Latest / We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits / 256. Meet the Fashion E-Commerce Startup Fueling a Charitable Impact - Jeannie Barsam

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256. Meet the Fashion E-Commerce Startup Fueling a Charitable Impact - Jeannie Barsam · We Are For Good Podcast - The Podcast for Nonprofits

• 0:01
  Jonathan McCoy: Today's episode is sponsored by feather feather provides digital marketing tools and strategies for nonprofits of all shapes and sizes, including the Humane Society of North Central Florida. Stick around for the break to hear how feather power their $300 digital ad campaign that raised nearly$6,000 In just one day. Hey, I'm John.
• 0:20
  Becky Endicott: And I'm Becky.
• 0:21
  Jonathan McCoy: And this is the we are for good podcast.
• 0:24
  Becky Endicott: Nonprofits are faced with more challenges to accomplish their missions and the growing pressure to do more, raise more and be more for the causes that improve our world.
• 0:33
  Jonathan McCoy: We're here to learn with you from some of the best in the industry, bringing the most innovative ideas, inspirational stories, all to create an impact uprising.
• 0:42
  Becky Endicott: So welcome to the good community, where Nonprofit Professionals, philanthropist world changers and rabid fans who are striving to bring a little more goodness into the world.
• 0:52
  Jonathan McCoy: So let's get started. Hey, Becky,
• 0:56
  Becky Endicott: favorite friend alert?
• 0:59
  Jonathan McCoy: Oh, my gosh, we are so inspired by the person that we have on the podcast today. It was such an honor to have Janet Barsoum here with us today. And let me just tell you about Jeanne we met her in the we're for good community and and where she came in and introduced herself. And we were smitten from the second that we met her because she doesn't follow the typical archetype of the person and nonprofit. But she has a backstory and a passion and an expertise that is completely going to revolutionize our sector. And that is what we're so delighted to talk to Jeanne about today. So she found that she's the founder and CEO of gifting brands, and it's a new startup nonprofit that is really taking the E commerce and shopping world by storm. And it really is following this really amazing career that Jeannie had.
• 1:46
  Jonathan McCoy: So before she was a nonprofit she was leading. Let's just casually throw out some I know I can't wait. I mean, gap Michaels, Talbots, Signet, Zales she was leading the global team for this and she now is channeling that expertise and channeling that passion into taking inventory that is getting thrown away by many of these big retailers that is kind of a dirty secret.
• 2:11
  Becky Endicott: They throw away Louis Vuitton I didn't know that so right
• 2:14
  Jonathan McCoy: when it doesn't sell. So she is channeling that by creating a marketplace where these e commerce brands can gift that inventory and then it can be resold and all the profits go to charity. So Jeannie is a disrupter. She is the kindest individual, she is a networker, and she has got an incredible story. And we're just so delighted to have her here. She just welcomed her first grandchild this year. And we've been rooting for a while on the side. But she lives in Dallas, Texas, and not too far from us.
• 2:41
  Jonathan McCoy: But Jeanie, welcome to the podcast. We're delighted you're here.
• 2:45
  Jeannie Barsam: Thank you so much. And I'm just delighted to be here. I you know, I don't know how I stumbled across your podcast months ago and immediately connected with you guys. And for me not coming out of the nonprofit world. And coming out of the retail industry. I started this nonprofit knowing nothing about nonprofits other than I was on a nonprofit board and volunteering. It's been amazing.
• 3:08
  Jeannie Barsam: And I just can't tell you how much you guys have actually, you know, made a difference in what we're doing. So I'm thrilled to be here. You were on my bucket list. Oh my gosh, I'd
• 3:21
  Jonathan McCoy: Genie take us back. We want to hear your story. You know, take us back to kind of your career and what led you to wanting to start this and some of the seminal moments along the way.
• 3:29
  Jeannie Barsam: This may take a long time because I've been actually been in the retail industry for over 30 years. I started out when I was in college working at a department store and I worked my way up and then became a buyer right when I graduated from college because they let me be an assistant buyer while I was still going to college because I went to night school. And so I worked for some amazing companies, as you said like gapping and Limited Brands.
