Grants and Advice

Hello friends- I hope everyone had a good Veteran's Day weekend. I was thinking of my favorite vet this weekend- my grandfather. He was a proud WWII veteran. I've had a photo of him in his WWII uniform on display in my room for decades. I used to wear his dog tags all the time for good luck. My heart goes out to families of those serving overseas. I can only imagine how hard it must be for them.

So what's the latest? Well, I was reminded of how important it is to listen to your own advice. I was at an event on Saturday night and talked to someone about marketing his business. I told him that he should be gathering the email addresses for all the guests who attend his events. Almost as soon as I said that, I realized that I need to get better about collecting email addresses myself. I run a social organization for shoe and fashion lovers called Smiling Stiletto Shoe Club. The organization also helps raise funds and awareness for Project Smile. Our members typically bring guests with them to our events, but I haven't done much of anything to gather the info for the guests and I was missing an opportunity to grow our mailing list. We had an event tonight and I recruited one of our members who is very outgoing and friendly, to help check-in members and gather the email addresses for the guests. It is really important to pay attention to the advice you are giving other people and make sure you follow it yourself.

In good news- we received a $3,000 grant on Friday from the DCU for Kids Foundation. We received a grant from them last year. It is awesome when we have repeat grants like that- it really makes a big difference. You should have seen me in the post office on Friday- I must have looked a little odd as I kept pinching the envelope to see if I could feel a check inside. I do this routine with every envelope that might potentially contain a grant. As I walked back to my car, engrossed in envelope pinching- I was getting disappointed. The envelope felt too thin to contain a check. I got in the car and prepared myself for a rejection letter. My heart skipped a beat as I saw the check and scanned the letter. That rush of excitement when I receive a donation never gets old. It's that feeling that helps keep me going through the fundraising battle.

Anyways, I'm off to bed soon. I'm trying valiantly, but succeeding in only a minor way to get to bed earlier. I was doing great when the hour changed- at least for a few days. Tomorrow is a busy day- I'm doing two donations to Boston homeless shelters and then I have a meeting to attend in the evening. Until tomorrow friends...