STARTING A UNITED WAY CLUB Extras: Activity & Event Ideas

Welcome: We’re happy you’re starting a United Way Club! This document is a supplement to the Youth United “How to Start a United Way Club” document. In this document you’ll find lots of ideas for activities that your United Way Club can do during your meetings, within your school, and to support United Way Toronto. Sincerely, Youth United

Contents: 

Youth United Extras: Activity and Event Ideas

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Ice Breakers & Team Building Activities: Get to Know Your Clubmates

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How to Participate in the Enbridge CN Tower Stair Climb for United Way

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Alternative Fundraising Ideas: Product Drives

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A-Z List of Special Event Ideas for United Way Campaigns

Have any questions? Contact us: Email: [email protected] Tel: 416.777.1444 ext 374 26 Wellington St. East, 12th Floor, Toronto, ON M5E 1W9

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Ice Breakers & Team Building Activities: Get to Know Your Clubmates The best part of joining a new club or team is when you hit that point where everyone is comfortable with one another and you can really see that new team dynamic growing. We’ve found there is no better way to get this process started than by using ice breakers. Most of the games below came from our friends south of the border – the Student United Way in the USA. They compiled the list and we’ve referenced the sites they grabbed these from. Use these to get to know your classmates better in you United Way Club meetings.

United Way Opening Activity This activity will help show how United Way addresses important factors in building a better city for us all and focusing on root causes of social problems. After the activity, it would be a good to give a brief history of United Way and chat about it with your Club members. 

Large groups should break into small groups of four or five people.

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Give each person a post-it note, and on it, have them answer this question: “What one thing does it take to bring a child from birth to self-sufficiency?”

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If you are broken into groups, each group should discuss the question and their answers amongst themselves and pick a person to read out their answers. Have a board at the front of the room where they can post up their post-its in the order of importance (each group can re-arrange the post-its that are already up there according to what they think)

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Once you’ve finished, ask the group to sort out which post-its go in which category – poverty to possibility, healthy people, strong communities, or helping kids be all they can be – or if there are some that fit all three.

Name Game With everyone sitting in a circle, start with the person to the left or right of the leader and have them introduce themselves saying their name, grade, and a fun fact about themselves. The next person repeats the previous person’s information and then introduces him/herself. Keep going until the group leader is the last one left, and they have to say everyone’s name, grade and fun fact, along with their own.

Introduce Someone Else It’s simple – break up into pairs (preferable pair up people who don’t already know each other), and exchange fun facts and favourite things for a few minutes. Then, introduce your partner to the group! [From http://www2.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/breakice.htm]

I’ve Done Something You Haven’t Done Each person starts by introducing themselves and then says one thing they have done that they think nobody else in the group has. If another person has done it, the student needs to keep saying different activities until they find something nobody else has done.

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[From http://www2.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/breakice.htm]

Play Catch (For this game, you will need a ball that is soft or a beanbag) Start with having everyone stand in a circle. One person, likely the group leader, will start with the ball and introduce themselves, stating their name and grade or a fun fact, then toss the ball to another person in the circle, who then makes their own introduction. Continue until everyone has been introduced, or as long as you like until everyone is familiar with everyone’s names. Another variation is to have the person tossing the ball to ask a question to the person they are tossing to. [From http://www.mwls.co.uk/icebreakers/catch.pl]

Who Am I? Start with each person writing the name of a famous person on a piece of paper, and then randomly pin these names to other students’ backs. Then, get everyone to try to guess “who they are” by approaching others in the group and asking yes or no questions. [From http://www2.honolulu.hawaii.edu/facdev/guidebk/teachtip/breakice.htm]

Two Truths and a Lie Each person in the group states three facts about themselves – two are true and one is a lie. Go around the group and have each person state their facts. After each person, the rest of the group can guess which facts are the truths and which one is the lie, and the individual can reveal the truths/lie afterwards.