• 3:52
  Jeannie Barsam: And yeah, I actually worked for target Corp when Mervyn's was still around. So I've worked some amazing companies and amazing people. One of the things that you know you don't know about me is that my husband actually been married 34 years, he became a stay at home dad and let me have the career. And so I was able to rise up to an executive level. I was a senior vice president for probably the last 15 years at different companies and he took care of our two kids because of that as well. You know, when you get it retail is it's a lot of travel.
• 4:27
  Jeannie Barsam: It's a lot of work, and I didn't have time to volunteer. And so I always regretted that I mean, I loved it gap we would do you know one day a year we would all volunteer at the soup kitchen or wherever. But I really felt I knew in my heart that wasn't enough and that I'm you know, I'm a Christian. I'm supposed to be doing good. I'm supposed to be serving others. And it wasn't until I actually lost my job at sales. So what happened was we got bought out by Signet Corp, which owns Kay and Jared and I stayed on for two years in the same role. But then my position was eliminated. And I knew what was happening. So I started thinking about how what can I do differently? How do I want to you know, do I want to retire I thought back to the time when at Zales, when we got bought out by Signet group, we had about a million dollars of excess jewelry. And it was jewelry that was you know, we may have only had 100 pieces of a style and we didn't want it we had over 1000 stores across the US and Canada.
• 5:24
  Jeannie Barsam: And we pulled all this excess jewelry that we didn't want anymore in our stores. And I was trying to think of a way we could give it away to charity, we knew we were going to write it off and back then cash for cars was really big. You could turn in your you know, car, you could designate a charity when it got sold, the money would go to charity. And I thought there's got to be something out there in the retail industry for whether it's you know, apparel or handbags or jewelry or even clothing and there wasn't anything out there. So fast forward again, I didn't do anything with it. And then I started I volunteered on some boards and I was on the board of the family place which is a domestic the largest domestic violence shelters in Texas. And I was in charge of the Long Range Planning Committee because of my background and the financial inventory planning etc. And it takes you don't know if you're going to make your yearly goals from a financial standpoint to the last three weeks of the year. You know, everybody waits till December to donate. And so I realized there's got to be a better way that we can fundraise for charities. And about that same time, there were big news reports out there of brands like Burberry, or Louis Bataan or h&m or even Nike that were destroying or burning their inventory and putting them in landfills, because they didn't want to compete with their higher priced inventory. So they didn't want to sell to a Ross or TJ Maxx or sell it at deep discounts. Because it then changes the you know, the value of their their new inventory.
• 6:57
  Jeannie Barsam: And so there was no solution out there for brands as well. And I've been in the retail industry having the same issue. When I was at Zales, we didn't want to sell it to a Ross or TJ Maxx. I started researching to see if there was a way we could start our own organization or nonprofit that where we could take that inventory. I knew the inventory was amazing people would want to buy it. And so I was able to get a 501 C three and start gifting brands. So we're actually a retail marketplace. We're just really getting started because of COVID. We had some you know a lot of people didn't have inventory, the businesses are closed down. So really, this is kind of our breakout year. But we've got some amazing brands who've donated we have baccarat which is a beautiful you know they have beautiful crystal, but they have handmade crystal out of France. Jewelry and they've donated a significant amount of inventory for us just got new new inventory that's not even on the website. We just got a big delivery from Talbots. We've got inventory coming from Ann Taylor Loft, Charles and Kovarik. Tory Richard, I mean some amazing products. Most of what we have is jewelry. Right now we do have men's shirts, but we're so excited. I've been chosen to speak at a women in retail Leadership Conference where there's going to be 450 women leaders in the retail industry from all the major brands, and I get to tell them about gifting brands and how they can make a difference. You know, everyone can be a philanthropist, whether you're a customer and you're buying choose to buy from companies that give back or they're making a difference with whether it's the environment, or giving back to charity, you know, for these brands, and Fokker has been a great partner with us, they've told us they're in it for the long run, they believe in what we're doing.
