Early Stage Growth Part II: Branding and Expanding

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StartUpGrind SoCal was good for our team on many fronts. Our story is not so much different than other start ups, but there are some exceptions.

Our team is from the East Coast, and since our team was traveling across the country to Southern California, we wanted to maximize our time and booked appointments for before and after the StartUpGrind event. This took quite a bit of work before jumping on our plane to Los Angeles.

What this meant was looking through Eventbrite, Meetup, and other local event websites to find things to do, and people to visit. I would estimate about 10 hours went into research and due diligence to choose which events are team should attend.  

For instance the first night after the StartUpGrind event, we pitched at a local “Pitch Globally Shark Tank Style” hosted by Kaustav Chaudhuri. There was a small fee to pitch but all we had to do was register and show up.  

https://www.meetup.com/pitchglobally/

At the pitch event, we met a CEO of a large venture fund, an experienced silicon valley founder and author (Lance Elliott) and several investors/advisor types, all of whom we have followed up, and some have made additional introductions.

Link to Lance Blog  http://www.lance-blog.com (Immerse yourself in content published by experts. Here is one that you may find useful.

Link to Lance Book  http://amzn.to/2hEyHNe  (Great book to help prepare for pitching your business idea.)

Second, we secured lodging using AirBnB and secured a place to stay that was near the StartUpGrind event that included a pool…so yes, it was a nice place. The AirBnB provided a great time to sit out under the stars and chat about the direction of Pass the Plate – a mastermind group time of sorts.  

Toward the end of our time in California, an execution plan was hatched. The question of how was answered. The next 60 day would be focused on accomplishing specific objectives.

“Branding and Expanding”

From wheels up at SoCal StartUpGrind the rule of the day was follow up, follow up, follow up. Both my brother Ross and I, on separate planes, heading in separate directions followed up with people that we had met.

We recently had adopted a CRM called Insightly that installs nicely with Google. Using this system, I took a few photos of business cards to have processed, and then put in a few myself. Emails were sent…

At wheels down, we knew that we were no longer Pass the Plate. We had become ONE DONATION. No longer would we be a stand alone application that let donors give to any nonprofit that they wanted to, we would now open the platform to allow for payroll deduction donations, giving the donor even more power to give to the nonprofit of their choice. And one more thing… wait for it… we have other plans too!

We are ONE DONATION.  And we will help change the world one donation at a time.  

Until the next post…

Do you want assistance in selecting a nonprofit to donate to in 2017?=

Use the link below and answer a short survey.  Based on your answers, our team will send you 3 nonprofits that may fit with what you are looking for.

http://bit.ly/2isnhvV

Would you like for your company to take payroll deductions for your favorite nonprofit?  Please answer a short survey to determine if our platform is available at your company.

http://bit.ly/2iohxkg    

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Thinking about the Christmas holiday?

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Do you like to think? I do too. And its sharing things like this that I hope help you to think of the good you could do with a simple act. This is a very short story with a very simple lesson.

It’s the holiday season and you may still need a holiday gift for someone that has “everything.”

What in the world can you get them that means more than something to just wear or put on a shelf?

Well, if I told you what that gift should be this early you probably would not read the rest of this blog and would run out to purchase that gift immediately.

Have you ever lived in a state that really lived up to its motto?

During my time in Tennessee, I have seen the state really live up to its nickname: The Volunteer State.

One definition, on an online dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volunteer), defines a “volunteer” as one who renders a service or takes part in a transaction while having no legal concern or interest.

I was not born and raised in Tennessee and probably will never be perceived as a local good ole boy but I have lived in this state for over 9 years and learned that the citizens of this state live up to the Volunteer motto.

In May of 2010, I was living in Nashville when over 13” of rain dumped on the city and impacted over 25,000 residents (http://flood.nashvillepubliclibrary.org/).

What I remember more than just the pictures and the stories were the citizens of Tennessee helping each other out. Businesses were providing food for workers; those not impacted were helping their neighbors clean up the mess. Other businesses were using their profits to help the local charities that were lending a helping hand.

For example, the Anderson Design Group created a poster encapsulating the volunteerism in music city with proceeds helping victims
(https://www.andersondesigngroupstore.com/a/collections/spirit-of-nashville/flood-relief ).