M&M Game (For this activity, you will need some sort of colourful candy – we use the example of M&Ms) Sit in a circle and pass around a bag of M&Ms and have each person pick out a handful of M&Ms. Assign each colour of M&M a topic. For example, yellow M&Ms and your favourite TV show. Go around the circle and have each person pick an M&M and share a fact. This game can be as long or short as you want. Another option is to have people grab a handful of M&Ms and then share as many facts about themselves as M&Ms they have in their hand. [From Group-games.com at http://www.group-games.com/category/icebreakers]

Common Ground (For this activity, you will need enough chairs for all but one participants and a large space) Set up the chairs in a circle and have everyone but one person (such as the group leader to start) take a seat. The person without a chair states, “I seek common ground with...people who love chocolate!” at which time, everyone who loves chocolate (including the person who made the statement) has to run and find another seat – you can’t take the seat of the person sitting next to you! – leaving a different person in the middle to make the next “Common Ground” statement. [From Commonaction.org at http://www.commonaction.org/gamesguide.pdf]

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Human Knot (For this activity, which is best for a medium-large group, you will need a large indoor or outdoor space) Start by having your group stand in a close circle. Each person should then grab someone else’s right hand with one hand and someone’s left hand with their other hand. Then, they must unravel the knot, but can’t let go of anyone else’s hand. You may change grips if necessary due to the angles of your arms and body. You can have the group stay silent during this activity, or have them talk through it as a group. [From Commonaction.org]

Human Rock, Paper, Scissors (For this activity, which is best for a medium-large group, you will need a large indoor or outdoor space) It’s the human version of Rock, Paper, Scissors! Start by splitting your group into two teams and give them each an “end zone” or safe area. Then, each team huddles up and chooses to play either Rock, Paper or Scissors. The two teams then meet in the middle and make their play in a round of Rock, Paper, Scissors. The losing team must run back to their safe zone, while the winning team must run after them and try to tag the other team’s members before they are “safe.” If another team tags you, you must join their team and the game continues until everyone is on the same team. [From Commonaction.org]

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How to Participate in the Enbridge CN Tower Stair Climb for United Way One of the biggest fundraisers we have at United Way Toronto is the Enbridge CN Tower Stair Climb that takes place each October. It’s also an easy way for you to fundraise with your club within your school. It’s a straight-forward event for you – we provide you with materials and everything you need to promote the event in your school. All you need to do is register online and recruit your team! (Oh, and climb those 1776 steps to the top!) It’s a fun event and a great way to show your school spirit! This is also one of the easiest fundraisers for you to do within your school because we provide you with a lot of support and materials.

How to participate: 1. Register online: Registration typically opens in mid-August on our website at www.unitedwaytoronto.com/climbforunitedway •

Register your team and yourself as the team captain.

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Don’t forget to indicate your school during the registration process! That way we know your school gets the credit for what you raise by participating in the event.

2. Recruit your classmates (and even your teachers, staff and administrators!) to participate •

Make sure they join your team during the registration process.

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Make sure they also indicate your school during the registration process so your school gets credit for their fundraising as well! Just joining the team online isn’t enough – they have to indicate their school.

3. Promote the Climb in your school •

United Way staff will connect with you as the team captain, once you sign up online. We’ll send you materials like posters for your school, and fundraising envelopes to use for collection of money.

4. Come climb the stairs! •

Join us bright and early on a Saturday morning in October (usually starting from 6 a.m.) to get going up those 1776 steps.

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Show your school spirit: bring your school mascot and wear your school clothing!

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See how many team members you can get to participate: aim to win the Student CN Tower Stair Climb award for the largest team.

5. Continue to fundraise: After the climb is over, you’ll have a couple more weeks to continue to gather support for your team.

