Every year, we try to send out a Christmas card to our current clients and partners that steers far away from the traditional gifts. (Not that we haven’t anything against them- we’re a marketing company after all) While browsing through Quora.com we stumbled upon a thread that asked
“What’s the nicest thing you’ve ever done that nobody knew about until you revealed it here?”
The wheels were turning and we knew we had a PERFECT idea for our Christmas card.
First, we had to devise a strategy on how to explain the card, here’s what we came up with.
Next, we wanted to make sure people understood the goal which was “pay it forward to someone who could never return the favor” so we threw in some fun ideas.
Last step? We just sat and waited to hear all the creative ways people were able to use the money to pay it forward. Here’s a few of what we’ve heard:
I wanted you to know that I received your Christmas card, and It came at just the right time!! We were in the middle of having a “Penny war” to raise money for our Adopt A Family Fundraiser and I was able to put that money toward some of my competition. We ended up raising over $1,000 and are able to Adopt 6 families.
We are truly inspired by your idea of “paying it forward” and it could not have coordinated better with a project we are hoping to do with the MICAH House here in Council Bluffs. Their motto this holiday season is essentially that a $25 donation can ensure one family gets food, clothing and a gift for their children by utilizing their Christmas drive. We will be giving this $25 we received to the MICAH House in hayWire’s name.
Knowing how short the Salvation Army kettle collections are running this Christmas, I dropped it into the bucket at Super Saver down the street from us. Thank you. That was a very nice touch.
Thanks for such a thoughtful and generous gift this year. Our family has decided to “adopt” a zoo animal with the funds. A penguin (my 5-year old son loves penguins), to be exact. Thank you for making this possible!
ALSO, I donated to Trees for Troops using your pay it forward Christmas card. Again, what an awesome, awesome idea.
I paid it forward to the red kettle at NFM. I volunteer every year and deliver Thanksgiving Dinner meals for Salvation Army. So I gave it to them via red kettle as I’ve seen it go to work first hand.
Thank you for the inspiration and constant bar-setting. Always top notch! We are doing a turkey fry for the homeless and this extra $25 boost from hayWire will fill quite a few more bellies!
The money went to a breakfast waitress as a tip in one lump sum. She talked about her kids being off school for Christmas break and it occurred to us that she was facilitating our family’s time together and not home enjoying hers. Not a dramatic event, but I think sufficiently Christmas-y in spirit.
I “paid it forward” with hayWire’s gift this weekend. I waited in a Walgreens (50thish and Center) parking lot for my perfect candidate, put the money and a nice little note under their windshield and watched from afar in a parking lot across the street. It was a family of 5, including two young children and a baby. They were all smiles once receiving the note and you can tell it brightened their day.
We donated our $25 to Care and Share Houses, Inc. which is a free food pantry and free store for clothing and household items. They offer services to needy individuals and families at two locations in Council Bluffs, IA. We feel that Care and Share House, Inc. truly makes a difference in our local community. Thank you for the opportunity to “Pay It Forward”.