In recent news, 15,000 acres in the Smoky Mountains burned impacting towns and families in a place that relies heavily on tourism. Since this disaster happened, the citizens of Tennessee put boots on the ground and have volunteered, donated items and blood and sent prayers to the victims.

The University of Tennessee football players were on the ground assisting as well as former players in Florida creating care packages for impacted families and sending their support back to the state.

I am sure if you think long enough you could come up with a disaster that has impacted you, whether it was a place you visited, live currently or have lived. Now it is time to go out and get that perfect present. >

Recently a One Donation co-founder passed along information about a friend that is a part of a business loaceted in East Tennessee near the wildfires called the Sugarlands Distilling Company (https://gatlinburg.moonshare.org/ ) who is selling t-shirts and hats whose proceeds are going to the victims.

This may not be the perfect present for the individual that you are shopping for, but across the world there have been multiple disasters that have impacted thousands of people. Think of that place that you remember, that was impacted by a fire, hurricane, flood, etc. and find a local business there to buy that perfect present to support those businesses so they can get back on their feet.

If you have any questions or comments about the blog or for the One Donation team please send a message to founders@onedonation.org.

We will be more than happy to perform a search for you and give you 3 options that you may like.

Go here to start today https://goo.gl/forms/AZCdBYfcBAWuimXu1

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The Impact Of Workplace Giving

The One Donation motto is that it takes One Donation to Change the World.  Just think what a community can do.  Speaking of community, businesses can be very influential in working and participating with the people around them.  I have worked for several businesses in my career and a few of them actively participated in their community, but nothing like my current employer.

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Eight months ago I began working for a utility company in East Tennessee.  The orientation covered the importance of community, by teaching us how each customer is a client and should be treated with the utmost respect, not just because they are rate payers but because they are neighbors, friends and coworkers.  Aside from treating these individuals as clients, my new employer stressed how important it was to get involved in the community by participating in fund raisers, donating time, and just being active in and around our service territory.

Since I have been with this organization I have donated food for retiree baskets, donated blood, participated in fund raising events for United Way (all donations are solely from employees with no funds from the employer), and most recently each department is participating in Salvation Army’s Angel Tree which provides Christmas gifts to children in need.

As I recently mentioned a community can make a difference.  Each department has been provided the information about a local child and their Christmas wish list.  Together my department was able to fill a large bag full of clothes, books, a winter coat, shoes and a bike helmet (to go with the bike that would not fit in the bag).  Each department within the company is participating in this program and as a group, we are happy to give back and support the community.

As a parent of two children, I feel fortunate that I can provide these articles to my children but also pleased to work for an employer that puts the community first and provides these articles to local children in need.  New Year’s resolutions are just around the corner.  Whether you are an employee or the owner, maybe your business can come together and make a difference as well.

If you have any questions or comments about the blog or for the One Donation team please send a message to founders@onedonation.org.

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Start A Donation Wildfire

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Recently in Eastern Tennessee, residents have been impacted by wildfires that have burned across several counties.  If you are reading this and you live in the Western USA you are no stranger wildfires, especially during drought conditions.  However, the southeast, even with a lack of rainfall is not used to wildfires.  In this blog post I will discuss how a wildfire starts and how you can start a wildfire in the form of donating to your favorite charity.

How does a wildfire start?

There are three key elements that need to be present and under the right combination a fire will start: fuel, ignition source, and oxygen.  Fuels can be anything that burns and the forest contains fuels in the form of leaves, twigs, and trees.  Over time, unless these fuels decompose or are removed from a prescribed burn they tend to accumulate.  In a balanced system, with enough water, smaller fuels would decompose and turn to dirt.  However in times of drought these fuels dry out and accumulate on the forest floor.  Think about starting a fire in your fireplace.  Would you want to start it with a wet paper towel or a piece of dry newspaper?  Next, an ignition source needs to be available to ignite these fuels which can be natural or manmade.  The most common natural spark comes from lightening.  However, manmade ignition includes coals from campfires or discarded cigarette butts to name a few.  The final and third element is oxygen or air.  This is everywhere. With the right amount of wind to an ignited fuel a fire can spread really fast in drought conditions and turn into a wildfire quickly.

