Send the Word

by Ron Daly 

Charity begins at home - or in some cases, on your home page. 

As the head of DigitalMailer, I get to see every email that goes out on behalf of our clients. I take a few moments to read things over and get a sense of what CUs are up to all over the country. Right here in Northern Virginia, Belvoir FCU has teamed up with Cell Phones for Soldiers to provide our service men and women with cell phones to call home. 

 

 

This was something I'd heard of before, but the full story of Cell Phones for Soldiers is really quite impressive. 

From Belvoir's marketing email: 

The program was founded by teenagers Robbie and Brittany Bergquist who thought a soldier being charged $8,000 for calling home was not fair. After numerous car washes and various fundraisers, they were able to pay the soldiers bill. However, they did not stop there; they soon created this non-profit organization which collects cell phones and recycles them for money to purchase prepaid calling cards for soldiers serving overseas.

An amazing story, to be sure - a simple idea that ballooned thanks to two kids' hard work and persistence and the dozens of organizations that caught their spark and turned it into an inferno. 

When you work with a charity to raise funds or achieve a goal, you're helping three parties: 

1) Your CU gets recognized for their efforts

2) The charity gets the benefit of an established business partner

3 (and most important of all)) The recipients of the charity's largesse. 

DigitalMailer recently sent an offer to our ARB clients - any CU that had an initiative set up to help Haiti could send a free email to members encouraging them to donate. For us, it's work we do at a cost, but it's a cost worth paying to help those in need. 

The "SEND THE WORD" Contest

If you've got a cause to promote, tell us about it in the comment section. If we think your cause is outstanding, we'll send a free email on your behalf to your member mailing list in the month of February.

Entries will be chosen FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, so get your comment in before MIDNIGHT on FEBRUARY 11. Current clients ARE eligible. 

Leave a comment with your: 

• Name
• CU Name
• Charity/Supported Cause
• Your goal amount/result