Large organisations have been used to staff working across multiple sites and countries, however, with the shift in the post-covid working environment to a hybrid and remote workforce, smaller businesses are also now learning how to engage and manage remote teams.
Charities can offer a solution for engaging staff across sites and homes to their business connections. This can be achieved by setting up virtual fundraising challenges that are carried out by all staff, in their own time, at their own pace, in their location, whilst still contributing to a common goal.
What are virtual challenges?
A virtual challenge is a goal that is set for you to complete virtually within a certain time. The challenge could be anything from running 5k to a triathlon. The key to this is that it’s virtual, you log your movement on a platform and the challenge is held within a set time frame that can be anything from a 24 hour time period to a few months.
These virtual challenges have been proven to be a fantastic way to bring people together to complete a joint goal. During the lockdown, we saw many sporting events embrace the virtual world.
In 2020, the historic London Marathon was made virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic with almost 38,000 runners mapping out their route and completing 26.2 miles. In 2021, largely due to the success of the 2020 virtual marathon and the ongoing pandemic, the organisers announced that 45,000 runners would be running on the streets of London and a further 50,000 would run virtually. This meant that charities were still able to raise their profile and collect much needed fundraising money from runners and their supporters. The virtual TCS London Marathon is set to continue in 2022.
Through the WellGiving platform, charities can offer large challenges like the London Marathon and smaller challenges, such as a couch to 5k or a 30minute walk every day.
The benefits of virtual challenges.
With the success of an increase in virtual local and international charity sporting events across the past two years, we can see a real benefit for charities, businesses and individuals to continue bucking this trend.
For Companies
Corporate wellness has become top of many companies priorities, they can set challenges across their entire workforce or just individual teams depending on the situation.
For Staff
Remote workers have the potential to have a more sedentary lifestyle, with little need to move from their desks for meetings or to walk to the shops at lunchtime. Having a challenge that motivates them to move more throughout the day will be highly beneficial to their health and fitness. Working together to achieve a challenge goal will help to make them feel part of the team again, they will have fun, build connections across the organisation, which overall improves their mental health and wellbeing.
For Charities
Charities get to reach a wider audience, staff could be anywhere in the country or world to take part in the challenge. An international organisation may open this up to all of its staff. Virtual challenges are a good way to boost fundraising targets.
Kaylee Miller from Great Ormond Street says “The WellGiving platform was vital in helping us reach our fundraising goal and made it possible to engage with our supporters in a way that encouraged them to participate and donate. We look forward to working with them again in the future and would highly recommend their services”.
Read the case study for the 100K Challenge for Great Ormond Street.
If you are a charity and would like to find out more about how WellGiving can help boost your fundraising targets in 2022, have a look at our Charity Partner page.
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