Fun Work, Great Incentive

A friend of mine recently told me about an organization wide contest he participated in. The non-profit he works for was looking to gain more awareness so they asked employees to become active on a social network meant for volunteers.

The website was a blogging and video blogging network that allowed members to post videos of daily work, successes and volunteers. The organization wanted a strong presence to build awareness but didn't feel it was appropriate to take people away from their daily tasks to work on it. After all, lesson plans had to be written, children taught and books read.

So they introduced the competition. After work hours, employees were encouraged to come up with the best video and upload it to the website. The winner would get a customized video recorder.

Over half of the staff ended up participating, making videos that displayed organization-specific t shirts and uniforms, volunteers interacting with children and daily literacy activities.

It was a great idea because it didn't require employees to put in extra time. Instead the organization created enough excitement that staff wanted to do extra work to promote the cause. A great idea for any company!

If you're looking to get a campaign to be done quickly or a presentation finished, consider motivating your employees with a quality promotional item. If it worked for them, it can work for you!