Are looking to implement a philanthropic program, event, or activity in your workplace? Congratulations! You are taking the first step in making a huge difference in the lives of animals in need.

There are so many fun and exciting ways that your group or organization can get involved with Bide Awhile Animal Shelter Society and support the work we do. By planning your own fundraising event, like regular Casual Days, a company picnic or bake sale, or an athletic tournament of sorts, you can have an incredibly fun, team-building experience and grow your brand awareness, all while helping us rescue and re-home cats and dogs in need.

We are more than happy to speak with your team about the work we do here at Bide Awhile and the difference your efforts will make for our organization. Please contact Bide Awhile ahead of your event and complete a Third Party Fundraiser – Application Form. That way, we can help you promote your event and share your achievements. Email PR@bideawhile.org to get started!

These are just a few ideas to get you started, but certainly, the sky is the limit to what you can do to make a difference:

Employee Fundraising Ideas:

Casual Days – Do you ever feel like wearing jeans to work? Donate a small fee to dress down for a day. You can make it a weekly, monthly or annual event in your workplace! A member of our team will come by with Casual Day buttons so that you can share your efforts with your customers (and so they understand why everyone is dressed down).

Baby Picture or Contest – Hold a contest using old photos from your childhood, where you have to identify who’s who. Try to include photos from a wide group of co-workers, and pay per guess with a small prize for the winner.

Unwanted Gift Sale – Ever get something from a loved one that’s really not your style? We all do! After the holidays, why not hold a workplace “Garage Sale” of sorts, and donate the proceeds to Bide Awhile.

Bonus Vacation Day – This one will definitely need approval from management, but the idea is that you can sell raffle tickets for $10 each and the winner walks away with an extra day off work, or perhaps an extended lunch – the prize is up to management, of course!

Free Lunch – Whether you opt for lunch at the cafeteria or use some of the proceeds to purchase a gift card for lunch or coffee elsewhere, sell raffle tickets and the winner gets lunch for free!

Treasure Hunt – Plan a treasure hunt and hide inexpensive prizes with hints hidden around the office with a small entry fee. The person who finds the treasure wins the prize. Or, maybe make it a competition between departments – whoever finishes more of a specific task in a day wins a prize, so long as they’ve paid the entry fee.

Bingo – Organize Bingo games once per week. For a $5 donation, each person can go for four rounds. The more rounds someone purchases, the higher the odds of winning.

Hot Breakfast Sale – Sell hot breakfast once per week until the completion of the campaign. The organizers can bring in “raw materials” and then cook breakfast in the lunch room or break room. Creating the menu is totally at your discretion – it could be basic bagels or pancakes, waffles, breakfast burritos or crepes!

Employee Sales Ideas

Homemade Baked Goods – Every Friday (or any specified day of the week), a different department or team brings in homemade baked goods to sell, then donate the proceeds.

Craft Sales – We all have talents outside of work. Tap into those sewing, knitting, painting or woodworking (for example) talents and have an in-office craft sale, then donate the proceeds to Bide Awhile.

Company Cookbook – Jim makes a wicked lasagna, Bill’s chili is delicious, and Sally makes a mean ham sandwich! Ask everyone to share their favourite recipe and compile it into a company cookbook. Sell those delicious meal ideas to family and friends, and donate the proceeds.

Covered dish lunch day – Take turns to have each team or department make lunch for the entire workplace, and charge each person for the meal. It’s a great team building experience and an awesome way to get around packing lunch for a week.  Salads, deli trays, and fruit trays work well for these events!

Get Active as a team:

Golf, Tennis or Baseball Tournament –  Arrange for a group outing to a local golf course, tennis court or ball diamond, then charge a fee per player participating. Want to make things interesting? Invite another organization to play against your team and make it a regular competition!

Fitness Challenge – Charge an entry fee to participate in a fitness challenge that’s as competitive as you’d like it to be. Form teams and collect pledges for any type of fitness challenge that suits your workforce: dodgeball, obstacle courses, tug of war, jump rope – the possibilities are endless!