• 8:44
  Jeannie Barsam: They even want when they have their new launch of their new jewelry line, they're gonna give us some new brand new inventory as well. And because they're a luxury brand, they're going to be the brand voice for us and tell other luxury brands that we now are a solution for these brands. So they don't have to burn their inventory or destroy it. And they can make a difference. I mean, in a five year period, there was over just a few of those brands that I mentioned over $650 million of inventory was destroyed. And I know the numbers much bigger than that. But even that 650 million that could have fed 4 million people or provided clean water for over 40 million people. So the impact is huge that we can all make and I'm just thrilled to be able to do to use my skill set. And instead of retiring, do something that I love to do, which is retail and and I you know I love connector like Becky said I love to connect people and help and give the people an opportunity to help as well. And this is a great way to do it.
• 10:23
  Becky Endicott: I mean, you're just the greatest human it's the greatest story. There is nothing better for us than when people emerge out Have the community and sort of lift up and connect with us and say, Oh, I have this incredibly unique skill set. And I'm going to fuse that with my passion. And I'm going to change the world, like the fact that you understood how to offload this inventory in such a meaningful and productive way is wonderful. The way that you're threading story through it is wonderful. And I heard so many of our core values. And there, John, I mean, clearly, you have made believers out of Bukhara if they're already thinking that we're in for the long haul, they're already playing that long game. So, you know, I read something the other day I was visiting with a friend that, you know, women are not looking at shoes as much anymore, because we're on Zoom culture. But the jewelry industry is skyrocketing, because women want to wear the statement pieces on Zoom. And so I'm just so thrilled Jeanne, that you have found this space, you are using your platform for good and the fact that you have built it on the things that matter to you, the women and children, which I just want to like pause on that for a second, because you built this nonprofit, and you're funneling all of this revenue into these causes, that means something to you talk to me about why you decided to do that, and how you pick your charities.
• 11:55
  Jeannie Barsam: So I, you know, I chose charities that I had a relationship with, or that I really believed in, and one of them the family plays, which I was on their board. As I said, it's a sad story. But it's true in this in the world that domestic violence is rampant, and it got worse during the pandemic. So Theo Killian was one of the first African American CEOs, he is my mentor, he is an amazing and I met him years ago, 30 years ago, when I was a buyer at Limited Brands for Lane Bryant. And he was our head of HR. Theo actually went through a charity called a better chance when he was a kid going into college. And they're an amazing organization. And Theo would tell you that when you get a hand up like that, where they they were able to help him go to a prestigious college, you change a generation and generations around you. And Theo is the nicest man in the world. He has then gone on to and he's on our advisory board as well. I call him probably every few weeks. He's amazing.
• 13:06
  Jeannie Barsam: But Theo not only gives back, he's now the chairman of the board for a better chance. But he was on the board of Express, he's on the board of torrid. He was on the border of Board of tailor brands, which owns Men's Wearhouse. I mean, this guy is way up there and has really made a difference. And you know, the one thing I loved about Theo when he was head of sales, he knew everyone's name, even the people in the warehouse. And he knew their stories. And he's just an amazing human being. And he helped inspire me to do this as well. And then going on to the other charity that I chose.
• 13:47
  Jeannie Barsam: So that was one of the charities we chose. The other charity was the family place. And this is the sad story. So Theo's executive secretary, her name is Christie. And Christie was amazing. And no one knew this about her. But she was estranged from her husband, she was separated. And her husband came to a birthday party when she was at her I believe it was her parents house with her two children. And he shot her in front of the family, and then shot himself. And so you never know it can happen to anyone, you know, getting the word out there about domestic violence, and about the services that a place like the family place as they actually go into the schools and talk to kids about what domestic violence looks like, what are the signs, because you know, even people, you know, in dating, when they're young, they don't know what that looks like, what an abuser can look like. And so that one's near and dear to my heart because of Christie, I want to help make a difference and help raise money so they can get it into more schools. I mean, they're just getting into the Dallas schools with their program. And it's it's an amazing organization. So I choose ones that are near and dear to my heart
• 14:59
  Becky Endicott: story, John, the ripples.
