November is a big month for charity. Coming up on the 4^th November is Movember, raising money to help stop men dying young through various areas such as Prostate Cancer, Testicular Cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. This is then quickly followed up by Children in Need on the 18^th November, helping to make a difference in the lives of children and young people. Righttrack Consultancy has also completed charity work in the past, completing the Great Midlands Fun Run in aid of Acorns Children's Hospice.

This means as 1^st November hits, numerous cake stands will appear, someone will decide to climb the three peaks backwards, and you’ll have sponsorship forms flying at you so quick you’ll get a papercut. It’s a great time for everyone raising money for their chosen charity, but will it start affecting your work and personal relationship with them? Never fear! We have the perfect guide for not only asking for money in the workplace, but being the one employee who isn’t do anything.

If you’re raising money for charity:

• First off, give yourself a pat on the back! You’re doing something amazing for charity, you deserve some praise!
• Not everyone is going to be in a good position to give you money. There may be more going on behind the scenes than you realise, and so they may not have money to give you. Don’t pester them again and again if they’ve said “I’m sorry I just don’t have anything to give at the moment.”
• If you have seen more than one of your colleagues approach someone in the office that day asking for money, don’t add to the load. Maybe come back to them in a day or two. It’s all about timing.
• If you have a communal space that you can post notices, either online or a notice board, why not share a link to your JustGiving page or pin your sponsorship form to the board. That way you can just direct them to these without directly asking for money, and they can donate in their own time.
• Offer something more for their money. Set your original challenge, but add to it when you reach a certain donation level. Say you’re running 10k, and you want to raise £100. Tell your sponsors that if you reach £100, you’ll complete the run in a banana suit. Why not raise it even higher and say that if you raise £200, you’ll do it backwards? If you set these little extra challenges, you’ll get more donations.

If you’re being asked to donate money:

• Let’s be honest, the person asking you for money probably feels very awkward about asking everyone in the office for donations. So don’t get angry if you are next on their list, they’re only trying to raise money for a good cause.
• If you don’t have anything you can give, make it clear to the person asking as soon as possible. You don’t to tell them the exact reason why, but honesty is the best policy!
• Let them know if you’re already donating to that charity (if you are, don’t lie about it).
• If you don’t do charitable donations full stop, make sure that you make this clear when the first person asks you. Do it in a nice way and don’t shout at them, but you need to be open about your reasons, as they will ask.

What are your thoughts on charity in the workplace? Let us know in the comments below!

Righttrack Consultancy offer bespoke training solutions for your business on a variety of topics in Equality & Diversity and Customer Service. To find out more, or to get your organisation started with Righttrack, click here.