Dodging, Ducking and Diving for Charity (Plus Team Building Tips)

As local Detroiters, we here at iDashboards love helping the community around us – and, as an added bonus, it provides a great environment for team building. With that said, we couldn’t think of a better opportunity to support a great charity, build up Detroit’s reputation, and boost our overall team spirit than the Boy Scout’s Dodge for Detroit tournament.

Not only were we able to help the Boy Scouts of America reach their goal of raising over $40,000 for 4,000+ underprivileged youth, but the iDashboards team was able to bond together in attempts to dominate the dodge-ball court.

Despite the letdown of not bringing home the winning trophy, iSmashGourds (the iDashboards team) still made it into the Sweet 16 bracket out 32 teams. Overall it was a great event, where we could have fun as a team, raise funds and awareness for an amazing charity, and enjoy a piece of our hometown in beautiful Detroit.

If you’re looking to plan a team building event be sure to incorporate the following to make sure you get the most out of it (just like we did at Dodge for Detroit).

1. Make it charitable
   Team bonding is great but it’s even better when you can support a good cause and help the community. Great examples of this are soup kitchens, habitat for humanity or helping with charity races.
2. Bring on the competition
   Nothing brings people together more than competition. Split your team up into groups or versus other companies so that they’ll come together to win the prize. We like to do our Annual Golf Outings, Office Olympics and Fitness Challenges to get us out of our cubes and encourage healthy competition.
3. Have fun with it
   If it feels like a chore (or a bore) your company won’t want to participate. Pick fun venues and activities that scream “a good time” and your employees won’t want to miss out.
4. Keep a good attitude
   It’s all about attitude. Present the event to your team with a good spirit, let them know how much fun it will be with a brief agenda, and nix any negativity that might brew.
5. Don’t take it too seriously
   Your company is serious business. But your team building events shouldn’t be. Take this time to unwind and really get to know your coworkers outside of the office.

Whether you win or lose (like iSmashGourds), you can still have a great time supporting a good cause and build your team up for a more productive year. Overall, Dodge for Detroit was an awesome and unforgettable event for us and we can’t wait for our redemption next year!

Interested in seeing more photos from the event? Check them out on our Facebook and Twitter.