• 15:02
  Jonathan McCoy: Yeah. And I'm like, can you see why we just love Genie. I'm just so curious.
• 15:04
  Jonathan McCoy: Because obviously your passion runs so deep. And I love that it's not just the passion just for the impact, because I think that not it's easy, but it's it's easy to get passionate about that. But you also have this passion for helping turn retail for good in solving some of these big problems that no one had an answer to, you know, so talk with me about this innovative approach. I mean, what what does it look like to have this inventory fully?
• 15:34
  Jonathan McCoy: Anthropy model, I don't even know if that's the right term for it. But what is that? And how did you kind of break it down? Because we talk all the time about people leaning into impact? And how are these corporations showing impact, and you are smart enough to throw that all together. So break it all down. It's actually
• 15:48
  Jeannie Barsam: pretty simple.
• 15:48
  Jeannie Barsam: We call it a three sided marketplace, in that it's kind of circular. We partner with brands, then we partner with consumers, and then we give back to charity. So it's a full circle. So we reach out to brands, and they donate their excess inventory. We have a website called gifting brands.com where consumers get to go shop and make a difference and choose the charity or the cause that they want to support.
• 16:15
  Jeannie Barsam: And so they get to be a philanthropist as well. So anyone can do that. And then we give back to charity. And there.
• 16:21
  Jeannie Barsam: We don't just give money to charity. We also the charities that we work with, when they have their big galas. I mean, you know how hard it is to get great products for galas. And it gives the brand's exposure that they may not have gotten before plus, I mean, you know, brands don't always like the 1000s of you know, charities calling them for product right? Well, we they all they have to do is work with us and we give them the product.
• 16:47
  Jeannie Barsam: And they get to auction it off and raise money that way as well. And so that's how it works. So when you shop we give
• 16:58
  Jonathan McCoy: Hey, friends, this episode is presented by virtuous and they just happened to be one of our favorite companies. Let me tell you why.
• 17:03
  Jonathan McCoy: You know, we believe everyone matters. And we've witnessed the greatest philanthropic movements happen when you see and activate donors at every level. And here's the thing, virtuous created a fundraising platform to help you do just that. It's much more than a nonprofit CRM.
• 17:19
  Jonathan McCoy: Virtuous is committed to helping charities reimagine generosity through responsive fundraising, which is simply putting the donor at the center of fundraising, growing giving through personalized donor journeys. And by helping you respond to the needs of every individual. We love it because this approach builds trust and loyalty through personalized engagement. Sounds like virtuous, maybe a fit for your organization. Learn more today virtuous.org or follow the link in our show.
• 17:48
  Becky Endicott: Hey, friends, are you ready to take your digital engagement to the next level, but kind of feel stuck about where to start? Let us introduce you to feather feathers and amazing tech startup focused on making nonprofit outreach more impactful by connecting you to your audience wherever they are online, from fundraising to program awareness, they've got you covered. And rather than telling you we just wanted to show you for years, the Humane Society of North Central Florida has participated in a local online giving day called the amazing give. It's a competitive landscape for donations. So in 2021, the Humane Society knew they needed to stand out in order to maximize donations for$300 in ad spend their retargeting ads brought 119 visitors to their amazing gift donation page and generated nearly $6,000 in donations in just one day. With feather a small amount of ad spend can go a long way, learn more about their solutions for nonprofits@feather.co. That's feather without the last e.co.
• 18:43
  Becky Endicott: Now let's get back to this amazing conversation. It's just such a great model. And, you know, I want you to tell our listeners, you know, how can people get involved with gifting brands, and we want to know your dreams to talk about those two things.
