Letter to Employees

Dear __________, I’m an employee here in the _____________ department, writing you about a teriffic Christmas volunteer idea. A group or groups of us can go to a certain local post office and read actual letters to Santa written by some very needy kids. The post office gives them out every year. We will take home the ones that move us most, and then send our presents directly to the children or families who wrote the letters. I’m inviting you to join me and other employees, and donate two to ten hours to this, whatever you can, during the first two weeks of December. If you can’t volunteer your time, you can still join us by contributing whatever you can to our employee fund for presents. Everyone who gives time or money will be invited for some holiday cheer at our gift wrapping party the second or third week of December. There is no minimum donation. The home page of BeAnElf.org will tell you more. They also offer a detailed plan for companies at beanelf.org/company-christmas-charity which I’m using. Here’s a short description: Every year since 1906, the US Postal Service’s ® Operation Santa program has distributed letters to Santa written by kids in need. Their letters often ask Santa only for a toy, Christmas dinner, clothes or basic necessities. For the first two to three weeks of December, anyone from the public may read and adopt children’s letters to Santa at participating postal branches, mostly in large cities. Christmas volunteers can adopt the letters that move them most, take them home, and later mail their gifts directly to the needy child or family. There’s no middle man or charity when people participate in this way; it’s micro-philanthropy, direct from each volunteer to a child. Join us and you’ll catch the true spirit of the holidays. We’ll have a little fun and community time together, and we’ll put smiles on the faces of underprivileged kids on Christmas morning. Individuals may adopt up to ten letters, but in most cities, companies can adopt up to 100 letters, and sometimes more with permission. We’ll see how much we raise! Our group will be contributing our own time and money, and I’m asking the company to match the funds we raise, too. That way we could double the number of presents we send to needy kids! We will provide receipts for all our purchases, including postage. Join us and let’s surprise some children in need on Christmas morning with some unexpected gifts they will get in the mail. Working together, we can make a difference to those kids. By the Monday after Thanksgiving, please let me know if you’re interested in volunteering or donating. My info is at the end of this email. If you’re interested but not sure, you can learn more at our first meeting, which will be held around December 1. I will outline the work to be done and divide up the tasks, and may even create an online sign-up form using www.SignUpGenius.com. Or  just come to the meeting and sign up for whatever task you like. [If applicable: I have also created a Facebook group for us at __________ which will post updates. ] I will email updates, too. Tasks will include being part of a company delegation to visit our local participating USPS® Operation Santa branch, where we will read and select letters for adoption by our group. If there is enough demand, we will send more groups of employees. The closest Operation Santa post office to us will likely be [insert name of the closest branch on the list at www.BeAnElf.org/Locations. The branches on the 2018 list are all very likely to participate again, and we should know more on November 18th.] I will confirm the time and place for letter reading when the USPS® announces this year’s list on November 18, at their website, USPS® OperationSanta.com. We are doing this ourselves, with support from the website and charity, BeAnElf.org. They recommend budgeting about $100 per letter / family, so to adopt 100 letters, we would need to raise about $10,000! So the number of letters we adopt will be determined by the amount we raise. That’s why the deadline for contributing to our employee fund will be shortly after Thanksgiving. Some people feel alone and sad over the holidays, and find comfort and inspiration volunteering for this program. Others have families and can bring their kids, to teach them the meaning of Christmas. Of course children will be told that Santa’s volunteer helper elves always forward every letter on to Santa! And I think we should mark all our gifts, “From Santa.” The contributions by our employees to the little fund I am starting are not tax-deductible, but I dont think anyone will mind. Until two Co-Treasurers are named, I will collect the funds. Send them to the address below. Those who contributed time or funds will be invited for Christmas cheer and a gift wrapping party around the second or third week of December. This is going to a fun and inspiring project and I hope you will volunteer time or a donation in any amount. Please reply if you’d like to learn more at our first meeting, just after Thanksgiving. [Your name and contact info.] Donations may be sent here, and are not tax-deductible. [Insert your name, contact email, mailing address, and a way to contribute online: Venmo? Zelle? Paypal? New Go Fund Me page?]