This is gratitude month and many companies are raising money for terrific causes. But when everyone is giving and asking for time and money how do you get your team involved and engaged? The holidays are sometimes so full of noise that it can be hard to be heard above the din.
Organizing your office to participate in a single cause can help maximize your reach and it can be great visibility for your company while helping an organization that needs it. A little bit of planning and thought before, during and after the giving event can help you make the most of your efforts.
1. Make it cute. Create a silly video, social media meme, goofy poster or office skit to get everyone’s attention. Humor works best here. If you are willing to be a little funny and foolish it can attract attention. Just make sure the cause isn’t lost in all the fun.
2. Make it a competition. Set up a contest between offices where the winners get a prize. At Partners Trust, we have a pizza party for the office that donates the most bags of food for LA Family Housing’s Thanksgiving Drive. Competition, light-hearted trash talking and feats of giving are encouraged. At our office meetings, managers and other leaders make a show of raising the stakes but donating during the meeting.
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3. Make it personal. It’s one thing to donate to a cause, it’s another to know directly who you are helping. One of the reasons that Giveback Homes became popular among agents and brokers was through storytelling. They don’t just raise money to build houses, they raise money to build houses for specific people. Get the charities you are working with to present to your offices and share stories of individuals who are being helped.
4. Make it social. Bring the public in on the fun through social media sharing pictures and videos of fundraising and volunteering. Make sure to tag all the agents involved and give them the tools they need to share it with their fan base. Find others on social media who are contributing to the same cause, congratulate them on their efforts, they may do the same!
5. Get clients involved. This is also an opportunity for real estate agents to share the good they are doing with the public through email and social media campaigns or by holding gathering events where people can donate either money or goods (toys, food, coats etc.).
6. Share the results! Host a thank you event for donors and share it on social media. Create an ad campaign celebrating the donation but keep the focus on the cause that is being donated to and why it is worthwhile. Create thank you cards for agents to share with their clients who donated and pull in some of the personal stories from the charity.
Deidre Woollard was part of the marketing team at realtor.com and is currently the head of communications for Partners Trust, a leading luxury brokerage in Los Angeles.