Why is Fire Important in the ecosystem?  Fire has been a forest and agricultural practice dating back to the Native Americans who were very effective in using fire to keep the forest healthy.  Really hot fast burning wildfires were used to clear land for farming and slow burning cool fires were used to reduce smaller fuels and undesirable species and allow desirable species (Oak, Hickory, Chestnut etc.) to grow with less competition and more nutrients.  This area becomes prime habitat for hard and soft mast (acorns, nuts, berries etc.) producing species to grow which feed both man and animals that lived in the forest.

How can you start a Donating Wildfire?

In recent times there have been many challenges that have spread across social media.  In the past there was the ice bucket challenge which raised money for ALS.  I think that, similar to the 3 element s that can start a wildfire, by donating one time you could start a Donation Wildfire.  The fuels are your friends and network in Social Media.  The Ignition Source is you, and the Air is the One Donation platform with its 1.5 million Charities in our database.  To start the wildfire you need to make one monetary donation to a charity of your choosing then share the charity that you donated to on Linked In, FaceBook, Twitter, etc.  When you share with your network, challenge every member to donate and share as well.   You do not have to stop with just one charity, try to start several donating wildfires by donating to several of your favorite charities.

Why is this important?

There are millions of charities and non-profits out there that need donations.  You may be the one that opens the door to a member in your network about a particular charity that they never knew about.  You can change the world ONE DONATION AT A TIME.

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Have You Ever Cut Your Grass With Scissors?

 

I know this sounds like a crazy question, and before I travelled to Haiti in 2000 I would have agreed. But there I was, on a tap-tap (Haitian bus transportation), and looked down to see this:

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I witnessed two Haitians, on their hands and knees, cutting grass with scissors outside of the presidential palace. The palace has since been destroyed in the 2010 earthquake but the image was forever branded in my head.

Our church’s mission group travelled to Haiti, which consisted of high school students and adult leaders, to assist in building fish ponds and to teach basic English to a school on the barren mountainside outside of Port-au-Prince.

While travelling outside the city limits, on a tap-tap, I truly had an eye-opening experience. In addition to observing two Haitians cutting grass with scissors, I also witnessed individuals washing their clothes and bathing in pools of filthy water on the side of the road. Then, as we continued our journey, I saw live goats and chickens tied to the front of other tap-taps as we passed each other on the dirt highway. This was a firsthand experience of poverty unlike anything I had ever been exposed to in the United States.

Before meeting a local, I thought to myself; how can anyone live like this?

In my first encounter with a local Haitian, we were welcomed into his home located on the side of a mountain. Enthusiastically, he showed us the inside of his house and talked about how thankful he was to have a tin roof over his head.  This residence, not much bigger than my bedroom, was shared with 5 other members of his family. He was proud of this house and did not dwell on the dozens of holes in the roof. As we ventured back to our compound, our leader reached into his bag and handed over a few t-shirts to this man who had graciously invited us into his home. I will never forget the look on this man’s face as his smile reached ear to ear, happy and thankful for the gift of a couple of t-shirts.

I was only 18 years old but my trip to Haiti changed my life. If an individual, living in poverty, can almost be brought to tears because of a few t-shirts, I need to be more thankful of the many blessings in my life. We are all blessed. We are blessed to have access to the internet. We are blessed to be able to connect to the internet and to be able to read this blog post. We are blessed to live in America.

This holiday season, reflect on how blessed you are. Give thanks for everything that you have; your health, your family, your friends, the roof over your head and the shirt on your back.

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I Voted!

 

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By the time this blog is posted, votes will be cast and unless we have issues similar to 2004 the 45th President of the United States of America will be elected.

In the 2016 Presidential Election did you make a donation and do you know where it went?

Millions of dollars are spent each election year by political parties to promote their candidates. Large amounts of money are spent on campaigns for salaries, headquarters, commercials, leaflets, etc. and half the time the candidate loses.  Once Election Day has passed, the winning candidate will be the voice of the people and the other will probably keep their previous job.  Also, after Election Day both candidates will pay off any remaining bills and unless these candidates are running for election in the future the remaining money is sent to their political party, charities, or other candidates.

Whether your candidate won or lost, was the money that you donated worth it?

Non-profits, like political campaigns, run their own fundraising campaigns to raise as much money as they can.  Similar to a political election these funds are needed to pay for monthly bills which include salaries, offices, marketing, the cause or cure itself, and other daily operations that are often overlooked.  Non-profits do not have the benefit of an Election Day and shut down once the big day has passed.  If the funds are not available some will shut down and others will have to re-evaluate and decrease their spending to make it work.

