For the past 25 years Comic Relief has strived to create a just world free from poverty, and their mission statement says that they aim ‘to drive positive change through the power of entertainment.’ Comic Relief raises millions of pounds through two big fundraising campaigns: Red Nose Day and Sport Relief.
Red Nose Day comes around every 2 years, giving thousands of people the chance to do something funny for money. This can be done anywhere: at home, at work, at school, and even on TV. The BBC gives celebrities and comedians an entire evening to entertain the nation, whilst urging them to donate generously.
This year SilverDoor decided to get involved with the charity’s events and see how much we could raise for Comic Relief. We organised an in-house auction, allowing people to put their talents to good use and raise money for charity. With offers up for auction such as a lift to and from work, DIY work, cleaning someone’s house, lessons in Greek, an extra day’s holiday, and even a three course meal served by butlers in the buff, we managed to raise over £600 for Comic Relief.
Although the primary reason for any charity event is to raise money, there are many other benefits they can bring to a company. One benefit of charity events that will apply to almost any company is the social aspect. It is a great team-building exercise, and provides good opportunities for employees to chat to employees from other departments whom they may rarely talk to during a normal day. There’s nothing like seeing your colleague in the buff to break the ice! Other benefits include getting to know other nearby companies, competitors or clients by involving them in your charity efforts, entertaining people through your chosen activities and of course helping those less fortunate than yourselves.
We all had a great time on Friday with our auction and a huge amount of enthusiasm was felt throughout the office. It is definitely something we will do again, and maybe next time we can aim for £800!
