11 Best Charity Team Building Ideas for Work

Here is our list of the best charity team building ideas.

Charity team building ideas are activities and events that help strengthen your team’s bond and collaboration while giving back to the community. For example, visiting children’s hospitals and building bikes with team members. These activities aim to encourage coworkers to contribute to the community with a team spirit.

These exercises are a subset of community building activities and are in-person versions of remote fundraising ideas and online volunteering.

This list includes:

• team building activities for a cause
• team charity ideas
• work team charity events
• corporate giving back activities

Here we go!

List of charity team building ideas

From building home furniture to teaching vocational skills, you can try many charity team building events and activities with your group.

1. Build And Donate Toys

Building and donating toys to children is one of many awesome team charity ideas to try. Some parents are on a very tight budget and cannot spare money to purchase toys for their children. By donating toys, you and your team will put a smile on the faces of both kids and their parents.

The team can raise or pool money and buy toys from a local store. Or, building toys as a group is a great idea for team building. Children’s toys are also relatively simple to make. Each hand-made toy will reflect the team’s creativity.

First, you need to get the necessary materials to build the toys. These materials will depend on the kind of toys you want to make. There are countless easy-to-get toy-building materials you can use. You can even make use of recycled objects.

For example:

• Wood
• Plastic containers
• Recycled plastic bottles
• Colored fabrics
• Scissors
• Glue
• Needle, thread, and other sewing materials
• Foams
• Embroidery thread
• Straws
• Cardboards
• Tapes
• Paints and brushes
• Toilet paper roll

After you prepare materials, divide your team members into several groups. Then ask each group to create toys from the available materials within a specified time.

Here are some toy ideas to create

• Stuffed teddy bears
• Stuffed hand-sewn letters
• Dollhouses
• Letter dice
• Toy cars and trains
• Animal face masks
• Puppets

The group that creates the most toys within the allotted time wins. To make the day more fun, add snacks, beverages, and background music. After the toy-building event, donate the toys to kids or a kids’ charity organization.

2. Prepare Healthy Foods For The Homeless

Preparing healthy meals for the homeless with your team members can create a stronger bond among team members.

First, divide the team into groups and select easy-to-make healthy meals that offer nutritional benefits.

Look for a clean space to do the cooking. You can offer to do this activity at a shelter or in a soup kitchen. Before cooking begins, gather ingredients. Also, ensure that all your team members take hygienic precautions like washing their hands properly before cooking and refraining from wearing any jewelry.

At the end of the activity, you and your team members can share the meal with the homeless, and all eat together.

3. Build Bikes

Bike-building is one of the best team charity ideas you can offer for children. Not all children get to own a bicycle. By challenging the team to build bikes, team members improve the lives of kids in need. Plus, assembly is a stimulating challenge.

To do this project, split the team members into several groups. The members of each group will have to work together to create a beautiful piece. Make sure you provide each group with necessary materials like:

• Bike frame
• Wheels and tires
• Saddle
• Seat clamp
• Fork
• Pedals
• Chain
• Brake levers
• Bike derailleur
• Headsets
• Brakes
• Handlebars

This activity does not end after construction. The best part of this event is donating bicycles to children. Be sure to do a safety test before you give away the bikes.

4. Make Breakfast

Holding a ‘first to make breakfast’ challenge with your team members is one of the best team building activities for a cause. This activity ensures that students eat healthy breakfasts.

Playing this game is quite easy. You can conduct the exercise in a school cafeteria. First, contact the school to obtain permission and arrange the details. If you cannot use the school’s facilities, then you can cook in your office or rent a third-party space. You may also be able to partner with a local restaurant.

After finalizing the cooking space and arriving at the kitchen, split the team members into groups. The groups should agree on a nutritious recipe. Then gather the ingredients and tools you will need to prepare the meal.

From fresh foods to gloves and aprons, be sure that all materials are on hand before beginning to cook. Then you can start the race.

The rules are:

1. There will be several rounds and an allotted time for each round.
2. Once the game starts, group members will work together to make a healthy meal as fast as possible.
3. After a round has elapsed, the group that could make the highest number of meals wins the round. You can allot points per meal made.
4. After completing the rounds, sum up the points. The group with the highest point wins.

Here are some breakfast ideas to prepare

• Avocado egg toast
• Scrambled egg tacos
• Whole wheat pancakes with fruit topping
• Chocolate protein pancakes
• Banana peanut butter smoothie
• Ham-and-cheese frittata

This game is tasty and fun for team building. The exercise also allows you to improve healthy eating for kids and teenagers.

5. Craft DIY Blankets

Making DIY blankets, gloves, socks, and coats is one of the creative team building activities for a cause. You can give back to the community by making these items and can donate the finished products to the homeless. These items of clothing will be exceptionally useful when the winter chill arrives.

You have to look for a space where the team can work comfortably. Then gather the necessary materials, including :

• Different colors of fabrics
• Sewing machines
• Needles
• Threads
• Buttons
• Thimbles
• Measuring tape
• Pairs of scissors
• Tables for cutting out fabrics
• Frills and other embellishments

After you have prepared and rented the necessary materials, you can begin to sew.

Here is how:

1. Separate the team members into groups.
2. If the teams are working in groups, then each group will decide how to divide the labor. For instance, participants can rotate the sewing and cutting duties among each other. This division of labor ensures that each member is fully engaged.
3. Specify the target number of clothing items for each group to make. Take the number of team members and the time into consideration.
4. Leave time for breaks. During the short breaks, the team can share their sewing experience over a meal or partake in other fun activities.