Bowlathon/Yogathon/Dance-a-thon/Spin-a-thon – Much like a fitness challenge, determine the fitness level of employees, charge an entry fee, collect pledges and the winner has bragging rights – or a real prize, even!

Auctions:

Secure donated items through solicitations. This can be done in person, by phone or through the mail. Bide Awhile can provide you with a letter to use to ask for support for your fundraiser. Auction items can be anything – and they don’t have to be expensive, either. Get management involved and perhaps auction off an executive doing the winner’s job for an hour.

Silent Auction – Display items in an appealing way, and place a sheet with a minimum or starting bid beside each item. Each person who is interested writes their name and the amount they are willing to pay for it. At the designated closing time for bids, the person with the highest bid takes it after paying!

Online Auction – This works in a similar way, but requires a bit more tech-savvy organization. Collect exciting, appealing and unique items, then prominently display them

online for auction. After the closing date, the highest bidder takes the prize (after payment is received of course!)

Raffles:

50/50 Draws – 50/50s are the easiest and most popular way to kickstart your fundraising! Determine a price for tickets – commonly, one for $5, three for $10 and 10 for $20 gets people excited and engaged. Then, 50% of the money collected (or whichever percentage your group chooses) is given to the winner, with the other half donated to Bide Awhile.

Holiday Ideas:

Santa Claus – Have someone dress up as (or hire) Santa Claus or Easter Bunny for a few hours, and invite members of the community to take photos with their children. Charge a small entry fee or a photo fee – email the photos and donate proceeds from the event. It’s an excellent community builder and boosts excitement for the holiday season.

Gift Wrapping – The worst kept secret is that most people are horrible gift wrappers and would rather pay someone to do it. The cost of wrap and tape is cheap, and it’s a fun way to bring the team together. Take donations per gift wrapped and then donate the proceeds. You’ll be amazed how many last-minute shoppers will be thrilled to have some wrapping help!

Holiday Party – Employees can decorate and dress up, and be sure to include a costume contest if it’s Halloween! Serve sweets, snacks and punch, and ask everyone to pay a small entry fee.

Establish a Payroll Deduction Plan:

With payroll deduction programs, employees can select Bide Awhile as their charity of choice to help cover the costs of rescuing and rehoming cats and dogs in need. Employee payroll deduction offers the convenience of automatic payroll deductions while enabling your employees to have an impact in their community. We are happy to share animal rescue stories with your team once per month to showcase the impact you are making on the lives of our residents.

Benefits of Payroll Deduction include: being able to spread charitable donations over the course of a year; T4 receipting is expedient and ensures employees won’t lose a tax receipt or forget to include the donation in their income tax report. It also boosts morale and encourages charitable giving, all while creating a greater corporate profile and strengthening the sense of community.

Make a Matching Gift:

Consider a corporate matching gift program, where your company will match an employee’s personal donation to Bide Awhile. Why should you consider a matching gift program:

  • Employees feel supported in their personal philanthropic goals, which boosts morale in the workplace
  • Employers effectively double the value of their employee giving while doubling the impact of the gift
  • Matching gifts help Bide Awhile rescue and rehome twice as many animals in need
  • Donations can be matched up to a certain amount per year per employee, be connected to a specific campaign or fundraising event, or they can be unlimited – it is solely at the company’s discretion

Consider a Matching Gift or Sponsorship for Bide Awhile Fundraisers or Events:

Bide Awhile is always hosting events and activities with members of the community, including bake sales at our open house, and cat yoga sessions every month.  We also participate in Giving Tuesday each year – and more. As a company, we love to set fundraising goals and with a matching partner, it`s even more exciting for donors when they learn their $1 donation is really $2, or their $10 is really $20. Pick an event or activity, set the matching amount (or up to) and we will gladly advertise your involvement and partnership.

Corporate Giving:

Instead of sending a promotional or holiday gift to your customers, send a holiday card and donation in the name of that person or group. We recommend a minimum of $20. We will send a holiday card to your customers, telling them of your generosity. Additionally, you can always purchase our annual greeting cards by donation, and send them on your own if you prefer to write your own message.