their employees expect them to support causes and issues that matter to those employees.” CSR can influence your organization’s bottom line, too. A recent Nielsen Global Survey on corporate social responsibility found that “55% of global online consumers across 60 countries say they are willing to pay more for products and services provided by companies that are committed to positive social and environmental impact.” In short, corporate social responsibility is an investment that businesses large and small should make. 

But how to dive into company fundraising when everyone may not feel comfortable meeting in person?

Go online! The first step is to choose a fundraising platform. Doing so will make all your company fundraising efforts easier, from organizing employees and supporters to managing donations, interpreting analytics, and executing your marketing plan. We’re partial to Eventgroove (of course). Our platform is packed with snazzy features and helps you run on-brand online and in-person fundraisers with ease! Plus, Eventgroove will seamlessly transition with you as people return to the office. It’s built to help you run in-person, online, and hybrid (both virtual and IRL) events from the same platform.

Ready to kick your corporate fundraising into high gear? Partner with a nonprofit that employees can get behind and try one of our favorite online company fundraising ideas.

Three Effective Online Company Fundraising Ideas

Virtual run, walk, bike, or swim a-thon

Any activity that appeals to employees will do! Or offer a variety of activities from which to choose and enable pledging by the mile or a time increment. Participants can take part in their chosen activity from home as well as update their fundraising page with their progress. Support will quickly grow since participants can share their fundraising pages on social media and invite everyone they know to pledge. Make things even more interesting with a little friendly competition with peer-to-peer. Offer a great prize (maybe a day off or half-day Fridays for a month) to the team that hits their fundraising goal first.

Photo by Ir-One M on Unsplash

Online auction

Gather items irresistible to both employees and anyone in their social media circle. Now more than ever, community businesses need help. Consider including gift cards, products, or services from local businesses. Other COVID-aware ideas include outdoor excursions, like a guided horseback trail ride or botanical gardens tour led by a docent. Setting up your online auction is simple.  Just build your fundraising page and include information about your nonprofit partner. Next, add enticing images and details about your items. Finally, share the link on your company’s Facebook page as well as with employees so that they can post it in and across their social networks.   

Virtual company raffle

To get employees engaged, consider a nonprofit partner that is doing a lot to help the community during the pandemic, such as your local food bank or Boys & Girls Club. The next part of your online raffle equation is the prize. Why not put together a couple of pandemic-friendly swag bags? Offer items related to meal delivery, home décor/improvement, or even dog training for the pup adopted by the winner during quarantine! Making your virtual raffle a reality is a snap with a platform like Eventgroove. Managing, promoting, collecting donations, and accessing analytics are all at your fingertips.