Solidarity hackathon, a method to engage employees in a different way

Solidarity hackathon: what are we talking about?

The Hackathon is a competition based on innovation that uses collective intelligence to imagine, create and develop innovative solutions.

Unlike traditional hackathons, a corporate solidarity hackathon brings together employees to imagine and develop concrete solutions to social or environmental problems. These events are generally held for half a day, a day or a few days.

It is a unique opportunity to put teams' skills at the service of a cause, while strengthening team spirit and creativity!

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Solidarity hackathon, solidarity day and solidarity teambuilding: what are the differences?

In addition to the solidarity hackathon, other formats (not to be confused) allow you to engage your employees in social actions. We can find:

• Solidarity day: Employees devote one or more days to societal or awareness-raising actions, in direct connection with one or more associations (waste collection, meal distribution, forum of associations within the company, etc.).
• Or even the solidarity teambuilding : It focuses on team cohesion with the specific objective of strengthening relationships between colleagues while having a social or environmental impact. Solidarity teambuilding is often done with a single association over a half-day or a day.

During a hackathon, teams do not act in the field but imagine new solutions that can be tested and implemented by associations!

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Why organize a solidarity hackathon in business?

Strengthen cohesion and a sense of belonging

Working together on a project that goes beyond business challenges creates a feeling of pride and belonging. Solidarity hackathons allow teams to collaborate differently, to discover new skills and to share convivial moments around a common social or environmental objective!

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Encouraging creativity and social innovation

A solidarity hackathon can be like a laboratory of ideas: it allows your teams to go outside the usual framework and explore new ways of solving problems. Teams stimulate their creativity and unleash collective intelligence to innovate and contribute to the general interest.

Employees can also test new tools: prototyping, creative brainstorming, design thinking, gamification... all approaches that also enrich professional practices.

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Promote your employer brand

Organizing a solidarity hackathon is a powerful tool for attracting and retaining talent, especially younger generations who are looking for meaning in their work.

90% of Generation Z members (born after 1996) and 87% of Millennials (born between 1980 and 1995) in France consider the meaning of work to be essential for their professional development
deloitte, 2025

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Creating a committed corporate culture

Organizing a solidarity hackathon is not just a one-off event: it is a powerful lever for anchoring societal commitment in culture of your company. By mobilizing your teams around impact projects, you show that your values are not just a simple speech but that they are translated into concrete actions.

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Key steps to organize a solidarity hackathon

1. Identify a cause and one (or more) association (s) to support

You can start by choosing a topic that is in line with your values and CSR themes : gender equality, handicap, international solidarity, environmental protection...

For these projects to have a concrete impact, it is recommended to work with partner associations that:

• Identify real and urgent problems to be solved;
• Provide a framework and useful data for participating teams;
• And can implement the solutions developed after the hackathon.

Thanks to this partnership, teams are not only creating ideas “on an experimental basis”: they are working on projects that meet a real social or environmental need!

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2. Building teams and defining roles

It is important to form multidisciplinary teams, with varied profiles and to define roles (project manager, designer, developer, communicator, etc.) to ensure effective collaboration.

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3. Plan duration and resources

To organize your solidarity hackathon, plan the tools necessary for the smooth running of the event (workspaces, communication media, digital equipment).

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4. Define the criteria for success

Then, clarify the expected objectives and deliverables so that each team knows what they will be evaluated on: solution ready to test, prototype, awareness campaign, etc.

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5. Organize a final

Once all the new innovative ideas have seen the light of day, you can set up a final to select the best project: the teams compete and defend their work in front of a pre-appointed jury. The selection of qualified professionals is highly recommended!

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A solidarity hackathon for Ukrainian youth

In collaboration with Big Bloom and 3 other structures involved (MicroDon, All Volunteers and Latitudes), Komeet organized a solidarity hackathon bringing together teams to help Ukrainian youth.

The methodology was based on design thinking, with four key steps:

1. Empathy: interviewing young Ukrainians to understand their needs;
2. Ideation: analysis of existing initiatives and proposal of new solutions;
3. Prototyping: implementation of the proposed solution;
4. Pitches: presentation of solutions in front of a Franco-Ukrainian jury.

The participants applied their professional skills to solve challenges and support Ukrainian youth, while developing themselves personally and professionally!

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Komeet: your partner for engaging your employees

Komeet helps you organize hackathons, as well as create and run your social engagement program. Through a platform for employee engagement and personalized support, Komeet is:

• Turnkey actions to involve your teams;
• A connection with partner associations;
• But also the monitoring of the impact and the valorization of your program!