• 19:04
  Jeannie Barsam: I mean, my dream is to be able to donate, you know, millions and millions of dollars every year, but also help the environment and save, you know, reduce the amount of inventory that goes into landfills. And giving brands you know, customers want to shop with brands who give back. And so, you know, we're just building our new marketing team.
• 19:25
  Jeannie Barsam: I have Candace who just joined us so I'm thrilled about you know, she'll help tell our story. But you know, a big brand like Baccarat, they can't go out and brag that hey, I'm you know, doing well. And, you know, we're looking at us what the good we're doing. But we can do that for them. You know, whether that's, you know, customers buying, we send handwritten notes and we think our brands and we think the customers, you know, we can tell the story for those brands. And and let customers know, I want customers to shop with the brands that have donated to us. You know, I want them to go to tablets, I want them to go to Tori, Richard, I want them to know that these brands are making a difference through their philanthropy. And by getting back their inventory.
• 20:06
  Jonathan McCoy: So ambitious, just from the start, but I'm curious, where do you go next? I mean, how do you scale and what's your kind of dream for gifting brands?
• 20:12
  Jeannie Barsam: Well, my dream is we we've already researched this, we'd love to we're working on an app where we can work with brands that have racism runs, like charities that have racism runs. Let's say you're doing a run for the freedom run. Let's that's something here in Dallas, and you're doing a run instead of just going your friends and family to say Hey, can you donate Do you dollars or $100, you have a special code that they can actually you give to your friends and family, they shop at gifting brands, and then we give back in a case like that we get back 50% of all sales, to your charity, or to your toward your race. So that's more of the future. We also really want to do a huge fashion event and focus on the brands that have donated and B do a big women's and men's shopping event here in Dallas. You know, we're looking to potentially do that in the fall. So we just want to have fun. You know, who doesn't love to shop? Right? But But how much better can you is it when you shop and you know that it's going back to a charity. So we just want to have fun with it,
• 21:20
  Becky Endicott: I just have to tell you, I am going back into the recesses of my mind thinking about all of the auctions and raffles in my days of fundraising. And I can just, I have this visual and I'm sure many others that are listening are going to this will resonate with you of just being on the phone and just trying to track down the tchotchkes and where is the maid in Oklahoma brand and what board member can give us a their log cabin for the weekend and those things. And I think about you coming in here, and having the ability to gift, you know, maybe a fourth or a third of what people could, you know, gift or put into their auctions.
• 21:58
  Becky Endicott: And to me, that translates as a third of your time is saved, a fourth of your time is saved. So it's not even just the financial benefit that you're giving to nonprofits here. It's the gift of partnership, it's the gift of giving them back time. I also think it's a unique way to think about how to bring something that people want into your organization and use it for good. So I'm just so proud of you. And I love this idea. I mean, this is a baby startup, you are not even a year and a half old yet I don't think so.
• 22:35
  Becky Endicott: We just think this is the tip of the iceberg. We really encourage everyone in our community just to go check it out, especially if you're in the event sector work smarter, not harder, for sure. But I kind of want to transition over into kind of what the lessons that you've learned, starting throughout this journey, and I just have to give you a compliment because Jeanne is probably one of the most leaned in members of our community. I swear I think you've listened to every single episode, you are watching the pro workshops, you are in the live coaching. And you're I see you in sponge mode, right now just trying to learn as much as you possibly can. What are you taking away is your biggest lessons learned so far?
• 23:15
  Jeannie Barsam: I mean, honestly, that's why I love Pro is it you have to learn this industry is changing, consumers are changing. And you can't do things the old way. Even in retail and ecommerce, it's all different, you know, it's alright, do we do tick tock, alright, let's go, you know, let's look at all those different things that are out there and where a customer is, again, you have to focus on the right customer. But I'd say you know, as a new, you know, startup, whether you're in a business startup, or whether you're in a nonprofit startup, you have to surround yourself with great people. And I think you know, I early on, asked all my friends and that are in the industry that are really big retail industry and ask them to either be on my board, and if they were too busy on my environment, my advisory board, and I've got amazing, amazing people that I can reach out to if I don't know what to do. I'm a merchant at heart and obviously, financial. So I tried to surround myself with people in areas that I was lacking, that then my board could fill in the gaps for me or my advisory board. And so I continue to reach out to people that I think really, really highly have that I really think would, would be able to help us and also, you know, love it. I mean, who doesn't love to shop? Right?
