GIVING - now even a lanyard makes a difference

GIVING — Now even a lanyard makes a difference

For 5 years, Brenda Thomson went to Networking Events sensing there was something not right. They were, she thought, always too ‘salesy’ — everyone saw everyone else as a prospect and acted accordingly.

Then, thought Brenda, what if we ‘ditch the pitch’? “What if the goal becomes HELPING everyone else not selling to them?”

The result? NetworkingWorld at www.networkingworld.net.au. And Brenda’s instinct was right — it’s growing like wild fire. And B1G1 is very much a part of that growth.

Whenever someone attends one of the Networking World events, someone in Kenya receives a nourishing meal through B1G1. But now, Brenda does even more.

At Networking World, one of the events is an all day event for 150+ participants and everyone wears a lanyard.  Typically at the end of the day every one goes home with their lanyard and Brenda buys new ones for the next event. 

“But yesterday we did something new,” says Brenda. “As people left we asked people to vote with their lanyards by putting them in a box matching the cause they wanted to support. They had choices of planting a tree in Sumatra, helping build a well in Ethiopia or helping buy a goat to create a sustainable income for a family in Kenya.”

Brenda tells us that they got all of the lanyards back. And as a result 10 trees are being planted, ten people will have access to clean drinking water and 3 families are getting a goat. “And next time we’ll even ask people to pop a few dollars in the back of their lanyards so they can give even more to their chosen cause,” says Brenda. What wonderful leverage that is.

“Obviously one of the best things about B1G1 is that it makes giving so easy. And it’s the flexibility to give across multiple projects and to be able to do it in so many different ways that make B1G1 so appealing to us,” Brenda says.
 
At Networking World, they are always looking for new and different ways to do things — to think outside the box. “For example,” says Brenda, “there are other ways that you and your customers can make a difference without it costing a cent. Think about all the ways that your customers could help you to re-use or recycle things that will save your company money and help someone else at the same time.”

And how cool is it that the simple idea of ‘recycling’ lanyards and name badges gets people involved directly in giving? It’s embedding the giving in the simplest of ways — it’s making giving part of your business DNA. And we’re thrilled that Brenda is sharing the giving with so many — that’s the power of networking in this different way. What could you be doing? Find out more by clicking the ‘Find Out More’ button right here.