I would assume that you did not vote blindly in the most recent election.  Whether it was by the candidate, word of mouth, listening to the radio, watching the TV, or researching on the internet you decided who to support.  The next time you decide to make a donation, I encourage you to educate yourself the same way and identify a non-profit or charity to support.  Do your research and ask the tough questions to find out where your money will be spent and what it will be supporting because one donation can make a difference.

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Budget Your Money & Your Time

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The year is 2016 and the world is at your fingertips so your extra time should be also.

I remember in grade school learning how to write a letter, address an envelope, put a stamp on it and send it to someone.  Now an email can be sent back and forth, between recipients, multiple times in a day as long as each has internet service.

I remember purchasing a cassette tape and sticking it in the tape deck and listening to my favorite radio channel, pushing the record button and hoping I did not miss the first couple of seconds or have the DJ talk during the end of it.  Now you can find about any song online and either get it free or download it for pennies.

I remember growing up and dial-up was the best form of internet connection.  It would take minutes to download certain websites.  Now kids want their parents to change service providers if the internet is down or their favorite game takes too long to download.

I remember standing in line at a bank when I first joined the workforce.  I had to deposit my check, which was often hand written, and put my name and social security number on the back. Now most companies utilize direct deposit and funds are available at the stroke of midnight on payday.

Recently I started taking a class, sponsored by my employer, discussing proven ways to get out of debt and how to prepare for your financial future.  The reason I mention this is that this course focuses on developing a budget for all the income that comes in to your household.  Each dollar has a place and all remaining money is used to pay off debt.  Once your debt is paid off then the focus is on savings, giving, and living in your means.  Utilizing this method makes sense to me and putting it on paper made me look at finances differently.

When you hear of the word budget, most people think of finances.  What if we took the same approach to time?  In this day and age we have everything at our fingertips to make life easier.  There are certain things that need to happen in order to survive:  working, going to school, taking care of a loved one(s), eating and sleeping.

What if you budgeted for all of these things mentioned and put it into a schedule?

And stuck to it?

What would you do with your extra time?  Similar to the financial budget I would hope you would focus on yourself and your community and find a way to participate.  The next time you budget “YOU” time, search your community and see what peaks your interest.  You may find donating your time is as important as a financial donation.

Charites need money and need volunteers.  Pass the Plate was created to make giving easy, one donation at a time, at the touch of your fingertips.  Use your time wisely and find a way to make a difference.

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Early Stage Growth: Part 1

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Contemplating the “what’s next” is a serious dilemma for any entrepreneur who is starting a company and building it from the ground up.

Gone are the questions like “Is this going to work?” “Am I going to be able to see my product?”

The new questions are:

How am I going to get my product to market?

What is the cost to acquire a customer?

What is the value of each customer?

What is my plan for growth?

Is my plan for growth sustainable?

For Pass the Plate, these questions and several more have become the questions that we need to address and the answers that we must find.

Getting a product out into the marketplace is one of the most difficult hurdles that must be overcome.

What we have found with Pass the Plate is that our early adopters have been important part of the early stage growth.

Why?

Our early adopters have given feedback early in the development process that has allowed our company which operates under Agile principles to make necessary course corrections to help bring the best possible product to market.

For instance, with Pass the Plate, one item of feedback from early adopters was having issues with the search function.

While this is important for us to correct, we have learned that this seemingly simple function is not only important but very expensive when done correctly. Fortunately, for us while at a StartupGrind event in Los Angeles we met an engineer who have a simple solution for our platform.

Another item that early adopters wanted was a method to more closely monitor their donations. From making the donation on the Pass the Plate platform all the way into their chosen charities bank account. Then if possible, the donors wanted to be able to make sure that the charity that they gave them donation too was actually being responsible with that donation.

Wow… thats a lot to say. But it is very enlightening. Donors want transparency. So then, you would think, if we were to build a platform that gave 100% transparency, then the donors would all come running… Not so fast!!!

What donors want and what donors will actually use can be vastly different. This is part of what we have found!

More on user habits and what that story tells us in my next article.

