The holiday season is a perfect time to reflect on what really matters and strengthen bonds with not only family and friends, but also the people with whom you work closely every day. In the spirit of people helping people, why not celebrate the season by giving back to your community and building camaraderie on your team? Forgoing the office holiday party or secret Santa gift exchange to spend the time helping others instead, is a great way to bring your team together, promote problem solving, and foster team bonding. Nothing is more energizing and motivating than uniting behind a worthy cause, collaborating on solutions, and making a positive difference — together.

Here are five rewarding holiday team building activities to help your team give back, get closer, and have fun!

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1.  Celebrate the holidays with seniors.

According to the Institute for Family Studies, more than 60 percent of seniors in nursing homes don’t have visitors and experience loneliness that can intensify during the holidays. Bring a sense of family and friendship to seniors who may be alone this season by volunteering at a local nursing home or hosting a holiday event for residents. Many senior care facilities also organize and plan activities for the holidays, inviting families, volunteers and the community to share food, fun and festivities.

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2.  Bring cheer to hospitalized kids with heartfelt holiday cards.

Many children battling serious illnesses remain in hospital care for a long time, making this time of year especially difficult for these young patients and their families. For an inspiring team building activity, plan and organize holiday card and care package donations for your local children’s hospital, or send handmade cards with an uplifting message of hope to brighten their rooms and their spirits while they recover. Set up a design station in the company break room where team members can create and decorate their customized holiday greetings.

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3.  Give a gift to a child in need.

Spread holiday joy to children in vulnerable communities through the gift of a new toy. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is one of the best-known charities that has been collecting and distributing toys to America’s disadvantaged children since 1947. Instead of a holiday party, build a holiday themed team building activity around a Toys for Tots event at your office, become a toy drop-off site, or volunteer at a local warehouse. Connect with your local Toys for Tots program or another organization in your community to donate holiday gifts to children in need. Don’t forget to think about the larger, world-wide community as well. Consider running a toy drive event for one of the thousands of shelters or orphanages supporting children in need around the globe.

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4.  Volunteer together for a local cause.

Use a service like VolunteerMatch to find great ideas for local organizations and causes your team can support as part of your next holiday team building activity. Whether you volunteer at a local food bank to serve holiday meals, donate time and goods to a homeless shelter, or support an organization like Baby2Baby to provide basic necessities to children living in poverty — giving back as a team creates opportunities to bond with each other and make a real impact on your community.

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5.  Lend a hand to a local animal shelter.

Don’t forget to show our furry friends some love during the holidays. Give back to a local animal shelter or a service like Pets of the Homeless by hosting a donation drive to collect much-needed pet food and supplies. To take your support to the next level, partner with a shelter or rescue organization to organize a local pet adoption event in your community. Your team can also spend time volunteering together at a local shelter to help orphan pets find their forever home this holiday season.

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Whether you stage a food drive, volunteer with the local fire department, help rebuild a local small business after a disaster or participate in any of other community activities on this list, working together for a greater purpose is at the heart of building a strong corporate culture. Finding meaningful ways to give back during the holidays promotes team building by boosting engagement, fostering collaboration and rallying people around a common cause. It also brings our culture and values to life by demonstrating our dedication to serving others and making a positive difference in the communities where we live and work.

The best way to build your business is to gather a loyal team around you. If your team is solid and trusts your leadership, their productivity and morale will be high, even through the hard times. So, what can you as a leader do to encourage your team to be loyal to you? Here are some tips from the experts.

Build your team’s cohesiveness

Team-building activities will encourage your direct reports to feel as though they fit in with you company’s culture. These activities can range from something as simple as a team lunch to a day-long or overnight retreat. Through group problem-solving exercises, educational and goal-setting workshops, and even casual events like completing a jigsaw puzzle together, can help your teams to really get to know each other better and build cohesiveness across different departments.

Give credit for good ideas

There’s nothing like a public expression of your delight with a team member’s work to make that person feel valued. It’s also important not to take credit for one of your direct reports’ ideas or solutions for a sticky problem. Instead, when you’re sharing the idea, be sure to mention the name of the team member who came up with it. Not only will this make them feel appreciated, but it will also encourage them to continue coming up with future solutions and ideas.

Have an open door policy

If a team member is having trouble meeting her goals, for example, be available to give her some tips and encouragement. Make time to check in with each team member at least once per month: Even a 10- or 15-minute meeting shows that you want to be his or her colleague and mentor.

Support them in their career goals

Ask your team members what they want to achieve and where they see themselves in one, five, or 10 years—and help them get there. Help them understand the steps they’ll need to take in order to move up through the hierarchy, and support them in their efforts. Let them know what skills they need to get to their desired position and suggest resources to help them build those skills.

Lead by example

Don’t ask your team members to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself. Making a big sales push? Hit the streets with your team members. Asking extra hours of your direct reports? Work those extra hours, too. Asking team members to set goals? Set some, too—and hold yourself accountable. By sticking with your team through thick and thin, and showing them what it takes to be successful, you’ll encourage them to stick with you, too.

Remember that a good leader is a servant as well. Your job is to build your team, help them when they need it, and make them feel like part of your company’s family. If you follow these tips, you’ll gain the loyalty and respect of each of your team members.

What do you do to encourage the loyalty of your team members? Share with us on Cydcor’s Twitter and follow us @Cydcor.

We are Cydcor, the recognized leader in outsourced sales services located in Agoura Hills, CA. From our humble beginnings as an independent sales company based in Canada to garnering a reputation as the global leader in outsourced sales, Cydcor has come a long way. We’ve done this by having exceptional sales professionals and providing our clients with proven sales and marketing strategies that get results.