Run for a Claus With KPMG | Corporate Social Responsibility

Building Stronger Connections Through Giving Back

Operation Santa Claus has a clear mission: “To connect the local community to charities…and to share the gift of hope to those who lack the means to improve their lives.” Now in its 30th year, we have helped the KPMG community to do just that and connect with the charity beneficiaries on a much deeper level than simply donating money.

We worked with KPMG to set up a treasure hunt around the Kowloon area of Hong Kong using our Go Team programme, a high tech treasure hunt conducted on tablets. The usual GPS triggered challenges were all centered around the beneficiaries of Operation Santa Claus, so the teams had to visit the charities and talk to the people there to complete the challenges. Those charities not based in Kowloon got involved by creating pop up centres around Kowloon for our teams to visit.

Teams completed challenges set by the Children’s Cancer Foundation, Kely Support Group, HK Association for Specific Learning Disabilities, amongst many others. They took part in the games that children in hospital play to distract them from the various medical procedures they go through, learnt the recovery position from the Kely Support group and played a word game to help them understand the challenges people with dyslexia face every day.

Objectives

Deepen Engagement with Charities and Beneficiaries
KPMG wanted employees to experience the human side of giving, moving past simply donating money. The objective was to connect participants directly with charities and their work.

Drive Fundraising through Interactive Gameplay
The team set out to design a treasure hunt that encouraged not just participation but active giving — using competition and engagement as catalysts for greater fundraising.

Foster Collaboration and Team Spirit within KPMG
By embedding challenges into a fun and competitive format, the programme aimed to build bonds among colleagues while uniting them behind a shared purpose.

Challenges

Moving Beyond Traditional Fundraising
Typical fundraisers rely heavily on sponsorship and donations. KPMG wanted an approach that provided participants with first-hand experiences of what beneficiaries go through.

Creating Direct Charity Interaction in Kowloon
With some charities based outside Kowloon, the challenge was how to ensure their voices and beneficiaries were still represented in the event.

Balancing Competition with Compassion
Designing challenges that inspired empathy while keeping the event fun and competitive required careful planning and execution.

Solutions

Customised GPS Challenges Centred on Charities
Using Go Team’s GPS-triggered treasure hunt, challenges were tailored to reflect real-life experiences of beneficiaries. Teams learned recovery positions from the Kely Support Group, played hospital games with the Children’s Cancer Foundation, and faced dyslexia-inspired word puzzles designed by the HK Association for Specific Learning Disabilities.

Pop-Up Charity Stations Across Kowloon
For charities not based in Kowloon, we created pop-up stations where teams could engage directly with their work. This ensured every participating organisation had visibility and impact on the day.

Integrated Donation Mechanics within Go Team
The Go Team app was tailored to enable extra donations. Teams could pledge money to unlock bonus questions and challenges — increasing both their scores and their charitable contributions.

Results

Over HK$500,000 Raised
Through a mix of pre-event sponsorships, on-the-day donations, and competitive pledging, KPMG raised more than half a million Hong Kong dollars for Operation Santa Claus.

Stronger Awareness of Beneficiaries’ Needs
Participants left the event with not only the pride of fundraising but also a deeper understanding of the daily challenges faced by Hong Kong’s vulnerable communities.

Enthusiastic Team Participation and Lasting Impact
The blend of technology, teamwork, and purpose created high engagement across all teams. Many participants noted how the experience strengthened both their appreciation of KPMG’s CSR culture and their bonds with colleagues.

Conclusion

The collaboration between KPMG, Operation Santa Claus, and Go Team transformed a simple fundraiser into a powerful community-building experience. By combining technology, teamwork, and compassion, Run for a Claus not only exceeded fundraising goals but also amplified KPMG’s commitment to meaningful social impact.

As well as engaging with the charities, teams raised money through sponsorship before the event. We also tailored the Go Team app to give them more opportunities to donate on the day itself. Each team could pledge money to receive up to five additional questions and challenges, which would in turn win them more points. With such an enthusiastic and competitive bunch, this soon added up! In total, KPMG managed to raise over HK$500,000 for Operation Santa Claus – an outstanding achievement!