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Alternative Fundraising Ideas: Product Drives Product Drives are a great way to support United Way Toronto as an alternative to traditional fundraising. Product Drives involve putting together packages for clients of our Member Agencies and can vary from personal care kits for clients of homeless shelters, to school supplies for children at an afterschool program. This is a great fundraiser because it can take place at any time during the school year, and everyone involved can feel great about directly helping individuals with much-needed supplies.

Process for a product drive: 

Discuss with your fellow club members and decide what you’d like to collect.

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Determine or set a goal for the number of kits you’ll be able to put together.

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Connect with your United Way staff contact to determine where you’ll be able to take your kits.

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Hold your product drive and collect your items!

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Assemble your kits and package your items.

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Deliver them to the agency.

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Thank your participating club members, donors, teachers and administrators, and you’re done!

Here are some ideas for items you can collect: 

Hygiene/Toiletry Kits for : o

Homeless Shelter or Temporary Youth Residence – kits include travel size shampoo, deodorant, travel size soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair comb, lip balm, hand sanitizer, adult TTC fare (tokens), and a Ziploc bag for each kit to hold all the items together.

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Seniors – toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss, tissue packets, hand soap, a Ziploc bag for each kit to hold all items together.

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Non-perishable Food Items for Food Banks – soups, beans, pasta sauce, canned fruits/vegetables, Ensure/Boost, special diet items (gluten free, sugar free, ethnically diverse staples, etc.)

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Clothing for Men and Women – socks, underwear, sweats and flannel pyjama bottoms, jeans, sweaters, rain and snow boots, winter and waterproof coats , blankets and sleeping bags.

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On the Move Packages for Youth transitioning to independent living – may include medium sized pot, large pan, new sheet set, cutlery set, plates, bowls, mugs, glasses, blanket,

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pillow, can opener, towels, sponges, dish soap, all purpose cleaner, toilet paper and a laundry hamper to hold all the items. 

Holiday Hamper for Youth, Newcomers, Seniors & Children – candy, chocolates, cookies, toiletries, small toys.

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Back to School or Afterschool Homework Supplies Packages for Children – including pencil, pen, eraser, ruler, crayons, notebook, stickers, a backpack or small bag/box for each kit.

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Items for Community Kitchens – tea towels & hand towels, baking sheets, loaf pans, heat resistant plastic coffee mugs, wide blade good quality chef chopping knife, good quality chef carving knife, plastic cutting board, pot holders.

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Household Baskets for Newcomers – may include toiletry items, winter clothing, and basic household supplies such as dish/laundry soaps, non-perishable food, note pads, pens, mugs, glasses, and basic kitchen utensils.

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Unwrapped Toys for Children – child-safe, non-toxic material toys for different age groups.

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A-Z List of Special Event Ideas for United Way Campaigns Auction a Favour Get teachers to donate a chore or favour (lunch, t-shirt, ball caps, an hour in the gym with friends, their parking spot, etc.) and hold an auction of the services. The highest bidder wins the prize!

Bake Sale Get the members of your committee, your family studies class, teachers, the cooking club, or other students to prepare home-baked goods to sell during the day or at functions where adults are around, such as parent-teacher Interviews. Home-baked goods usually sell better than store-bought ones, but often bakers will give you leftovers if you ask.

Basketball Challenge Each home room has a team. Charge an entry fee and for each basket missed. Or get the teachers to play the students and charge an entrance fee to watch.

Balloon Fortunes Blow up tons of balloons and insert a piece of paper in every balloon. On one of the papers, write “You Win!” Charge everyone for a chance to win, but make sure you have a really cool prize to give away!

BBQ Sell hot dogs, hamburgers and pop in the field at lunch or during one of your first football games. To maximize profits, approach local shops and supermarkets, and ask them to donate food to the event.

Body Paint Students pay to have their arms and legs painted.

Candy Jar Guessing Contest Fill a jar up with your favourite candy and leave it on display for people to guess how many are in the jar. You have to pay to play, but the prize is the jar of candy.

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Candy/Loot Bags Sell loot bags filled with toys and different candies. Ask local shops or grocery stores to donate candy to give away.

