One of my favorite things about my job is that on occasion, I get to plan events such as a ribbon cutting or organize a company-wide fundraiser.
I love event planning. I greatly enjoy figuring out the minute details and making sure everything goes according to plan. I revel in the logistics, particularly when there’s a good cause at stake.
Lat year, I organized a food drive. During a two-week food drive, my company raised more than $750 and collected more than 120 pounds of food for the Central Missouri Food Bank. The sense of accomplishment I and others felt as we handed over the check and the Food Bank representative collected the barrel was amazingly rewarding.
As my company has gone through transitions this year, we haven’t participated in as many charitable causes. While disappointed, I understood it wasn’t a top priority for those in charge.
So imagine my surprise when my company President asked me to organize a week of wearing jeans (for a price!) and two food events next week to raise money for the employees of one of our sister offices in Nashville who were devastated in the recent flood. I’ve never been so excited to plan a taco lunch or breakfast sandwich breakfast!
I think it is important for employees and managers to participate in these kinds of events. It builds a sense of being part of something bigger—bigger than individuals and bigger than the company. When done right, fundraisers can foster a renewed feeling of being part of a team. Every company can use more team building activities.