Chicago

For remote teammates, bad weather, or anyone who wants to use their work skills.

A staff-led project run through the city's parks department or a local conservancy, such as mulching, planting or trail work. The partner handles the permission.

Hands-on work where everyone finishes something they can see. Blankets go to shelters, children's hospitals or animal shelters.

A fast, practical hour. Get the shelter to agree before you plan anything, because many can only accept food made in permitted kitchens.

Needs the least preparation and works for any group size or location, including remote teams. It works well for people who can't do physical work.

This works well when food bank shifts are booked up. You collect in advance, sort during the hour, and the food bank gets exactly what it asked for.

Collecting happens before the event day, and the hour itself is for sorting and packing. It fits December well in every Northern Hemisphere city. In Sydney and Melbourne it's summer, so collect summer essentials instead, such as hats, sunscreen and water bottles.

Can run in any office, meeting room or café back room, whatever the weather. The team builds kits on an assembly line and one person delivers them to a shelter or outreach group.

The partner runs the work, so hosts only handle headcount and logistics. December is the busiest month, which makes it the hardest to book.

The simplest option with the most to show for it. Most of our researched cities lend the gear and haul the bags away, so no permit is needed for a small group.