June 2017 – Tour de Office

Fundraising can often (incorrectly) be perceived as a hassle-a-thon of your closest friends, clients and family. The good news is Tour de Office doesn’t advocate forced fundraising – we want our riders to simply showcase the fun they’re having, the effort they’re putting in, and the passion they have for their cause.

There is no perfect formula to appeal to your friends and family and ask for donations.

We went through the history books and looked at a couple of our top Tour de Office Fundraisers from the last couple of years to gain an insight into how they promoted their rides – hopefully it will inspire you to do the same.

THE ROOKIE

Bernadette O’Connor gives us a great example of how an entry-level professional can give the top executives a run for their money on the fundraising leaderboard.

Bernadette focused on consistent and fun social media posts to engage her network to donate to her rides. Proving the little guy can come through with a win Bernadette raised nearly $2,000 in one week and was the top fundraiser for her organisation Employment Office.

“For me it was about quantity – I knew my friends would only be able to donate small amounts so I had to ensure I had a lot of little donations coming in every day. I posted every day on social media and live-tweeted my rides. The big thing is to ALWAYS put a link to your direct fundraising page, donors lose interest very quickly so if they can’t see a direct way to give you money.“There is nothing worse than giving someone a donation then never seeing if that person has actually completed their fun-run, or bake sale, or volunteer work – I wanted to prove to everyone I was riding every day, dressing up, having fun and their money was going to a good cause,” Bernadette says.

“You don’t need friends in high places to raise money for a good cause – a bit of fun – and some humorous self promotion goes a long way. Consistency is key and so if it’s your first time fundraising, there is no excuse not to jump on your bike and start tweeting your rides!”

THE PERSISTENT FUNDRAISER

Rahul Goyal topped the fundraising leader board for Tour de Office in 2015 with a record-breaking $7000 raised during the event. So how did he do it?

Rahul admits that he’s a keen fundraiser and personally supports a number of charities each year. He has a clear-cut strategy that has been tried and tested during a number of charity initiatives.

“Firstly I always make a sizable donation to myself. Its hard to ask others to support you when you haven’t made a contribution yourself. Then I write a list of 30 people who I’m confident would be happy to give a donation. These are people who I have a good relationship with and speak to regularly. I send each person a personalised email and then remind them when I next speak to them.

I usually follow up with my shortlist every couple of days until they make a donation or decline to do so. Once they’ve donated, I cross them off my list.”

Rahul reported that he doesn’t ever feel like he’s hassling people because he’s not doing it to benefit himself, but instead he’s advocating a charitable cause.

“By donating myself, its always easier to ask others. Remember, don’t be afraid to ask, you’re actively making a difference to the lives of others.” Rahul says.

THE SILKY-SMOOTH FUNDRAISER

Employment Office rider in Tour de Office 2016, Alex Hood raised almost $1000 with just some wax strips and over-enthusiastic colleagues. Alex promised he would get his legs waxed if he reached his fundraising target- and his colleagues were more than happy to oblige. When it came to the big day, those who had donated were qualified to tear one wax strip from a hairy calf or thigh. Last minute donations were flying in left, right and centre.

“It was hilarious! Doing something different was a huge boost to my fundraising – I was so excited to almost hit $1000. I would encourage anyone fundraising to think outside the box and not be afraid to make a fool of yourself. Jump on the bike in a crazy costume, face a fear or defy people’s expectations of you. It’s all for a good laugh and importantly, you’ll boost your fundraising.”

Ultimately, the key to fundraising is to remember why you’re doing it in the first place. Consider how each dollar you raise will make a difference to people most in need. This will keep you motivated to reach out to your colleagues, friends and family for their support – remember, your community will want to help if you’re passionate about making a difference and show you’re having fun along the way!

Everyday, more and more big-name corporates around the world are finding new ways to invest in the health of their staff in creative ways – all in an effort to improve their team’s well being, increase productivity, reduce turnover and position themselves as an employer of choice.

If you want to be at the top of your game as an employer – competing for outstanding talent while fighting to keep your staff members, it’s time to overhaul how things are done around your workplace.

Here are some outstanding office features from around the world that all business leaders can draw some inspiration from.

Rock climbing wall at Insurance company Acuity based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Image – Acuity.

At Google, Apple and Linkedin, employees travel between buildings and campuses using on corporate bike fleets – these fleets have been popping up in Silicon Valley campuses over the past decade. Image- Business Insider.

A place to stretch and reconnect with nature for the staff at ad agency of TBWA Hakuhodo. Image- TBWA.

A Ford Mustang pool table, basketball court, and in-office scooters keeps the team at Quicken Loans, headquartered in Detroit on their feet. Image – Glassdoor.

Indoor exercise court at OnBase. Image – Hyland Software.

Pixar California campus includes a basketball court and swimming pool! Image – Oh my Disney.

Healthy vending machines, slides and motivational signs are all part of a typical day at The Toms Office in California. Image – Glassdoor.

Just another lunch time at Facebook in California! Image- Daniel Goodman, Business Insider.

An impressive office design back home in Australia by Architects Harcott is the recently developed Medibank in Melbourne, designed to be the healthiest workplace in the world by keeping employees moving and engaged with each other. With more than 26 different office spaces, exercise courts, an indoor bike ramp, stairs galore, and plants covering more than 10 per cent of the building, this office resembles more of a health retreat than a workplace! Image – Earl Carter.

How to create a healthy workplace

Don’t worry! You haven’t missed the boat. With more options than ever, now is the perfect time to revamp how your workplace, well… works – so you can invest in the health of your team in the long term.

Of course, some ventures will be more expensive than others. It’s simply not economical for small businesses to implement an outdoor ergonomic space, gym or state-of-the-art yoga retreat.

But no matter the size of your company, you can make a number of small but high-impact changes to help create a healthier workplace for your team.

Remember, it’s the little things that count.

· Provide healthy vending machines
· Offer alternative available treats such as a fruit platter or dark chocolate
· Convert that office space to a temporary workout zone during lunch time. Encourage as many people as possible to come along. Play an exercise youtube video – it’s completely free, easy to set up and no equipment is needed.
· Try running internal competitions for how many steps taken in a week/ lunch time workouts completed.
. Check out this extensive list of ideas compiled by the QLD Government.

Make a visual change, without the huge price tag

Tour de Office participant, Employment Office, has just split the cost with their staff in purchasing stand up desks – almost everybody in the Brisbane based office now has a stand up desk – and the staff love it! Check out Tour de Office partner, Jason.L Furniture’s range of quality Australian-made stand up desks.

Fundraise Like a Legend!

The Coolest Healthy Workplaces