Category Archives: Charitable CSR Programs

5 Ways to Choose the Right Team Building Activity

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“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.” -Edward de Bono

As the biggest team building company in America, we have dozens of knowledgeable staff members ready to help you choose the right team building program for your group. It’s our pleasure to work closely with each client towards a customization that’s the best fit for his or her needs.  When you’re looking to narrow down your choices, here are some factors to consider:

1. Location, location, location! The venue or space in which the program will be held can be a key component in selecting activities.  Is it outdoors with lots of room, which might point towards a wide-ranging program like Catapult? Or indoors and already full of tables, which would indicate a culinary program might be a better fit? Knowing the exact room or area in which the program will be held is vital.

2. Well, would you look at the time? It’s important to have a good sense of the day’s schedule before you choose what program will fit. Are participants coming straight from another meeting or is this the first activity of the morning? Do you have two hours? Three? An entire day, which could be set aside for one of our in-depth Professional Development programs like Conflict Resolution or Time Management Training? Best TeamBuilding lead facilitators are always prepared to adjust the length of the program on the fly as required, but the more information they have up front, the better they can time the flow of the event.

3. Give it away, give it away, give it away now. CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is a workplace buzzword these days, and many companies take advantage of our wide variety of charitable programs to give back to their community while getting in some solid team building. It can be a great way to add extra heartwarming moments to an already impressive program. If your group is interested in incorporating philanthropy, consider one of our innovative CSR programs. If that isn’t the goal of your corporate event, that makes it easier to focus on what’s important about your particular upcoming team builder.

4. Let’s get physical. Different groups have different physical abilities. Some companies we work with are full of gung-ho fitness buffs ready for a challenge; some have members with limited mobility. Though of course no one is ever pushed into any activity with which he or she is not comfortable, it’s helpful to know in advance the way your group deals with physical tasks. Those who are ready to roll might prefer one of our zippy high-tech SmartHunts® or an engaging athletic competition like the Medal Games. Those less interested in physical challenges might lean towards calmer programs such as Art of Giving.

5. Winner winner! Every team building program forges relationships and trust between participants, but some programs contain a competition that ends with one or more winning teams — often via medals bestowed around their necks!  It’s great to know in advance whether you’re looking for a program that pits teams against each other, like culinary programs Fiesta Fun and Chili Cook-Off, or that urges collaboration throughout, like crowd pleaser Bridge to the Future.

Armed with the right information, you can easily select the best possible program to fit your needs. We’re happy to offer over 70 to choose from!

Over 65,000 People Have Now Been a Part of the Mural of the World

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“Creative activity could be described as a type of learning process where teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.” -Arthur Koestler

Big news from Mural of the World, our incredible program that’s a combination of creativity, philanthropy, and (of course) solid team building! Mural of the World® is the brainchild of Best TeamBuilding’s founder, Scott Flynn, and Indianapolis-based artist Doug Arnholter. The most recent mural, painted by over 3,000 participants in Washington DC, is the 28th piece in the project, which now puts the total number of people over 65,000.

Doug, the artist who creates the paint-by-number canvases for each group to work on for the program, has also recently been invited by the Indianapolis Arts Center to join its faculty and teach workshops on contemporary frescoes.  We are proud both of Doug and of the widespread international impact his powerful charitable program is having as it continues to grow.

Charity Miniature Golf Course Build™ with iPads: Video of the Week

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Not only does the Charity Miniature Golf Course Build™ program offer the best of all team building worlds (like corporate social responsibility, creative collaboration, and competitive sport) but it now can also include Apple® iPads®!  As you can see in this fun video, adding technology adds the ability for participants to take photos and video, answer trivia questions customized for the theme, and check out live scoring throughout the program.  It’s the cherry on the top of an already delicious cake!

First Time Without Training Wheels: A Bike Build Story

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“Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together.” -Vesta Kelly


One of our Managing Partners, Ray, offers this heartwarming story.  Recently, he delivered Bike Build charitable programs for two large corporate groups back-to-back in New Orleans and then in Philadelphia.  (Needless to say, as one of our most experienced and busiest Lead Facilitators, Ray has a huge number of frequent flier miles!)  At both these events, once the participants were surprised by the arrival of the kids who would be the bicycle recipients, at Ray’s instruction the team members adjusted the height of the seat and handle bars for each child.