• 24:33
  Jonathan McCoy: Well, gee, tell us a little bit about your founding, you know, journey, because a lot of people listening are trying to start their own thing. Or, you know, maybe they're in the early stages, what are some nuggets that you've learned, because you're so wise,
• 24:45
  Jeannie Barsam: a lot, you know, I fits and starts in that. And we've pivoted and that I started the journey in 2018. And I think we actually got our 501 C three in 2018. But knew that we still then had to build our website, we needed product, you know, we weren't just all of a sudden, you know, running. So between 2018 2019 was really the strategy, getting the board getting the everything that we needed to be successful, just like we were could because we're operating just like a retail company. So we happen to be a nonprofit, but we're competing against all the other retailers out there. So we wanted to make sure that we were doing that right. And our launch year was going to be 2020 in the fall of 2020. And we were our focus in the spring of 2020 was really Reaching out to brands for inventory. Well guess what COVID happened, everybody closed down.
• 25:39
  Jeannie Barsam: Nobody was even in the office and nobody knew what was going on with their inventory. So we kind of put it on pause. And believe it or not, I actually went back to work. I became the Senior Vice President of merchandise operations for Michaels stores, which for me is amazing because I'm, I'm also a jewelry designer by hobby and I started my own jewelry company when I retired, which is Christie G. So if you see that on the website, we I donate all of my jewelry, to gifting brands, but I went back to work at my goals at during the pandemic, and I you know, I'd never met anybody, everything was by zoom. So I guess my advice is, do what's right, I realized that we weren't gonna get any headway. I might as well go back to work that helped me pay for gifting brands, because it's not, it's cost money to start a e commerce business. And so it allowed me to be able to fund it myself without having to go out and ask for money. But for me, I felt like it was a blessing, you know, here this great job with great benefits during the pandemic when I was sitting at home anyway, so I went back to work. And, you know, my advice to new startups is sometimes you might have to do two things, you may have to keep your job, keep your day job, and then do what your passion you know, do what you love. And get to the point to where then you can go full time.
• 27:01
  Jeannie Barsam: So I quit my job last year in September, I gave them an eight month notice to where they could hire someone and I can help train her. She's amazing. And she was ahead of merchandising for Sam's Club. So she took over my job, and was able to start gifting brands or restart it. So we're really looking at this year as our real launch. Because of all the problems that we had, but we didn't give up. We kept it going. You know, we I kept out there and kept talking with people getting people involved so that now now that they have inventory that they can donate, we're ready.
• 27:38
  Becky Endicott: I mean, just the scrappiness, the Moxie, the passion, all of that is just converging in the most beautiful way. And the thing that it keeps reminding me Jeannie is I just keep thinking about your little seven week old grandchild first grandbaby. And I think about the legacy that you're leaving him, I think about the more humane world that he's going to grow up and because you chose to lean into this. And so I thank you so much for that. And you've listened to the podcast enough to know we love story. And we love to know about a moment or a story in philanthropy that someone felt changed. And I wonder what that story would be for you that you'd like to share today?
• 28:23
  Jeannie Barsam: Oh, my goodness, you know, I still have to reach back to Theo you know, Theo, as I mentioned, who was the CEO at Zales, it really didn't hit me until we were invited. When we when I was he was still CEO, we got invited to an event at a better chance where Theo was being honored. And I didn't know anything about his background.
• 28:42
  Jeannie Barsam: And that's what a humble guy he is. And he was on stage. And they had just nominated new kids who made it into the program.
• 28:51
  Jeannie Barsam: And these, you know, young high school kids going off to college, to be able to have the opportunity and to hear Theo speak on stage about his story.
