Rather than arranging a generic year-end office party, South Africans are encouraged to do things a little differently this year by activating their colleagues to collect goods for a charity.
Yes, have that Office Party but use the opportunity to do good at the same time!
“Office party organisers should jump outside that box and fill it with goods instead this festive season,” says Andy Hadfield, the CEO of South Africa’s largest volunteer and donation platform, forgood.co.za.
Serving up some inspiration is a group of women who united under the banner of fun and friendship with a purpose.
Last year, the Red Hat Renegades, as they call themselves, gathered to muster community spirit and sponsorship for a Stork Baby Boxes project. Inspired by an initiative by the Finnish government, each box is filled with essential items for new mothers and once emptied is converted into a safe and secure cot.
To date, the Red Hat Renegades have delivered over 200 of these boxes to pregnant women from disadvantaged areas in the Cape – all through creating an offer on For Good.
“The boxes are often received with tears of joy, as many mothers have literally nothing for their babies when leaving hospital,” says co-ordinator of the project, Jo Maxwell.
“It just takes one person in an office to champion the idea and come up with a creative way to use a portion of the party budget in support of a cause,” says Hadfield.
“Each team member can bring a kids’ book, toy or bag of nappies to put under the cause’s Christmas tree,” says Hadfield.
Once the giving is done and dusted, there is still room to celebrate everybody’s contribution with some good old-fashioned team building.
Finding the right cause, or causes, is easy with the free public platform. Visit For Good, click Donate Goods and browse through the real needs of charitable organisations in your area. Or, as the Red Hat Renegades did, post a unique offer and wait for the responses to start coming in.
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