We've made 10+ million intros for over 20,000 teams, and one of the most common questions we still get is, "What are other teams doing with Donut?"
Here's your definitive guide to setting up all kinds of channels, most of which take 10 minutes or less, inspired by some of the best companies in the world, from IBM to Culture Amp.
Find a program that aligns with your goals? Click the link in the program title, and you'll get step-by-step instructions for setup.
Looking for a demo? You can check out our demo videos right over here.
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🍩 Foster Dynamic Relationships among Teammates
Bridge distances and get teammates talking.
Spark Watercooler Conversations - Whether your team is co-located, remote, or a blend of both, leverage Donut to initiate engaging conversation topics in a designated channel.
Celebrate Birthdays and Work Anniversaries - Never forget a birthday or work anniversary! Automate personalized celebration messages to be sent to a channel, allowing teammates to congratulate each other on their special days.
Highlight Weekly Wins - Recognition and celebration contribute to trust-building and team cohesion. Donut randomly connects a group of individuals each week to reflect on the week's achievements, big or small, and celebrate collective growth.
Facilitate Cross-Department Intros - Sales, meet marketing. Engineering, meet customer support. Ensure that teammates from different departments are familiar with each other.
Promote Intros Across Offices - Does SF feel a million miles away from NYC? Are London and Chicago totally disconnected? Create opportunities for teammates who wouldn't typically interact to connect and engage, bridging the geographical gap.
Organize Remote Coffee Meetups - Is your team fully remote? Split across different offices? Coffee via Zoom is the new 21st-century cafe meetup.
Hybrid Walk & Talks - Screen Fatigue is real, but so is social isolation. Connect a hybrid or remote team by encouraging regular "walk and talk" meetings, whether that's IRL or on a voice-only call.
All-Team Breakouts - Enhance the value of all-team meetings by creating smaller discussion groups and providing thought-provoking prompts to kickstart meaningful conversations.
Lunch lottery - Treat a few lucky winners to a company-sponsored lunch each month, recognizing that strong bonds are often formed over shared meals.
Support Mergers + Acquisitions - Smooth the transition during a merger by proactively introducing new teammates from different companies, facilitating integration and collaboration.
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📚 Share Knowledge Across the Company
Leverage existing expertise and foster peer-to-peer learning.
Establish a Peer Mentor Program - Match mentors with mentees and provide discussion prompts to facilitate knowledge exchange.
Job Shadowing - Enable teammates to offer each other the opportunity to participate in job shadowing sessions, promoting empathy, and skill-sharing. Use Cross-group Intros to have employees from different teams meet each other.
Host Peer Learning Sessions - Have an Excel whiz on the team? Want everyone to benefit from a good public speaker's techniques? Pair colleagues interested in discussing a particular topic so they can share knowledge. You can create multiple channels based on interest, and have people join the specific channel's that interest them.
Sales demo buddies - Pair account executives for joint sales demo calls and feedback sessions, fostering collaboration and skill enhancement.
Code review pals - Introduce engineers for code review sessions and constructive feedback, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
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🌟 Cultivate Relationships for New Hires
Give new hires a warm welcome by facilitating introductions to key individuals.
Assign New Hire Buddies - Give new hires a built-in friend during onboarding who can offer support during their first weeks, answering questions about various aspects of the team's operations, including weekly meetings and effective use of communication tools like Slack.
Lunch Pals - Introduce new hires to a variety of teammates (and ensure they always have someone to sit with) through a lunch pals program.
Connections Buddies - Assign a point-person who's familiar with the new hire's role and can ensure they meet all relevant individuals necessary for their success, ranging from IT support to team leads.
Promote Job Shadowing - Help new hires acclimate quickly by arranging job-shadowing sessions within their department or facilitating introductions to individuals in other roles, providing a comprehensive overview of the company.
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💻 Keep Leadership Connected
Give teammates regular opportunities to chat, brainstorm, and give feedback to leadership.
New Manager Connections - Looking to create camaraderie and peer mentorship among new managers? Donut will prompt new managers to chat about career goals, feedback style, personal wins, and more.
CEO coffee lottery - Pick four lucky teammates per month to have a coffee with the CEO.
Leadership roundtables - Once a month, pair team leads with a a group from their respective departments for productive discussions and brainstorming sessions, generating innovative ideas and solutions.
Team Lead 1:1s - Prompt team leads to meet with direct reports once a month for a one-to-one discussion, fostering open communication and providing a platform for mentorship.
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Is something missing? If you run a program you think should be featured here or have questions about leveraging Donut for specific business needs, just hit the chat bubble on the right-hand side of the screen. We'd love to hear from you 😊