Customer Appreciation – A Gift That Makes a Difference

I was blessed today to have an opportunity to meet up with a high school friend of mine that I have not seen in 28 years.  It wasn’t a typical “long time, no see” meeting.  Christopher and I immediately got into a passionate conversation around a number of things, including what people do for others and how making a difference to those in need is a critical responsibility we all share.

I blogged about about the subject of doing the right thing for others back in February of 2008.  You can find it here if you haven’t read it before - http://harrytucker.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-matters.html.

As we talked, Christopher happened to mention how he thanks his customers.  He expressed an idea that seemed so brilliant to me that I simply had to share it.

Many of us have received the classic corporate gifts – the pretty crystal paperweight, the nice pen set, the corporate t-shirt, etc.

My better half recently pointed to a box that contains an estimated 150 corporate t-shirts that I don’t wear anymore and that I keep promising to “take care of”.

How many of us have received those nice little trinkets that ended up in a box, are given to our kids or are passed off to family and friends because we simply have too much of this stuff already.

Think of the impact on the environment to produce all of this stuff that we don’t really need or have too much of.  In the end, is it a gift that touches the heart or something that clutters an already cluttered life?

Do we really need more clutter?

Christopher has a different approach. 

He buys goats for his customers.

Now you are probably thinking “If I don’t have space for a t-shirt, what am I going to do with a goat?”

In fact, what he does is he buys goats via organizations like Plan Canada (formerly known as Foster Parent’s Plan).  These goats are delivered to needy people in developing countries and are one of many ways to give a sustainable gift to someone who needs it.

Rather than buy more “stuff” that not only doesn’t add to our life but in fact, adds more junk to an already overloaded ecosphere, he buys something that provides long-term sustainable assistance to someone in need.

One day, a client asked him “how do you know the people in need actually receive the goats you buy”.  Christopher was struck by this question and decided to find out for himself what happens when one buys a goat.

He went on a quest to ascertain if buying a goat actually results in someone receiving a goat.  He documented the journey in a movie titled “Where’s My Goat?”.

I invite you to explore Christopher’s journey here.  Click on the link for ‘Where’s My Goat?” and then select the “Watch Trailer” link.  As you watch it, think of your own way of expressing gratitude in a way that produces a positive, life-changing result for someone instead of creating more trash on the planet.

Maybe instead of buying a trinket that will get tossed into the garbage, thereby producing no positive impact on others, you might consider buying a goat for someone as Christopher does.

Perhaps your favorite way will be to help someone in need through great organizations like Samaritan’s Purse.

For some, the preferred method might be to sponsor a child through the work of World Vision.

Maybe clean water is important to you and you prefer to work with groups such as Water Missions International, a group of passionate people who specialize in providing sustainable water systems in developing countries.

Perhaps there is some other organization that you prefer to work with as you give a gift to someone else.

However you choose to express gratitude, think about ways to do it such that you feel great about it, the recipient feels appreciated and you make a REAL impact on someone who could use a helping hand. 

Not only that, when you express gratitude in this way, the Earth will thank you as well.  :-)

Doesn’t that make more sense and sound like a lot more fun than giving away another paperweight?

Let your creativity soar – whatever you come up with will be gratefully received and you will have made a REAL difference.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to figure out what to do with 150 corporate t-shirts.

Yours in service and servanthood.

Harry