Car Wash This always generates cash, especially on good weather days. You can approach an automated car wash and ask if your team of students can help dry the cars. Ask the owner to donate the proceeds to United Way Toronto.

Carnival Every home room comes up with a different carnival game/activity. For the entire afternoon, students can play these games and it becomes a contest between the classes to see who can make the most money. If your school has an elementary and/or junior school in the neighbourhood, try to get their students involved as well.

Chariot Race Host a chariot/bathtub race between rival schools. Collect pledges, spectator fees, sell drinks and food at the event, etc.

Coffee House/Poetry Café Convert a well-cleaned classroom into a crowded and lively coffee house. Decorate the café with a theme and perhaps bring in a few couches. Have mellow music playing or have students performing talents. You don't have to sell just coffee. Hot chocolate or steamers (steamed milk with flavoured syrup) are a few ideas to keep in mind.

D.J. in the Cafeteria Have a student D.J. set up in the cafeteria and have students pay a loonie for every requested song.

Dance Have your Student Council host a dance, charge for tickets, and send the proceeds to United Way Toronto.

Eh! Canada Organize games or events that are patriotic. Charge students a small fee to get in on each game.

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Euchre/Chess/Checker Tournament Each person enters and pays $2 to play.

Fall Fair/Celebration Day Pick a day in the autumn and have a fall fair in your school’s yard. Invite the entire community, have activities for young and old participants, hold bake sales, silent auctions, draws, arts and crafts sales, etc.

Fashion Show Encourage your school's design department to show off their work in a school fashion show. Stores in your community are often eager to loan their clothes for the publicity they receive. A fashion show can be organized by a separate committee.

Food Sales Work with your cafeteria where a portion of the food sales that are donated. Set a specific day or week or for a particular item, for example, 25 cents get donated to United Way Toronto for every cookie that’s sold for a dollar.

Fortune Telling Bring out the crystal ball, tarot cards and horoscopes, and tell students what's in their future. Charge $1 per reading.

Garage Sale Collect used donated goods from staff and students. Set this event up in the gym or in your school’s yard, and open the event to the community.

Giant Cookies Get icing, chocolate chips, jujubes and other candy, and let students make their own personal giant cookies. Have a competition between homerooms to see which room brings in the most cookies.

Gotcha! This is a game where all students can participate for a fee of $1. All students’ names are put on a list, and all participants will be given a name of one person to “get”. This involves sneaking up on the student and placing a post-it note on his/her back that says “Gotcha!” You then collect the name(s) of his/her targets and attempt to “get” them as well. The game continues until there are only two students left.

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Grilled Cheese Sell fresh-off-the-grill cheese sandwiches. Perfect for lunchtime. Be sure to have ketchup on hand.

Guitar Hero Competition! Get your A/V department involved and turn the gym or cafeteria into a giant TV space for games! Charge entrance and spectator fees. Also works great with Rock Band and Dance Dance Revolution!

Head Shaving Ask a student or teacher to volunteer to have their head shaved. If you reach your fundraising goal, the head gets shaved! What an incentive!

Henna Tattoo Have a booth where students can get temporary henna tattoos. Charge them for each tattoo.

Investment Game Charge students to invest in make-believe stocks and have the stocks change throughout the event. Whoever has the highest valued portfolio wins the prize.

Jar Sale Have each home room fill several jars with treats (smarties, jelly beans, bath beads, pencils, etc.). Try to get at least 100 jars and then sell only three times the amount of tickets to jars so there is a one-in-three chance of winning. (For example, 300 tickets.) Sell tickets for $2 each.

Jelly Donut Sale Sell fresh jelly donuts in the morning for $1. Try to get a local bakery or café donate donuts.

Jeopardy Hold a trivia contest. Make it a staff versus students affair!

Job Shadow Auction or raffle off the opportunity to shadow a member of the school’s staff for a day. The principal, caretaker, a favourite teacher—you decide who participates! (Don’t forget to get the staff’s permission first!)