The best part of this activity is that you get to donate the items to a charity organization or a shelter.

Pro Tip: You can award gifts to the group that sews the highest number of items, and can stage a fashion show where team members snap photos of the finished items.

6. Teach Vocational Skills

Vocational skills, sometimes called technical education, are practical skills needed in a particular profession. You can  oftenacquire vocational skills via informal education systems.

Vocational training classes are excellent work team charity events for you and your team. Not everyone can afford the resources to learn vocational skills. Free vocational training conducted by your team will provide a great learning opportunity for members of the community who cannot pay to learn these skills.

First, discover what practical skills your team members possess.

For example:

• Culinary skills
• Computer programming
• Fashion designing
• Hairstyling
• Make-up art
• Web designing
• Pet grooming
• Event planning

After deciding which vocational skills to teach, organize a comfortable space for the training. You can rent training room facilities to provide you with the necessary area and amenities.

Next, pick a date for your course. Then, advertise the training. You can create fliers and post the event on social media, and can also partner with community groups to spread the word.

You can divide the team members into groups and make each group responsible for designing the curriculum of a course. Members of a group will work together for a particular purpose like teaching the skills and taking charge of publicity.

During the training, provide refreshments.

7. Build Wheelchairs

Building activities, including wheelchair building, are excellent team charity ideas. You can improve teamwork by letting the team work together to build and donate wheelchairs to people in need. Building wheelchairs is one of the unique corporate giving back activities that allow a company or an organization to contribute immensely to the community.

You can extend the benefits of this activity to dog shelters by building doggie wheelchairs for disabled dogs. Then you donate the wheelchairs to vets and a dog shelter. These doggie wheelchairs will be of great help for those with struggling dogs.

To build a wheelchair, here are some of the basic tools you will need

• Wood saw
• Wood metal
• Tape measures
• Bicycle pump
• Hammer
• Tubing bender
• Screwdriver
• Metal files
• Metal saw
• Center punch

Before building the wheelchairs, you should have the design of the models you want to make beforehand. It is also a great idea to use the service of a professional who specializes in wheelchair building to supervise the project and ensure there are no mistakes.

8. Visit a Children’s Hospital

Kids in long-term hospitals can grow bored or lonely. For a community service project, you and your team can develop ideas to entertain young patients.

For example, the team can plan a talent show or concert for the children’s ward. Simply contact hospital administrators to coordinate the visit, then prepare and practice an act.  Team members can sing, tell stories, dance, and play musical instruments for the kids.

Be sure to make the show appealing to children. For instance, sing or play familiar children’s songs, and encourage the kids to sing along with you.

You can also engage the kids in drawing, painting, or games like basketball. Or, lead reading time.

Working together to delight sick children can be one of the most rewarding charity team building ideas.

9. Donate Funds From A Fitness Class

Fitness classes can provide great health benefits. These workouts also offer a chance to raise and donate funds to a charity organization. Raising money through fitness classes allows a team to participate in corporate giving back activities while exercising together.

Some fitness activities you and your team can engage in are yoga, dancing, workouts, and running. Once you find a team member or professional capable of leading the routine, you will need to get a space. Be sure to find a space that can provide you with the necessary facilities you need for the class.

You can use the park, rent a room, or collaborate with a gym. After getting a space, you and your team members should work together to publicize the fitness class. Attendance fees can go towards your cause.

Similarly, you and your team can throw or compete in a charity race.

You can donate the registration money to a charity organization, shelter, or orphanage.

Here are examples of team fitness exercises to try.

10. Assemble Home Furniture

Building home furniture is one of the more creative charity team building ideas. Building furniture for families will help families in need feel more comfortable.

If none of the members of your team are skillful builders, then you can work together with professional carpenters, or buy and assemble simple IKEA pieces.

Some types of furniture you can build with your teams are:

• Shelves
• Towel rack
• Hanging wine rack
• Small fur stool
• Bookshelves
• Kids sized chair and bed frame
• Pallet table
• Plywood coffee table
• Nightstand
• TV stand
• Coat rack
• Pet bed
• Padded corner bench
• Baby cribs
• Plate holder

Be sure to provide good quality materials, tools, and safety equipment for your team to use. Also, let your team get creative by decorating the pieces. After completing the furniture and assuring quality, you can donate the pieces to families.

11. Visit A Nursing Home

Visiting a nursing home is also one of many corporate giving back activities to try with your team.

Nursing homes are essential because these facilities provide basic medical services and supervision to residents. By visiting and spending some time with the elderly, you and your team members can brighten residents’ days.

You can perform countless activities with your team while visiting a nursing home. If any of your members have musical skills, then you can perform a music show for the elderly residents. You can also play senior games like board games, cards, and Bingo. Team members can also read aloud to vision-impaired seniors. You could even throw holiday parties for the residents, fill out cards, or make decorations for the seniors.

Spending time and playing games with seniors can also help build your team and let team members bond. If you do not have the time to visit the facility yet still want to help, then you can donate items to the nursing home like board games, diabetic socks, and personal care items.

Conclusion

Charity team building events and activities do two things simultaneously. These exercises make giving back more fun and allow team members to bond. Before picking a project and starting your service, make sure you and your team set your goals, plan well and work together to make the activities and events successful.

Next, check out this list of nonprofit books and this list of trust building activities.