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Richard

Chapeau!

Today found me wishing, just for a moment, that I still worked at Bluefrog This is awesome.

Smile by name, smile by nature.

All the charities I recently gave a donation to thanked me quickly – which was nice to see. But the one that stood out (and made me smile) was from The Smile Train.

Things little and large that made the difference:

- They thanked me very, very much (sounds silly, but it felt nice, hearing it twice).

- They told me something new. I didn’t know they have a record of never turning a child away and I felt a bit chuffed to be helping them achieve that.

- They’re going to send me a picture of a child I helped (yes, I know, it’s not literally the child I helped, but I don’t care. I’m quite good at suspending disbelief).

- Better still, I know exactly when it’s due to arrive (2 months) and it’ll have PICTURES ENCLOSED on the envelope so I know to look out for it. Genius. I’ve already made a mental note about when this might come and I can’t wait.

- My letter was from Brian, Co-founder. The other thank yous I got from the two other charities I donated to came from a rather disappointing ‘Fundraising Assistant’ and ‘Marketing Manager’. No thanks.

Oh, I also got a DVD of their Oscar-winning documentary, but it’s still waiting to be watched. I’ve been too busy telling people about what a great guy Brian from Smile Train is.

Sinead

The eye's had it

If you're looking for something to take your mind off the fact that we have a Tory government, can I suggest emergency eye surgery? Having your cornea cut open while still conscious really does chase all secondary concerns from your mind.

Thankfully, I'm getting better fast and am assured that recovery will be total. In the meantime, thank you to everyone who sent messages and to all our charity friends who've been waiting so patiently for work.

James
X

Are You Brilliant At Data?

Are you really good at answering probing questions about data? And even better at asking even more probing questions than the ones I just mentioned? Are you sick of lazy stereotypes employed by bloggers that nobody reads but willing to overlook it just this once?

If you are, you should apply for this job.

Thanks from All the Fish

Well, it's not quite a hedge laying trophy. (Or even a little-known species of sea anemone named in my honour). But my thank you letter from the Marine Conservation Society is pretty sweet, with some personalisation, updates on their current projects and a copy of their latest magazine.

Pretty prompt too. And it gave me a good warm glow on my way to work this morning.

Hannah

Surprised and Delighted. By Hedge Laying.

I got an email yesterday from Friends of the Lake District. It thanked me for the £250 I was able to give them earlier this month (see previous post).

It was a lovely email.

First, I must say that I tend to have quite a few conversations with the charities we work with about how they should surprise and delight their donors with their communications. Often, it's not the easiest thing to do. However, this email did that. Because the lovely people at Friends of the Lake District have asked me if I would like to have my (or my son's) name on a trophy they need to buy for an annual hedge laying competition.

It made me laugh to begin with. But then I began to think (and do a bit of research).

Hedge laying is important. According to the National Hedge Laying Society, "Hedgerows help to define the uniqueness of the British countryside and are an important wildlife habitat. They require sympathetic management if we are to preserve them for future generations."

The competition for which this trophy is being used for encourages lots of young farmers to get involved. So, in a way that wasn't obvious to me at first, my gift will be used in the way I intended - to help preserve the beauty of the Lake District now and for future generations.

Mark