How to make a difference as a company? Predica's Charity Auction

Predica is all about three things: be one step ahead, then challenge the status quo and make it happen. That’s why during the company meeting, we organized a ‘Fun Services’ auction for employees. It was initiated by Urszula Banasik, our Head of HR. The auction was run by our two of our colleagues Tomek Gościmiński and Dawid Detko. We discovered that they are not only great experts in IAM and data analytics but also great stand-up comedians! They run the auction in a very funny way as a great stand-up show.

What is a Fun Service?

It is a service we offered at our auction from employees to our employees. The purpose of the auction was to help two charities: Shelter for Homeless Animals in Celestynów and the foundation for people with autism. At the same time by winning the auction the employees had a chance to get familiar with other members of Predica’s family.

Below you will find some examples of Fun Services:

For instance, Andrzej Lipka is passionate about climbing and he offered 3 hours with him on a climbing wall; Ula Banasik is passionate about water sports and she offered a wakeboard lesson in one of Warsaw’s wake parks with her:

Iza Chaber lives in Lublin and she offered sightseeing of Lublin:

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It is double cool as we have just opened our office there. Kamil Mitura is passionate about drawing and he offered that he will draw anything somebody wants; our colleague from Mexico Cuitlahuac Rangel offered a Spanish lesson with him. Our colleague Ahmed Saaid who’s living in Egypt offered an Arabic skype lesson:

We had also motorcycling off road trip offered by Paweł Szczecki, swimming in the lake with Grzegorz Rycaj and sailing and Paweł Borowiecki and Bogdan Klekot:

We also offered a photo session and speech recording with Wojtek Jankowski; watching a volleyball league match with Damian Godlewski. Fun services had cool names like: gain the ice power this winter, yes ice swimming (yes somebody bought it! Brrr) with ice power man Kacper Mucha:

How did we do that?

A few weeks before the company meeting we started organizing the auction. We asked people around the company if they would like to offer Fun Service for the auction and in a few days, we had 12 Fun Services all together to offer. People offered to help without hesitation as we are used to acting according to our triangle of power: ‘Be Challenger’, ‘Be One Step Ahead’, and ‘Make It Happen’. If you want to read more information about our values, you can find it in an earlier blog post.

Each ‘fun service’ was advertised during the ‘stand-up’ show (each service had a photo ‘selling the service see photos) and people were making bids. We had great fun and as some of us is going to have fun ahead, so the adventure hasn’t ended, and we collected a good sum of money.

What our Predicans say about the auction?

Ahmed: As for me, I want to share this fun service because I have 3 points of view:

• It will be a good chance to know and meet more people in Predica
• I will offer Arabic lessons and a small presentation about Egypt
• I like taking part in charity activities

Paweł: When it comes to me, I just feel a moral obligation to the surrounding world to give something to improve it, so if I can do something to improve someone’s life, I try to do it.

The result of this auction was that we helped two charities:

Shelter for Homeless Animals in Celestynów. Another foundation that we visited was the foundation for people with autism. They are acting for the benefit of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities and their families.

When we visited Celestynów and met with Director – Łukasz Balcer. He guided us around the property. We also learned a lot from him, the challenge of running this place by only social found and being responsible for 200 dogs is not an easy task. By the way: they need help all the time (either you may visit the place every Saturday and take dogs for a walk or you may donate here every amount counts!). He was grateful that we brought some good news this day as the place has huge needs each month.

When we talked to ‘A like autism’ Charity to Edyta Bałakier the Founder, here is what Edyta said:

‘From the beginning, we dreamed that the basis of the Foundation would be a pre-school – a place of comprehensive therapy adapted to the needs of children, working in cooperation with their parents. The following weeks confirmed our belief that this is how it should happen. He found the perfect place, meeting all the requirements, the city authorities expressed their support, and most importantly – there were children whose parents waited for the signal that we were opening.

However, we were still living in fear of one factor – money. I managed to borrow a bit, but not enough to start. And I remember this day very well when I received a message from my friend – to call back to the number indicated – to a girl working for Predica. It was Ula (Head of HR in Predica), the person I talked to who said that they have a surprise for us. It is a pity that she did not see my face when I found out that the company employees during the integration meeting did an auction, the income of which the bosses doubled, and then decided to devote all the amount to our Foundation. I had to sit down, did not understand how was it possible.

Now, when we needed someone’s help exactly now …. It happened! I called all Foundation members to hear their joy. My friend was crying. I still do not know how to thank you for it. This money was more important to us. They were tangible proof that we are not alone, that what we do really makes sense. That’s good because there is still a lot to do in this area.’

P.S. If you want to organize a similar ‘Fun Services’ auction feel free to contact our Head of HR Urszula Banasik for some tips!