Fruitcake, anyone? Agency Traction is raffling off its holiday swag

Like every agency with a media department, Traction received an embarrassment of free holiday goodies, from fruit baskets to liquor to tech gewgaws. But instead of circulating them around, the agency is now selling raffle tickets for them on sale for $10 each, the proceeds of which will go to a program that helps street youth in San Francisco rebuild their lives. The tickets can be purchased on the agency’s blog.

“We wanted to support something close to home, so we are excited to donate whatever funds we raise to Larkin Street Youth Services just down the block,” Adam Kleinberg, Traction’s CEO, told Digiday. “We want to make Traction not only a good place to work, but make doing good a part of our culture.”

A bunch of interesting items are up for grabs, with winners standing a chance to take home something from among 20 items, including a “Buddha” board and a pop-up water cooler.

Kleinberg said that the agency hoped to raise an ambitious $5,000 and would also match the first $1,000 in donations that are raised. Anyone can buy as many raffle tickets as they please, and don’t have to be there in person to collect the prizes either. Traction is spreading the word on its Twitter and Facebook feeds, as well as its own blog.

“This is hopefully the first step in establishing a long term charitable endeavor,” he said.