Share Your Experiences for the Greater Good

I am feel like one of the lucky people in the world. I have an amazing and loving family, and more friends than I can keep up with. I have learned how short and precious life is through each of them.

Lately several of them have taken to writing for the causes that impact their lives, and I wanted to take a moment to share the stories of two great people in my life because I think there is something we can all learn from both of them.

The first is my dear friend Kristi Simmons. At the age of 29 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Not only that, her mother and her Aunt were also diagnosed. In 2007, her mother lost her fight with this devastating disease. If that is not enough, my friend Kristi, not only under went and beat this disease, she remains one of the most optimist, positive people that I know. Read more about her story here: http://www.komenaustin.org/assets/race-documents/why-i-race/kristi-svec-simmons.pdf

The second is my sister, Michelle Hensel. In April of this year she gave birth to my niece and nephew at 23/24 weeks. For those of you that haven't already done the math, they were only carried for about 6 months--not long enough. Her struggles to get through this emotional time, and fight to bring those babies home was tremendous. In August of this year, both babies came home. The road ahead is still long for all of them, but they are still with us to travel it. Read her inspiring stories here: http://camdyncade.blogspot.com/

Now, other than great reading I think there is something to be learned by these inspirational words. Experiences are what connects us...they are the things that bring us together...that move us to act...that inspire us.

Takeaway: Think about how you can use the stories that impact your life to do great things. Kristi uses hers to raise money for Susan G. Komen, Michelle uses hers to help other families of premature babies, & starting today, you will use yours to____________________.

Puppies, Babies & _ _ X!

Re-posted from http://community.sagenonprofit.com/

I was once told that the best sales tools are puppies, babies, and _ _ X! Well, the last is inappropriate for this venue, so we won't be discussing it. I have often questioned puppies and babies but, I am going to give one a shot here.

The photo left is one of my niece and nephew, they are 4 months old. For those of you with no baby reality, they are super small for their age. That’s because they were born at 24 weeks. Yes, for those of you putting it all together, they are a modern day MIRACLE!

I decided to blog about them for two reasons:
1. They are adorable.
2. To make a point to all of you about the importance of telling your story.

Day in and day out, I see nonprofits trying to make the most of what they do and missing one of the most important parts. Connecting!

People can’t connect with you unless they know something about you. It’s critical to share who you are, who your organization is, and what you are trying to do. Organizations that do that will be those that are the most successful.

Take-Away: Customer experiences are influences by the connections you make with people.

Big Dollars for a Small Return

Yesterday I visited the “Everything but Water” store in the Arboretum, and I learned a very valuable lesson. Not all big investments come with a big return.

On my adventure to the store where, to be fair, you cannot purchase anything for less than $100, I learned a few lessons that I thought I would share with all of you today.

1. Just because you walk into a store where everything is more than $100, you should not expect to be greeted or welcomed.

2. When you ask for a specific size in a suit that is on the top shelf, you should expect to have the person you are asking roll her eyes at you in annoyance for asking.

3. When the person in front you is checking out and notices a spot on the $80 top she is planning to purchase and kindly asks if there is another…you should expect to be told NO! Then when that same persons asks if it is available at another store, you should expect to have those same eyes rolled again in annoyance. Once the salesperson discovers that indeed there is another one in the store, you should then expect to search through all of the bathing suits in the dressing rooms on your own or with very limited help.

4. MOST IMPORTANTLY: As you are standing naked tearing yourself apart over the last doughnut you ate, you should not expect anyone to check on you or see if you need another size. You should also not expect anyone to help you find a suit that might be more flattering. It is a lot more fun for you to have to leave the safety of the dressing room and search for these things yourself!

Now, the big question you are all wondering is did I purchase the bathing suit? I am sad to report that I did. I am heading to Mexico in a week, and at this point could find no alternatives. (Yes, I checked the malls, Target, the outlets, and even online---either they didn’t fit or no one could get me a suit in time.) Now, I am pleased to report that I wanted to buy two suits, because I liked them both so much. I could not bring myself to spending the extra $$$ based on the service or lack thereof.

After all of that, I must admit I did find a great suit that I do love...sadly I did not find the service to go with it.

Take-away:
1. Even if you have a commodity, a great customer experience will always yield more profit and prevent people like me from writing ugly stories about your company and posting them online.

2. I am available for consulting if you are an “Everything but Water” employee looking to improve on the experience inside your stores. :-)

The $4700 Ask!

I got this letter from one of the AFP attendees last week. I think it deserves sharing:

Dear Ms. Brandt,

I thoroughly enjoyed your session at the AFP
Conference last week. I gave you good grades on the survey!

I thought you would get a chuckle out of the mailing I received the day I came home: My town of XXXX, is home to the largest of XXXXXX’s state universities. For the past few years, because my husband’s law firm has been doing a lot of work for the school, each of the partners has been contributing $5,000. This year, we haven’t made the gift yet, but my husband gave $300 to the basketball program in the winter. We received a computer-generated postcard-sized card, in a bulk mail envelope, asking us to give $4,700 to renew our membership in the $5,000 giving society!! I howled!!

Their entire database is probably 80,000 entities. Mine is 6,000, and I’m a one-woman shop, and I personalize every letter that leaves this place. The university probably has a staff of 10 development officers. And they can’t manage a personal letter for a $4,700 ask!! Eek! I feel like calling the new VP for Development and hinting that I know why they’re shy of their capital campaign goal.

Good luck in your work – thanks for a very informative session – worth every second.

I must say that I second her opinion. I am one to always fall on the side of a hand-written ask, but at that level there is no debate.

Take-away: Handwritten asks are the way to go, especially if it is a big one.

Enhancing Customer Experience

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Enhancing Customer Experience

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