Grey to Blue
Company Dress Down Day 

MSAA seeks "office champions" to organize Grey to Blue Company Dress Down Day(s) to raise funds for the MS community in your state. With permission of your management, organizing a dress down day at your workplace - where grey suits are swapped for blue denim or other casual clothing - is great fun and easy to plan while raising funds for MSAA.

I want to be my "office champion"

Grey to Blue is one of many acceptable ideas in the workplace that are easy to organize and support the philanthropic mission of your favorite organization or institution.

Other variations on a theme, such as Crazy Socks, Mad Tie, and Outrageous Hat days focus on the creativeness of your employees.  This list is endless and can be adapted to a range of company and corporate cultures.

Whichever theme you choose, follow this basic how-to guide to use as a framework as your company's office champion:

• Your first task is to secure permission from the management to organize and promote this event to the staff.
• Promote the event using the resources at your disposal - from corporate email and internet, to bulletin boards and flyers in employee mailboxes.  Also, let your corporate neighbors know what you are doing as they may also participate.  And remember:  regardless if your colleagues all work at one location or have a presence across the country, everyone has the opportunity to participate in your organization.
• In advance of the event, sell passes "allowing" employees to dress casually (adhering to whatever theme you have chosen). A casual-day pass can be anything from a simple ticket to something more creative, designed for the event by you and your company.  Be as imaginative as you like!
• Casual-day passes should cost a minimum of $5 each.
• Keep in mind: some of your colleagues (including sales staff and senior management) who are conducting business with customers on the day of your event shouldn't be penalized for not participating in Grey to Blue.
• If your office or departments of your office already dress casually on a daily basis, as per office protocol, you could create an alternative:  a Blue to Grey Corporate Dress Day.  This is a fun reversal of the idea, as employees get to "dress up" for a good cause.
• On the day of the event, take photographs of your Grey to Blue and Blue to Grey participants and send these along to all of your colleagues and to MSAA.
• At the end of the event, contact MSAA directly to return the proceeds of your corporate fundraising event.  Please contact us at (800) 532-7667, extension 117.

Will you be the volunteer "office champion" at your company? Please tell MSAA today.  Volunteers who respond will receive a how-to guide to organize a Grey to Blue event and an invitation to participate in an MSAA teleconference to discuss this project further.

Image, top left: Lofton Staffing Services of Houston, under the direction of volunteer office champion Megan Masse, raised significant funds for an individual in Texas to benefit from an MSAA cooling suit.

Other related links:
Resource Detectives
Lunch with the CEO
Mini-Golf Tournament