How Fast Can You Tell the Story of an Abused Child, Lady?

Corinne and I headed out to the UPS facility at DFW this morning bright and early to do our first United Way of Metropolitan Dallas presentation for CPD. 

First, thank goodness I have Destination Assist on my car because the roads are so messed up out there that at one point the direction lady just gave up and quit trying to direct us -- I think she thought we were in the middle of a cow pasture!  Anyway, we got there (early, I might add -- I am an on-time gal normally) and went through the TSA screening.  It was interesting seeing that people going in and out were scanned and some had to remove shoes and some didn't.  It was also fun for us to see all of the good looking men and women in their brown shorts and happy faces coming in to work. 

Shortly thereafter we were met by our contact who had called me yesterday to ask if we could send someone out to speak.

NOTE:  If you don't know this already, when you are a United Way service provider you are asked to go out and speak to different corporations on behalf of United Way (UW).  These presentations are vital  to encourage employees to give to the UW campaign and of course it helps CPD to be in front of a lot of different people who may not have ever heard of us and what we do for abused and neglected kids in Dallas County.  This is our first year as a UW service provider (we are in the Basic Needs category), so I was thrilled to be called to give our very first presentation at UPS.

When UPS called yesterday I was told that I'd be part of the early morning meetings held for drivers.  They started with stretching (Corinne and I stretched too), heard a safe driving tip, then I was on -- for a three minute speech.

How fast can you tell the story of an abused child?

Pretty fast -- because that is what my host asked me to do!  Here's my advice for your next quick speech:

1. Smile and thank your contact by name.
2. Use good facial expressions and look your audience in the eye as you speak to them -- Energy is Key!
3. Paint a picture with your words -- give the name of the child (first name only for us because of confidentiality) and if it is a small child, use your hand to show how tall the child is.
4. Tell what your child is wearing -- "only a dirty diaper" is easy to picture.
5. Explain why their funds are needed -- "because of donations to United Way from people like you, Emily will enter a new safe home with clean clothes and shoes"
6. Smile and thank them for having you as part of their day.

For a company like UPS where every minute is precious, three minutes is a long time for them to give to us. 

I hope that we made an impact this morning.  Seeing those drivers and getting to see what they do each day sure made an impact on me.

P.S.  My #FundraisingFriday gift is going to United Way this week -- they even sent me a birthday card -- thanks, Jennifer and team!

Tips from Roger Horchow on Connecting with People

I was lucky enough to hear Roger Horchow speak yesterday at a lunch for the United Way.  He is 83 years old and if you don’t know who he is, Google him – he is simply amazing.  Throughout his life, he has met and worked with some of the most famous people in the world:  Nancy & Ronald Reagan, Diane Von Furstenberg, Barbara Walters, Carol Channing, Stanley Marcus, and many, many more.  Roger and his late wife were often seated at dinner tables with the world’s most interesting people. 

It really was a great speech, but the “Aha” moment for me was Roger’s fab advice to always continue to make connections with people.  Follow up later when you meet someone.  Send them a handwritten note.  If they invite you to come by the next time you’re in Kalamazoo, call them up before you arrive and tell them you’re coming to town and would love to see them.

Now, you know that this advice isn’t a new revelation for me – I am a gal from Texas and my mother “raised me right” – I know that I need to do this, and I do it.  Believe me, when you raise money for a living, you have to do it!  But what I loved about hearing it from Roger was that he showed us how the connections he made with people helped make him into a successful business leader, a successful person, and someone who we would all love to sit across from at our next dinner party. 

I’m available whenever you call, Roger.

P.S.  Here's a photo of Jennifer Hilton Sampson and me from yesterday -- by the time I remembered to take our picture, Roger was gone.  Oh well, 2 more interesting people he'll have to meet another day...