Tag: entreperneur

#ThrowbackThursday! KFair Mentoring Tip #2: Giving Thanks

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For #ThrowbackThursday, we are going all the way back to 2014 when this post was first published! Even 3 years later, this information is still useful to entrepreneurs, non-profit administrators, or anyone else in leadership positions. And it preps us up for #GivingTuesday on November 28!

This is the second KFair Mentoring Tip in a series of monthly insights to provide guidance and encouragement for Give-thanks1mentors and entrepreneurs. November’s theme is giving and showing thanks! For this month’s, KFair Mentoring Tip, we will be sharing Polished Pebble’s way of thanking sponsors and other contributors.

Organizations and businesses, either for-profit or not-for-profit, all benefit from their generous supporters. Their acts of kindness and support help us maintain our goals and move towards a bright future. So, how do we properly show our gratitude?

Kelly Fair has five steps for an effective and personal appreciation:

  1. Identify the sponsors, contributors, and all-around do-gooders for your organization
  2. Measure their contribution and its outcome
  3. Plan an appropriate strategy for showing thanks
  4. Personalize the gift, letter, email, blurb, etc.
  5. Send!

When you try and identify your contributors, don’t only focus on the large funders or corporations. Individuals and smaller community organizations are also deserving of our gratitude! However, the larger corporation can be a little trickier when it comes to acknowledgements. The corporation that opened their office and staff for a tour and workshop will require different recognition than an individual volunteer. The corporation would benefit from, and appreciate more, a public acknowledgement through social media or other venues. The best way to learn how to acknowledge your corporate sponsor is by asking! They might have preferences in logos, branding, or even what they are able to accept. Asking will help you avoid awkward situations.

For example, this week Polished Pebbles partnered with ThoughtWorks Inc. to showcase jobs in technology to our girls. Polished Pebbles then posted pictures to Facebook with a thank you and shout-out, and wrote a blurb in our weekly newsletter.

Polished Pebbles girls with ThoughtWorks staff from their visit last week. Pictures like these are an easy way to personalize a thank-you or use on public venues. This was posted on our Facebook page.

Personalizing the acknowledgement is the perfect way to be memorable and maintain a positive relationship! On past occasions, Polished Pebbles has sent signed shirts from the program girls to the sponsor, or even an album of photos. These small gestures show that time was taken to appreciate their contribution. This doesn’t mean you have to do-away with the generic letter or email, just spice it up a bit with photos or personal quotes from staff, volunteers, or participants.

Check out these examples for inspiration:

  • Signed organization t-shirt
  • Signed photo and frame
  • Public newsletter or social media blurb with shout-out
  • Video with staff, volunteers, or participants showing off donated items or giving thanks
  • Invite sponsors, donors, contributors to events
  • Public acknowledgement in a speech or publication
  • Thank-you party for all volunteers or staff
  • Public “Partners” page on your website

Don’t forget to show your gratitude this Thanksgiving season!

If you aren’t receiving newsletters from Polished Pebbles, and would like to, email [email protected]!

KFair’s New Year’s Resolutions for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

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Another New Year, another set of New Year’s resolutions. This January we want you to be the best you that you can be! And it just so happens that January is National Mentoring Month! So, here are Kelly Fair’s New Year’s Resolutions to provide some inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs and change-makers.

2016 banner

6 New Year’s Resolutions for 2016:

1) Declutter and Reorganize. In this New Year, you need to pull it all together! Go through your home and office and remove what you don’t need. Remember, it doesn’t have to go in the garbage. Some of your items can be donated (even office supplies), or have a garage sale! I used to make the mistake of holding on to old clothes that no longer fit me, because I lost weight. What I found out was if I didn’t get rid of the clothes, or get them altered to fit my new size, I eventually found my way to fitting them again.  So, pigeonholed clothes that were too big for me cleared things out, and kept me out of a cycle of weight gain. By decluttering and reorganizing you will feel refreshed and ready for a year of productivity. No more losing important documents, your favorite pen.

2) Understand Your Finances. This is key to having a successful year! This applies not only to any business or non-profit endeavors, but your personal life as well. But, I’ve found my improved financial habits in my business, help me create better habits while managing my personal financial matters as well. Consider creating a money management system to show you how much your spending, what you’re spending it on, and how much you are saving. You won’t believe what kind of waste might be happening right under your nose from mindless money management. If you aren’t sure how to tackle this project, go to your library and check out a book on finance management, and seek referrals from trusted people for a great financial planner, or accountant that can help improve your personal and professional outcomes.

3) Be Social, Be Smart. As years pass, it gets harder to maintain relationships. Make it a goal this year to reconnect with those who are lost and strengthen your ties with the people around you. But that doesn’t mean you have to become best friends with everybody! Be smart about your social life. Surround yourself with the people who support you. You’re gonna be tackling some big plans this year and you need all the encouragement and constructive feedback you can get! And, as a mentor, or one running a mentoring organization, good people will support you even when your youth and community work Jerrod you really busy, and won’t allow you to have as much social time. Good people can recognize and sorry you in your passions. Most importantly, don’t lose touch with your mentors–if they taught you something before, they can teach you something now.

4) Read More. You should never stop reading. Novels, poetry, how-to’s, and history books–they all have something to offer us. And don’t forget to read more news. Stay updated on current events locally, nationally, and globally. How can you expect to change the world if you don’t know what is happening in the world. Stay updated!

5) Act. This year isn’t going to be just another year of dreaming and hoping. This year you are going to take action. Is there a non-profit you wanted to start or an entrepreneurial endeavor you’ve been planning, or have you been planning to support others’-mentoring organizations in greater capacity? 2016 is the year you are going to make it happen. So find that pen and paper and start planning. You need weekly and monthly goals to keep yourself moving forward. And somebody to hold you accountable!

6) Find Time For Yourself. Never lose sight of your own health. You have to be at the best you can be this year to accomplish your goals. Find time everyday for some self-care. Whether its an a work out, meditation, at-home manicure or your favorite TV show, give yourself that time to relax! We want you to be at your most productive, passionate, and confident self!

We believe that when you are at your best, then you are in the optimal position to not only impact the lives of others, but to be the best leader you can be. 

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