Has your business thought about conducting an office donation drive? Done well, it’s an easy, low-stress way for businesses to help people in the community and gain a reputation for compassion and community service.

At Payroll Medics, we have enjoyed sponsoring many drives including a shoe drive for Soles4Souls – Soles4Souls is a not for profit global social enterprise committed to fighting poverty through the collection and distribution of shoes and clothing. We had a blast and are eager to kick-off our next event!

Here are our 7 tips for running a smooth donation drive: 

1. Call local donation centers to see what items are most needed. These places may have a surplus of some items, but be in great need of others. They’ll be able to tell you which is which so you can conduct a drive that truly benefits the community.
2. Consider the costs of items needed and the finances of your employees. Employees who make less money or have less ability to give may feel excluded if the requested donations are on the expensive side.
3. Determine the logistics of the drive. You’ll need a location on site to place collection bins—preferably a spacious and high-traffic area. The bins will need to be visible, easily accessible, and clearly marked. And you’ll need to coordinate transportation of the donated items to wherever they need to go. Some collection centers may be able to pick up items. Others may need you to deliver the goods.
4. Promote the drive through your standard communication channels. A week’s notice is good. A couple weeks’ notice might be better. Once the drive is underway, the donation bins will likely do the promotional work for you as long as they’re visible and clearly marked. That said, if the deadline is approaching and it appears that not many employees have participated, a company-wide reminder email or announcement may be in order. Procrastination is common, and if employees aren’t warned that they’re almost out of time, they may miss their window of opportunity.
5. Some employees may choose not to participate. That’s okay. Don’t single anyone out based on their level of participation.
6. Take the drive as an opportunity to build camaraderie among your employees. Give them a collective goal, encourage them along the way, and afterwards let them know how well they did.
7. Thank everyone who donated or otherwise participated in the drive. People like to be recognized for what they’ve done, even if the recognition wasn’t their motivation. And be sure to share any feedback you receive from the donation center or others in the community.

One of the great privileges of running a small business is being able to give generously to community organizations and charitable causes that matter to you.

If your business is supporting a charitable cause or event, please let us know and we welcome you to post your event on our Payroll Medics facebook page!