Supporting Sobell House in the current climate

Though as I keep saying to myself, things will get better, life will I am sure return to normality even if we don’t know when, and hopefully we may emerge from this a slightly kinder society. Hope so on all counts.

I am the Corporate Partnerships Manager at Sobell House and my role is to form partnerships with the local Oxfordshire business community. All of the wonderful ways people support us mainly involve being with others and that’s where the fun part comes from. But things have changed, and we are all getting used to a new phrase – ‘social distancing’. I am working from home and I know most of our business supporters will be too. But at places like Sobell House, our care team – made up of doctors, nurses, cooks, therapists and cleaners – can’t work from home because the care has to continue and will do throughout this pandemic. So how can the business sector continue to support us? Locked away in my home office I have come up with a few suggestions…….

Ideas for employees

NB: You can use apps such as Zoom, Skype, or Google Hangouts to dial in to virtual ‘face-to-face’ meetings!

Happy hour

Many of us will be missing our colleagues at this time, I know I do. Instead of heading to the pub after work for a drink, why not arrange a virtual happy hour, and donate the money you would normally spend to Sobell House instead?

The Virtual Work Quiz

Break up the day with your very own lunch time quiz! Charge for involvement and make sure you have a prize for the winner. We are working on a virtual quiz, watch out for details.

Conference call costume contest

When we are all working from home it’s important to keep the team spirit. What do you wear when you work from home? How about changing your routine with a very different conference call – fancy dress, from the neck up? Award a prize for the funniest or perhaps the scariest costume.

Fine jars

Set you and your colleagues some rules – don’t work in your pyjamas, or from the comfort of your bed – if you break any of the rules, it’s a donation to the fine jar!

Goodbye bad habits!

For some, (definitely not all!) now may be the time to give up a vice and concentrate on your health. What is your guilty pleasure? It could be that glass of wine in the evening (very tough!), anything chocolaty, or maybe you’re trying to quit smoking.

Donate your working day costs to Sobell House

Are you saving money by not making the daily commute into work, or buying your normal meal deal for lunch? Why not donate the cost to Sobell House instead!

Have a spring clean

There’s no time like the present to have a sort-out! Why not keep aside any good-quality, previously loved items to donate to one of our eight shops?

Ideas for employers

End of financial year

Most businesses are close to the end of the financial year, and some may find they have additional money left over. If your business is in this position, donating to Sobell House and our hard-working staff throughout this uncertain time would be an amazing act of kindness.

Match funding

In this article, I have written about how your colleagues can support the hospice whilst working from home. If your staff initiate a fundraiser, you could support them by match funding their great efforts!

Make a pledge for Sobell House

It’s not an easy time for many businesses so how about making a pledge for when normality returns? Choose Sobell House as your Charity of the Year 2020/21 or pledge to sponsor one of our events taking place later in the year.

A few final notes…

For the past nearly 44 years Sobell House has provided incredible care thanks to the unwavering support from our local community. If you can do anything to support us now that would be fantastic. And if you can’t at this time I fully understand.

I send my best wishes to the many people and businesses who do so much for Sobell House. Many people through my work have become such good friends. When this is over I look forward to continuing to partner with you in the ways that we have over the past three years.

If you would like to have a chat about any of these ideas, please phone me on 07527849748 or email tim.wraith@sobellhospice.org – I would love to hear from you.

Useful links

JustGiving – https://www.justgiving.com/start-fundraising

Virgin Money Giving – https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/giving

Zoom – https://zoom.us

Skype – https://www.skype.com/en