Clayton Homes management team takes an hour and makes a big difference

Sometimes you don’t just know if something is a good idea until you try it. In January, the Regional Vice President at Clayton Homes, George Gunnell, had an idea for a fun team building exercise during their yearly meeting that would have a “philanthropic angle.”

Each year, the builder of manufactured housing and modular homes will identify opportunities to give back to the community and support organizations that work to make things better for others, especially Veterans and the homeless. The goal for this exercise however was to raise money for Families for a Cure, a non-profit organization that raises donations to help organizations that provide cancer support services to individuals and families throughout central Ohio.

Gunnell’s idea was to have the more than 25 members of the regional team, as well as others from the corporate office, take part in a “telethon” type of fundraiser. But rather than sitting and waiting for the phone to ring with donations, the team spent more than an hour calling their personal contacts, friends, and family members seeking donations. To tap their competitive edge, everyone was divided into teams and set up in the office to see who could raise the highest total.

According to Sean Williams, a general manager with Clayton Homes and a member on the Families for a Cure board, it all had a feel of a real Jerry Lewis style telethon with someone managing a board and updating the donation totals which were displayed on a large monitor. “The competitive environment made it a super high energy event,” Williams noted.

The week prior to the event, Williams had shared some information about Families for a Cure and the organizations that the non-profit has supported over the years. Since 2004, FFAC has raised nearly $1.5 million through fund-raising events and sponsorships, to fund cancer research and support services. The organization has also supported national charities like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital which he believes struck a chord with his co-workers.

Williams noted that having the information a week in advance also stoked the competitive fires for many of the associates as they prepared to make their fund-raising calls. Several came up with well-planned digital execution strategies. The younger team members took to social media and did Facebook Live interviews asking for donations. The fund-raising strategies also differed from seeking small, individual donations from many to securing large single donations from what was considered “big fish.”

Williams recalls how Gunnell asked him before the activity started how much he thought they would raise. When Williams replied maybe ten thousand, Gunnell advised him to think bigger.

At the end of the hour-long, team-building exercise, the ticker board showed $39,900. Feeling it was all a little incomplete perhaps, one of the team members broke out $100 to get to the total to $40,000. The Clayton Home Corporate Giving department then added another $5,000 for a grand total of $45,000.

“To say we raised $45,000 in just over an hour is amazing,” Williams said. “It tells me there are a lot of good people out there looking to donate to a worthwhile cause. You just need to engage them.”

Pat Puhl, founder and executive director or Families for a Cure said he couldn’t believe hearing what the team at Clayton Homes was able to do.

“We can’t express enough, how much we appreciate what Clayton Homes has done to support our cause,” Puhl said. “First of all, the ongoing commitment to make a difference, by not just the company’s leadership but all those who took part, is impressive. However, the creativity they showed and determination to reach such an amazing amount says even more.”