Last year, BrainStorm participated in the first annual Red Nose Day in the United States. The Red Nose Day campaign raises funds to help children in poverty-stricken areas throughout the world. The real fun comes in the way we raise the money—by acting like clowns in red noses, as we challenge each other to perform hilarious acts in front of the rest of the office. The more outrageous the act, the more money coworkers will donate to see it. Each ridiculous stunt comes with a price tag, and all the proceeds go to children in need.

You can learn more about last year’s festivities by reading our previous post. We had a ton of success and raised thousands last year! This year, we raise 33% more! We love how willing our team is to do some good…even if it’s at their own expense. Here are some examples of ways we raised money:

Red Nose Selfies

Our corporate giving committee offered to donate money for every selfie taken in a red nose. Pictures taken with groups of strangers were rewarded with even larger donations. We had groups taking pictures with their hair stylists, local police and firefighters, and strangers on the street.

Seeking Pledges

As part of our lunch hour, we "volunteered" different employees to do a variety of funny challenges to raise money. One employee brought in a Madagascar hissing cockroach and offered to donate if someone would eat it alive. Lucky for our little roach friend, no one was brave enough to take the dare. However, we did have an epic set of challenges make their way into the lunch room.

Lots of Strange Food

When prepared properly, they might be delicacies, but flavorless boiled tripe and chicken feet are not something you ever want to put in your mouth. I know—I was the person crazy enough to do this one. We raised some good money for this one, but we may have also made a few people sick. Surprisingly, no one actually vomited though.

Locks of Love

Getting your head shaved for money seems to be a long-standing tradition at BrainStorm. In the past, employees have done it on a dare for $50 that they would keep. With Red Nose Day, we now have employees volunteering to let us shave their heads for charity. We’ve gotten pretty good at sculpting the BrainStorm logo.

Slap in the Face

This one needs no explanation. The video says it all.

Too Much Coca-Cola Could Kill You

Some of our PropellerHeads have a soda dependency, but Christian takes the cake—or, I should say, the “coke.” He accepted a challenge to drink a can of Diet Coke every 30 minutes… for the entire workday! This may sound extreme, but on a normal day he finishes a can off about every hour. Let’s just say he spent a lot of the day walking back and forth from his desk to the bathroom, and he somehow survived the challenge without having to visit the hospital. We probably won’t extend a challenge like that again, but the experience did cause Christian to see his Diet Coke addiction in a new way, and he’s now scaling back on his daily soda consumption.

Fearless Leaders

One of our favorite parts of Red Nose Day is watching our fearless leaders take on a gross challenge. Last year Eric and John played Egg Roulette. This year they played Eat it or Wear it—a game where they had the option to eat a heaping spoon full of things like baby food, wasabi, mustard, etc.—or they could opt to have it dumped on top of their head. We’ve learned over the years that Eric and John will do just about anything, as long as it’s in the name of charity.

PropellerHeads are always looking for new ways to clown around in the office and do good for others, and Red Nose Day has become the perfect opportunity for both!