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The Eyes Of A Recipient

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There is nothing comparable to seeing the eyes of a recipient of your gifts to truly understand the impact of what giving can have. My name is Stuart Epperson and several years ago I went to the Darfur Region of Sudan with the Persecution Project Foundation (PPF) – and I’ll never be the same!! While in Darfur, I was surrounded by genocide victims in the lowest depth of poverty which certainly left a permanent imprint on my soul. One of the many pervading thoughts that resounded in my heart was ‘They have so little, yet WE have so much.’

While I was with PPF, we had the privilege of giving teddy bears to 200 children, many of whom were orphans, and most had never seen a teddy bear before. At the climax of our trip, as we were boarding the cargo plane to leave something remarkable happened. After our team had just off loaded tons of survival kits, for the refugees, we decided to lighten our loads. One by one we stripped off our extra hats, shirts, and socks to give to these people.  Wanting to give more, one team member even gave his shoes and boarded the plane barefoot. Our supplies were delivered and our personal bags were emptied – as we left our hearts were full and broken as we flew away.

Whether you’re in the middle of Africa as I was, or in your hometown, do not hoard your blessings – find a way to be a giver. Use your God-given time, talent, and treasure to bless others in need. Just ask the Lord to lead you to them and He will. Want to be used by God? Trust in Him completely and not in your own wealth. Realize daily that He gave to you, in order to give through you.

I learned that day in Darfur, and am still learning today, the power of giving to bless others.  After all, aren’t we blessed recipients of grace – because, God so loved the world, He GAVE…(John 3:16)

There are many ways in which you can donate. You can donate through Pass the Plate or directly to countless non-profits that are helping support communities around the world. Remember, donations do not always need to be financial, look around your community and ask yourself – What can I do to help?

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How Fast Life Can Change

Loading my car with donations for families impacted by the floods in Baton Rouge.

Loading my car with donations for families impacted by the floods in Baton Rouge.

In my previous blog post I discussed how the schools and churches that I attended influenced my background on giving. However, it was not until after graduating from college that I realized the true impact that my giving can have on individuals. There is nothing comparable to seeing the eyes of a recipient of your gifts to truly understand the impact.

After finishing school, I went to work assisting with natural disasters (mainly wildfires). My first job was as a Wildland Firefighter with the National Park Service.  That summer I worked in Southeastern Arizona and participated on a few prescribed burns, but unfortunately I never really got the wildland firefighting experience I imagined. It was 2004 and towards the end of the fire season, I was asked to work for a company that cleaned up debris as a result of natural disasters. That year 4 Hurricanes hit Florida: Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne. The choice to accept the job was easy, the pay was great and I had student loans. What I did not expect from that job was seeing first-hand the impact of loss on real families with real kids and their real belongings.

I grew up in New Orleans and we always faced the threat of the “Big One”, but managed to survive a lot of near misses. As chance would have it, the following year I moved back to New Orleans and before accepting a new job in North Carolina. A few months later, Hurricane Katrina was heading directly towards New Orleans and my family and I evacuated to Houston with a few belongings – fully expecting to return in a few days.

The good news is that my family was safe. The bad news, as you know, is that Hurricane Katrina was the “Big One”. Family and friend’s homes were flooded and upon returning to gather salvageable belongings, the houses looked like a drained muddy water snow globe. First hand, I was able to witness friends and families outside of New Orleans lend a helping hand. What I did not anticipate was the help from complete strangers sending clothes, toys, toiletries, and other everyday items I typically take for granted.

Needless to say, Hurricane Katrina changed my life and outlook in giving. One thing that stands out to me is my family photo albums.  My family photos were lost in the flooding so it looks like none of us existed before 2005. Since then, I make donations to organizations in need on a regular basis. I now have kids of my own and when natural disasters strike, we try to send either money or items based on need to those affected.

While on vacation several years ago my brother-in-law half-jokingly came up with a smartphone app so that busy people, without cash or check, can donate with the touch of a finger. Welcome – Pass the Plate.

Over time I would like to teach my kids to do the same; donate in any way you can – money, time, physical goods – there are so many ways you can donate that will make a difference! Donate directly to a local charity. Donate to disaster relief. Send water or school items to an area hit by flooding. Send blankets and food to an area devastated by wildfires. Your donations will have a greater impact than you can ever imagine.

Donations do not always need to be financial, look around your community and ask yourself – What can I do to help?

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