Then the real magic began.  For most of the kids, this would be their first bike ever, or at least their first without training wheels, so they were excited beyond words but did not actually know how to ride.  The teams began to teach the children, patiently and carefully, and within a half hour many were zipping around the room with pure joy.

“It was amazing to see it,” Ray reports, recalling the moments when these deserving recipients, helmets firmly fastened, balanced on their own and rode free.  “I get a lot out of seeing it right in front of my eyes.”  We know that the teams who create the bikes during the program, as well as the kids who receive them, absolutely get a lot of out it too!

Build-a-Wheelchair®: Video of the Week

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Amongst the noisier elements of the Build-a-Wheelchair® charitable CSR program we’ve developed – the trivia answering, chair building, and obstacle course racing – is a lovely quiet moment where members of each team decorate the wheelchair for its worthy recipient. In this video, there’s a beautiful drawing, which says “May these wheels take you on your heart’s journey.”  It’s a heartwarming reminder that in addition to the fun and teamwork, participants are also doing genuine good.

Why Charitable Programs Help Teams Connect

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“Light is the task where many share the toil.” -Homer

We here at Best TeamBuilding® find that charitable programs are incredibly effective at helping teams forge connections. Feedback from our thousands of ecstatic clients over the years has shown this to be accurate; when companies engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR), team building works.

When teams are focused on a significant, challenging task at hand – not on themselves – there’s no time nor need for self-consciousness.  Instead, they genuinely work together to overcome each step. It’s the difference between the thoughts one might have while doing the clichéd “trust fall” exercise (worries about one’s own physical proximity and safety) and the thoughts one might have while building a bike for a local underprivileged child who wouldn’t otherwise get to ride (focus on helping the team make the bicycle correctly and on the kid who will be overjoyed).

Teams can paint a breathtaking mural to brighten up a nearby hospice (Art of Giving) or assemble care packages for soldiers oversees (Operation Military Care) or assemble teddy bears and rocking horses (We Care for Kids™) – and whatever the charitable program, they’ll find they have truly bonded, truly worked as a cohesive group, and truly learned to collaborate, without having to think about it.  It’s a win-win: companies unselfishly help their communities and simultaneously learn team building trust that carries over long-term.

Foodies Come Together for a Great Cause

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“Snowflakes are one of nature’s most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together.” -Vesta Kelly


Our most recent Mural of the World® program took place in New Jersey, where one of the world’s largest companies – which includes several billion-dollar food-related brands – painted the clever mural pictured.  With hot dogs as the stripes on the American flag, a decorated biscuit as the British Union Jack, and various other countries’ flags represented by relevant foods, it’s a great reflection of this international group’s focus on food.

As with all Mural of the World programs, two copies of the mural were made, and one will be donated or auctioned as part of the company’s charitable giving while the other remains in the beautiful traveling Mural of the World collection, which contains art from organizations and communities all around the globe.

Best TeamBuilding Incorporates High-Tech into Corporate Events

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“A successful team beats with one heart.” -Erin Howe

You might have noticed that more and more of the programs on bestteambuilding.com have that little yellow label beside them that reads “iPads®”.  From our flagship high-tech scavenger hunt SmartHunts® (which uses the proprietary app we created) to culinary competitions like Fiesta Fun!™ and from our many charitable CSR programs to collaborative challenges like Catapult, we now incorporate the latest technology into what we offer.

There are numerous reasons this is a step in the right direction.  It’s green (old-timey scavenger hunts can use a lot of paper and other resources, none of which are necessary when everything’s self-contained in one iPad per team).  It’s streamlined. And most of all, it’s modern and fun! You can’t keep your team moving forward with outdated team building techniques, so we’re always developing, refining, and innovating what we offer. Welcome to the future!

Bike Build Donation with iPads®: Video of the Week

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We’ve updated the tried and true bicycle donation program with the latest in technology: Apple® iPads®! Now not only do groups build strong teams while building bikes and take part in the heartwarming presentation of the bikes to deserving children, but they also use our proprietary SmartHunt app to progress through the program. No paper garbage, no muss. It’s the latest innovation in one of the most popular charitable corporate events of all time and we’re proud to have innovated it!