As a leader or employee of a non-profit organization, marketing, fundraising,
and accumulating donors is at the apex of importance. You constantly
strive to think of new and unique ways to reach people with the message
of your cause, you ponder how to motivate donors to give and you spend
hours creating campaigns scouring each word to devise the most impactful
statements. However, the message of philanthropy and individual needs
is spreading and anonymous donors are making a difference in many lives.
I’ve been reading a lot of articles lately about why people give and
the answers are not surprising: tax refunds, setting an example for
their children, and moral obligations are all on the list, but the
biggest factor is just plain human decency — it’s the right thing to do
and it warms the heart.
There is an article on the Yahoo! Finance page in which reporter
Margery A. Beck conveys a story that is both heartfelt and pleasantly
surprising. “At Kmart stores across the country, Santa seems to be
getting some help: Anonymous donors are paying off strangers’ layaway
accounts, buying the Christmas gifts other families couldn’t afford,
especially toys and children’s clothes set aside by impoverished
parents,” writes Beck. And this isn’t just a onetime occurrence;
Nebraska, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana and Montana have also seen several of
these instances.
Beck also comments that, “Kmart representatives say they did nothing
to instigate the secret Santas or spread word of the generosity. But
it’s happening as the company struggles to compete with chains such as
Wal-Mart and Target.
“Kmart may be the focus of layaway generosity, Salima Yala, Kmart’s
division vice president for layaway said, because it is one of the few
large discount stores that has offered layaway year-round for about four
decades. Under the program, customers can make purchases but let the
store hold onto their merchandise as they pay it off slowly over several
weeks.”
Fancy campaigns. No catch phrases. No expensive marketing executives
analyzing the psyches of their donors and the triggers for giving. Just
plain, old fashioned helping-your-brother-in-need grassroots movement.
Kind of warms your heart, doesn’t it?
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