The Art of Giving

Remember the Zap Cancer Fundraiser I wrote about a post ago? I'm so excited to tell you that Sonia, along with her colleagues and friends, raised over $5000 for Nathalie! I'm humbled by the compassion and humanity of so many. Thank you, Sonia, for allowing from: Everyone to be a part of this gift.

And thank you Nathalie, I'm glad we made you smile. You are truly an amazing woman!

Paula

We Do GOOD Things

Remember Obama's tagline We Do Big Things at his recent SOTU address? Is it really about doing it BIG, or doing it WELL, how about simply doing GOOD. I mean doing good things, good deeds and perhaps even doing good things BIG.

Case in point: Zap Cancer. Talk about doing good things BIG! You know when your best friend gets a nasty cold and you're compelled to bring her chicken soup? Well, this is chicken soup on a steroids! It's a fund raiser for a colleague, it's an awareness bulletin about cervical cancer, it's generosity real-time, and it's an opportunity to do something good in a really BIG way! I invite you to take a moment and read about Nathalie. I challenge you to see if there isn't one moment or one instance that resonates with you, and and if you see fit, contribute. Take a moment and remember how good it feels to do SOMETHING.

I'm in awe of Nathalie's courage and tenacity to fight. I'm inspired by Sonia's humanity and kindness; and further blown away by the generosity of all of those who have contributed. It's truly amazing; and a really BIG good thing.

And as an aside, from: Everyone has agreed to forfeit all service charges for individual contributions; we're not capitalizing on the kindness of others. Just in case you thought we were making bank, we're not. We just know when it's right to do a good thing.

Paula

Keeping it Simple

It's awesome, the plethora of group gifting sites and apps gracing the space these days, further support that group gifts are a great idea. Our biz is plugging along, nothing earth shattering, no 'angels' beating down our door and no calls from Oprah or Bill (yet). We haven't developed an app or a feed or a this or a that. I keep thinking, what's next, where to go, how hard to push, how far to reach. And then I stop and take notice of what's unique and different about from: Everyone. 


Here's the rub - it's simple. We made it that way, on purpose, gosh darn it! Two moms, doing our mom jobs, chasing after kids, organizing class gifts and baby showers and voila - you mean we can figure out how to do all of this online and never have to beg another soul to 'drop their check in the mail' --- brilliant!


So here's to keeping it simple, really simple. No Facebook, no PayPal, no apps or downloads, no tricks or hidden fees and no registering so we can snag your info (just the Organizer!). Don't get me wrong I'm a chronic Fb-er, but my Aunt in Nebraska is not. And I have used PayPal, but my Uncle in Arizona does not. So again, here's to keeping it simple. Have email (and credit card), will travel!


Thanks for listening!


Paula

College Care Packages, Done Right

Shameless promotion - yup! And here's why ... My oldest son recently made his way back to the West Coast to begin his college career. So far so good.

Last week, I received a bubbly email from the Parent Association about sending Care Packages to the students. The timing seems great, they're just about missing home. Here's what didn't sit right ... they were asking for 100% parent participation to send sugar-packed, sodium-filled, junk food at a ridiculous price! I was mortified. I'm no health food guru, but come on people, send them something slightly healthy!

I started thinking ... would my son want a box of junk food or a few extra bucks to get what he wants. And wouldn't it be just as much fun (for me) and more nutritious (for him) to give him a gift card for Trader Joe's or Whole Foods so he can stock up on good grub? And what if Aunt Sue in Seattle and Uncle Max in Minneapolis want to pitch in and give him a few gift cards, like maybe one to Whole Foods, iTunes and one to Staples (because the mechanical pencils are so much less expensive there than at the campus bookstore)? I don't know, it's just a thought, and I like it.

So, I've created Gift Card Bundles at from: Everyone. Three different price points (but feel free to spend more) and 2-4 gift card choices from our entire lineup. How I would have loved a 'care package' to Trader Joe's, Starbucks, or Gap - yeah that's kind of cool! Anyhow, I'm really excited about this idea,busy  researching campus locations and nearby stores so from: Everyone can offer the discerning college student a smattering of choices and the happy parents some peace of mind!

Don't forget your manners

And this is why it's good to keep up on who's talking 'group gifts'! Blogs are such an awesome way to share information and learn something new. I use Google Blog alerts to keep up on a lot of things, who's saying what about me, what my competition is doing, and who's talking about group gifts.


This gal (apologies Ms. Post), Leigh, has a blog called 'Etiquette for the Modern Couple' you've got to check it out, it's good stuff. She wrote about the dreaded Office Gift, sharing appropriate strategies to manage the process. I had to respond and share my thoughts, as did she, in kind. Hopefully, it wasn't just her good manners that spurred her on! Here's what she said ...
 
Thank you Leigh for your post and I hope you get a slew of new readers, after all, manners and etiquette go a long way!

And BTW, anyone who's brave enough to list The Sound of Music as their favorite movie is OK in my book!

Paula

Thank you Stephanie

I just love it when people get it, and this woman is singing my song. Say YES to the gift, but say NO to the hassle ... check out Stephanie's post.

Thanks for the kudos Stephanie, we'll take 'em!

Geek Sugar likes from: Everyone

Wow, it's great to be noticed, thanks Geek Sugar!

Here's hoping a million Angela's jump on the virtual group gift band wagon.