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Karaoke Set up a karaoke machine in the cafeteria or auditorium, then “pay a loon to sing a tune.” You can charge admission for spectators if you like as well.

Life-Size Board Games Recreate your favourite board game (such as Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly, Twister, etc.) and play the game in the gym. Use students as life-size pieces and have them ask for pledge money for the successful completion of games.

Lip Sync, Talent Show, or Faculty Follies Get students and teachers involved, charge a $1 admission and have a snack bar.

Look-Alike Contest Have students and staff dress up like celebrities or other people in the school. Charge $2 to participate.

Loonie Day Encourage students and staff to dress “loonie” for a buck! Show a loonie film and honour the looniest person who participates.

Lunchtime Chair Sale Remove all chairs from the cafeteria and then sell them to students for a loonie as they enter the cafeteria.

Marché Lunch Create a café environment, complete with tablecloths and magazines in the morning or after school. Charge people for coffee, food, etc.

Mascot Pictures Get your school mascot to come out to any of your United Way Toronto events. Have a Polaroid camera on hand and take pictures—charge for each picture.

Mini Putt Have each of your homerooms design a golf course. Put your course together in the gym, hallway, library, or schoolyard. People can play green fees to golf.

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Movie Night or Afternoon Rent a video to show in the school auditorium. Sell snacks only, as copyright laws prohibit charging admission for viewing. You could ask for a donation amount of their choice!

Multicultural Luncheon Have students or volunteers make dishes from around the world. A different country could be featured each day or set up different country booths where people pay to sample the fare.

Mural Painting Wrap paper around the walls of the school and ask students to pay to paint a section of the wall.

Musical Chairs Each student pays to play. Use the playing field with the whole school. The winner gets a prize.

Nail Painting or Manicures Bring in all those colours that you never thought you’d use and paint nails for money.

Classic BINGO! Invite the community for a game of BINGO! Sell cards for $1 each and ask local merchants for prizes. Invite a local celebrity to call the numbers.

Ol’ Fashioned Sales Try a bake, garage or book sale. It's an excellent way to involve students and teachers.

Origami Deliver origami to a recipient in the school for a small fee. Think of it as an Origami-gram!

Partnerships Talk to your student council and arrange for a portion of ticket sales from a formal, dance or other event to go toward your United Way Toronto campaign.

Coin Drive Set up a container at an event or at the entrance of your school. Ask students to drop off all their loose change — it’s amazing how much you’ll collect!

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Pillow Fight Turn your gym or football field into a pillow-fighting arena! Charge students $1 to participate. Don’t forget to ask teachers to get involved and to call your school and local newspapers to cover the event.

Pumpkin Carving Contest Ask a local grocery store to donate some pumpkins. Gather teams of two to carve each pumpkin. You can charge students who want to enter the contest or to watch the carving. The winning team gets a prize.

Pyjama Day Have students and staff dress in their PJs for a day. Charge $2 to participate and stay comfy.

Quiz Show Contestants pay 25 cents for a quiz-show card that can be bought each morning. During announcements, five trivia questions about United Way Toronto are read over the P.A. system. Students write their answers on official cards, which are collected in each homeroom. At the end of the week, prizes are awarded to the top three trivia masters.

The Great Race Teams of five students and a staff member are sponsored by student pledges. Each team chooses a theme and costume. The race is introduced at an assembly by team skits. Be creative in setting up an obstacle course and modes of transportation—tricycles, skateboards, etc. The winning team is chosen through a point system for their skit, costumes, and finish in the obstacle course and the amount of money the team raised.

Rent a Friend or Butler for a Day You can auction off students or teachers who are willing to provide their services for the day. (Suggestions for what they can offer up as services can include making your lunch, carrying your books to class, cleaning out your locker, etc.)

