It’s holiday season and… solidarity season! Here are some ideas to harness your teams’ solidarity and finish the year in style 🎇

#1 Brr… It’s cold! Donate heat

This winter, energy will be a scarce and expensive resource. For people living in fuel poverty, it is a double hardship: they live in poorly insulated homes that increase their heating bills and thus make it even more difficult to make ends meet at the end of the month.

Don de Chaleur is a challenge to help others, so that the energy you save will benefit those in need.

How does it work?

1. Download the Don de Chaleur application and register (make sure your Enedis account is updated and that your Linky account is connected to it)

2. Choose a project close to your heart from a selection of projects that fight against fuel poverty

3. Connect your Linky meter to the application to track and measure your energy savings

4. Learn new ways to reduce your energy consumption

5. The project is funded in proportion to your kWh saved by Don de Chaleur’s partner energy supplier

It’s good for: 

💰 Your wallet: reduce your energy bill by 10% without freezing.

🌎 The planet: housing energy accounts for 10% of our CO2 emissions.

💚 Making a difference: fight fuel poverty, without paying a euro.

💡 Make it a team challenge! Who will save the most energy and support the most others in need?

Donate heat

#2 A reversed advent calendar!

This holiday season, let’s take care of others. Prepare gift boxes for people in need as a team! 

1. Take an empty, clean and solid cardboard box. Choose whether your gift will be for a man, a woman or unisex.
2. Every day, add a useful item to the box (hygiene products, tin cans, socks, underwear, hats, scarves, books, biscuits, gloves, drinks…)
3. Decorate your box and don’t forget to say to whom it must addressed
4. Bring your box to one of the collection points

💡 Tips to launch this advent calendar within your team

  • Provide a cardboard box to each member of your team
  • Set up a deadline (the general deadline is 17th of December)
  • Send pictures of your box filling progression on Slack, whatsapp or others.
  • Set up a space at the office to drop off the filled and decorated boxes
  • Call for volunteers to drop off the boxes at the collection point
Collection points and more info

#3 A gift of solidarity to thank your customers and employees

No more useless goodies! What’s the best way to thank your customers and employees?

By gifting them a better world 🌍

As we approach the end of the year, gift them a pre-financed donation to support an association of their choice!

💚 Choose the social and/or environmental causes that are closest to your heart from our careful selection of projects

🧑‍🤝‍🧑Rally your community. Through an email or a QR code, invite your partners to choose their favourite cause from your selection

📊 Track the impact of your donation and your community’s votes

In short: it’s simple, it’s eco-friendly, and it’s mobilising!

A guarantee? You can’t go wrong: doing good always feels good 😉

Launch your solidarity campaign

#4 Launch a letter writing workshop for isolated elderly people

Older adults are at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation since they are more likely to face factors such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, and hearing loss. Holiday season can often be a particularly hard time for older people.

With 1 letter, 1 smile, You can draw a smile on an isolated elderly person’s face in a few clicks. Although mostly abandoned by our generation, letters are a means of communication often dear to older people. Tell a funny anecdote, a joke, your story, your hopes and ambitions, spread some love and create deep meaningful connections

💡 Organise a writing workshop at the office. Bring your teams together for a time of sharing. Get some pens and paper ready and come up with content ideas. 1 letter, 1 smile will then forward your letters to isolated elderly people.

 

Write letters

#5 Organise responsible festive moments

🎅 Are you organising a secret santa within your team?

  • Encourage your teams to choose useful, eco-friendly and ethical gifts
  • Favour handmade, local or recycled items
  • Consider immaterial gifts
  • Check out DreamAct to find your responsible gift
  • Replace gift wrapping paper by boxes, newspapers, reusable pouches, fabric etc

🍲 Are you planning on organising a company dinner or lunch?

🎄 A simple question...

Do you really need a Christmas tree at the office? 

📦Organiser a solidarity collection

💻 Electronics collection · Emmaüs Connect

🩸Menstrual products collection · Règles Élémentaires 

🧦 Sock collection · Chaussettes Orphelines 

👚 Clothes collection · La Cravate Solidaire · La Croix-Rouge Française · Emmaüs Défi 

🥫 Food collection · Les Restos du Coeur 

🧩 Toy collection · Rejoué

📚 Book collection · Bibliothèques Sans Frontières

🪄 Make new resolutions for next year

Organise a collective brainstorming to define your responsible ambitions for next year. Energy management, waste management, social commitment… Take some time to discuss your common issues and ambitions! 

Solidarity and responsibility are much better as a team! Happy holidays!