6 Ways Businesses Are Celebrating Red Nose Day This Year

Did you know that today, May 26th, 2016, is Red Nose Day?

Participating in charity events is a fantastic opportunity for businesses to build brand awareness, engage with customers, and boost staff morale, all while doing something really great for your community. So, what is your business doing to celebrate?

If you don’t know about Red Nose Day, here’s some background. It was created in 1988 and has raised over $1 billion globally ever since for children living in poverty. While it’s long been a cultural phenomenon in the UK, the holiday is still relatively new to the US, having just started last year.

Red Nose Day honors the idea that comedy and famous funny people have the power to bring joy, raise money, and, ultimately, reduce child poverty.

This year’s funds will be donated to support children living in the poorest communities in the U.S and across the globe. You can purchase official Red Noses at Walgreens and Duane Reade stores throughout the U.S. You can also host FUN-raisers or donate online here.

Interested in celebrating Red Nose Day with your business, but need some ideas? We polled small business owners and marketers to share their plans, and now we’ll share 6 of our favorites with you!

1. Hold a fundraiser.

“We are having a fundraiser at our building’s lobby. If a company employee contributes, we have guaranteed we will at least match their contribution. The way it works is, we will let the employee pull a random number out of a hat. This number will be a fraction between 0 and 1. We will match their contribution, plus we multiply their contribution by that fraction and add that to the donations. So for example, let’s say an employee donates $10 and pulls a 50% from the hat. We donate $10 plus 50% of $10, so total of $15. All donations will be sent to a charity helping kids in poverty.” – Andrew Reeves, owner of Luxe Translation Services

[bctt tweet=”#SmallBusiness Tip: Host a #RedNoseDay FUN-raiser and match employee contributions!” username=”hostgator”]

2. Take a guerrilla marketing approach.

“Simply go out with a simple t-shirt with your company’s website name and a red nose on your face. If you can, make a day of it with your staff and have them wear the red noses as well. People will notice and ask you about it, sparking conversations and bringing in more traffic to your website.” – Ike Paz, owner of Internet Marketing Gym

[bctt tweet=”#SmallBiz Tip: Wear a red nose and t-shirt with your website on it, and walk around town #RedNoseDay” username=”hostgator”]

3. Raise awareness with colleagues.

“As someone who works for a company dedicated to helping people find comfortable and safe furnished homes, I am deeply concerned with poverty affecting the lives of kids. Having lived in the UK, where Comic Relief was born, I am aware of the importance of the charity’s mission and its Red Nose Day fundraiser. The charity is still fairly new in the US, however, and many of my colleagues and customers are still unaware of Red Nose Day.

That’s why I’m planning to spread awareness about Red Nose Day and Comic Relief to my colleagues. Then, on May 26, a few of my colleagues (including myself) will wear red noses to work. We will share photos of us working with red noses on social media, with each relevant post containing a link to Comic Relief’s donation page. We’re also planning to bring in specially-themed red cupcakes that would spread awareness for the charity.” – Noel McCann, Marketing Analyst at HomeSuite

4. Take selfies for social media.

“One way small businesses can celebrate Red Nose Day is to have employees take silly selfies with red noses and send them out on social media. You can then compile the pictures into a single blog post on your company blog. Then send out the blog on your company’s social media accounts. Not only does this raise awareness for a good cause, but it also shows your followers that you care about important issues.” — Eric Brantner, founder of SleepZoo.com

[bctt tweet=”#SmallBusiness Tip: Take silly #RedNoseDay selfies with employees and share via social media” username=”hostgator”]

5. Give out free red noses to customers.

“As a small business owner I like to participate in any charity event that has the possibility to transform the lives of millions of kids. I plan to run a campaign this year and donate all of the profits made on Red Nose Day. I will also be sending out free Red Noses and a small pamphlet detailing the importance of Red Nose Day. Giving out free red noses is a very powerful way to help educate my customers in a comical way; I’m letting my customers know their purchase contributed to doing something incredible for millions of kids in the US. Specializing in a business geared toward kids, Red Nose Day is the best charity holiday to celebrate with my customers.” – Lisa Chu, owner of Black N Bianco Kids Apparel

[bctt tweet=”#SmallBusiness Tip: Celebrate #RedNoseDay by giving out free red noses to customers!” username=”hostgator”]

6. Treat your employees to a day off (and a free lunch)!

“My company is celebrating Red Nose Day by cancelling work that day. Rather than have my employees work, I organize a group meeting to a local food bank in order to help the organization help the children and adults who deal with poverty every day. I also recommend my employees wear a red nose that is a symbol for Red Nose Day, and those who do, I will pay for their lunch!” – AJ Saleem, owner of startup Suprex Private Tutoring

What is your business doing to celebrate Red Nose Day? Let us know in the comments!