Ridiculous Olympics Potato-sack race, egg-on-spoon race, yodeling, air guitar—the more ridiculous the game, the better! You can charge $1 or $2 to participate and award gold, silver and bronze medals to the winners.

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Salsa Lessons Have the Spanish department hold Spanish dance lessons over lunch. Have students pay for the lessons! This idea works great for any multicultural club, too!

Shoe Shine All you need is the polish and the brush! Charge students for shoe shines.

Shoulder Massage Set up a station in the cafeteria or during your special event/carnival day and charge for massages.

Silent Auction Collect items for the auction. Don't forget to ask for donations from retailers. Design a bidding sheet for each item that includes a description of the item, its retail value, and a space for the bidders name, home room and bid. Display the items on the tables during lunch hours with their bid sheets beside them. At the specified closing time, the item goes to the person with the highest bid.

Shaving for United Way Have the guys on your school’s sports teams or a daring male staff member to shave his legs or head for United Way Toronto. Publicize your campaign goal and if your school reaches it, then they have to say goodbye to their hair!

Singing Telegrams Bring together a classroom choir and sell its talent to students. Students choose the person they want to serenade for a fee of $1 or $2.

Speaker’s Corner Set up a video camera in the front hall. Students pay a dollar to record their one-minute message. Hold a screening a few days later. Be sure to have your Student Committee Advisor review the recordings before the screening.

Spirit for a buck! Charge a loonie or a toonie to attend school events like sports day, basketball games, etc.

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Sticky Coins Take double-sided tape and create a design on a wall. Ask students to attach their loose change to it. Be sure to keep the display in a safe place.

Stress Ball Sales. Fill balloons with flour and sell them during test time—they make great stress relievers!

Student or Staff Sport Challenge Charge entrant and spectator fees to a sports challenge, where two students or two staff members square off for the winning title!

Talent Show You know that there is a ton of talent at your school! Plan a lunchtime talent show and pass the hat for donations!

Three-on-Three Basketball Tournament Enter as many teams as possible. Charge $10 per team.

Toronto's Funniest School Videos Students create their own videos and then show them in the auditorium. Charge for admission and sell popcorn. Students choose the best video. Post to YouTube afterward, or send them to United Way Toronto to get them posted on our website!

T-Shirt Painting Let students create t-shirts. Place the shirts up for auction and honour the best shirt.

Turkey Draw Get a local supermarket to donate a big turkey. Sell raffle tickets for 50 cents each.

United Spray Perfect for schools with swimming pools. Ask your favourite teachers to volunteer to dress up in wacky clothes and stand on the far side of the pool. Students pay to throw water balloons. If the teacher gets hit, they must jump in the pool. Charge spectator admission!

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Video Games Set up your own arcade in your computer lab, or set up a room with your own videogame system where students are charged for their play time. Set up a Wii contest!

Walking Piggy Bank Stick double-sided tape your principal and/or student council president, and have them walk around so that students and staff can stick coins to them. Don’t forget to position them near the cafeteria till at lunchtime when you know everyone has change!

Whatever-o-Grams Each homeroom picks a certain object (balloons, carnations, bricks, ribbons...) that can be sold in the cafeteria and delivered to special friends with a note attached.

Wheel of Fortune Have your favourite game show in your very own school. Charge a small fee for each round.

Word of the Day Choose a word that students say quite often at school (for example, “class” or “math”). Each time a student says that word, they must pay $0.25 to the “Charity Jar” – their friends can hold them responsible. Have multiple students/teachers walking around with various jars, or have jars in each class room.

X-Country (or City) Midnight Run This is where a group of fit students, under the supervision of staff and volunteers, run during the night time for United Way Toronto. Students raise money through pledges from friends, family, and local businesses.

Yard Sale Have students collect items for a yard sale. Invite the entire community to the event. Sell food and beverages as well. Do you have a great “Z” idea? Or any new ideas that we can add to the list? Post your ideas to the Youth United Facebook page wall!

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