Working bee

Chiefly an Australian and New Zealand term. A working bee is a volunteer work session where people gather to do practical jobs together for a school, club, charity, or community project.

Canadian organisations run the same kind of event, but usually describe it more directly as a volunteer work day, clean-up, maintenance day, or community service activity. The point is still the same: a short, practical burst of group effort to get a shared job done.

For Canadian readers, the term is useful mainly as a cross-dialect label. If you see a community group in Australia calling for a working bee, expect a hands-on volunteer session rather than a meeting or fundraising appeal.