• 29:02
  Jeannie Barsam: And his journey. I mean, he was a poor kid in West Virginia, living with his grandmother had no opportunity, he thought, you know, maybe I could go to college someday. But you know, he had no idea that there were organizations out there that can help kids who don't, who wouldn't normally have that chance, where their parents can't pay for their college. And just to see, you know, him as a human being and all that he's done for the retail industry and for people that he surrounds himself with. And again, he always quote this from, you know, he said, if you change one kid's life, you change a generation, it affects their parents, it affects their siblings, it affects their kids that they have down the future and and makes a difference. Not only that, the things that they do that are rural changing. And if you go back and look at an organization like a better chance, and all these there are a lot of CEOs that have come out of their kids who became CEOs because of a better chance. And so, you know, I just want to help fund those kinds of organizations so that we can have more kids like do.
• 30:11
  Jonathan McCoy: So Jeannie.
• 30:11
  Jonathan McCoy: There's just this force for good coming into gifting brands and y'all are turning it around into impact. Is there something that you want to lift a story that's kind of stuck out to you or what are you working on Project wise?
• 30:22
  Jeannie Barsam: Well, you know, going back to that what I mentioned earlier about landfills and how that money can change, you know, lives and that 650 million could have fed 40 million people Oh, so as I was researching charities, charity, water came to mind, and I really loved what they were doing. So they are one of the charities that we also support. And we're currently underway of building a well in Malawi, so it costs$10,000. To build a well, it's going to make a difference, because, you know, building a well, it's really the women and children that it impacts the most, because the women are the ones that have to go get the water. And there because of that, you know, they're walking miles and miles, and they may not be able to go to school if they're younger. And so we really, as a board, we chose them. And we're so excited, and we're actually going to we're working on a new challenge to build another well. Because, you know, water makes the difference for these people. And having clean water allows the allows them to be able to go to school and be able to function in a way that they haven't been able to.
• 31:31
  Jeannie Barsam: And so we're really excited about that,
• 31:35
  Becky Endicott: and just the dignity that it provides. And I love the story of how you threaded that with your mission to serve women and children and you got educated on how the water crisis is impacting that population. So great story.
• 31:51
  Becky Endicott: Wonderful.
• 31:52
  Jonathan McCoy: Okay, God, you know, how we start to wrap these conversations up? What's the one good thing you can leave our listeners with this could be you know, what's a mantra that's really spoke to you in life or a secret to your success.
• 32:03
  Jeannie Barsam: I mean, there's, I'm gonna give you two, it's one, my tagline is, Be bold, take risks, and make a difference. But also, everyone's a philanthropist. Whether you're a retailer who has extra inventory, whether you're a customer who wants to buy something, or give a gift, I mean, you know, giving a gift from gifting brands is a double gift, you can buy a gift for yourself and gift it to, to someone in need. But you know, the other thing that I think is important is like me when I was you know, right, you know, climbing up that retail ladder as an executive woman back in the day, when there weren't a lot of executive women. You can donate your skill set to charities, and we've got a couple of organizations that have donated their skill set, and they give us five hours of marketing brainpower, and that will help us and that they're paying it forward. And they're being philanthropists with their skill set. So you may not have$5,000, to donate to a company, but you're really good at social media could donate five hours a month or something, you can make a difference, and help out these organizations that need help.
• 33:14
  Jeannie Barsam: Okay,
• 33:15
  Becky Endicott: I love that so much in such Town Council, and I'm rewinding in my brain and thinking of all those times, I went and made a major gift pitch. And if I would have put the proposal down with a hybrid ask of a financial ask, and oh, you're in the financial sector, can I get five hours of your time to sit on our auditing committee for this year, that's all I need. It's really about expanding the way that people can pour into your mission. And I love that so much. Because it's not just coming. Every time our wallets are empty, it's about coming in and saying we value who you are as a person and the gifts you have. Thank you for what you can give financially. But there are other things that can be given here.
• 33:59
  Becky Endicott: And they may even deepen the relationship even more than that financial gift.
• 34:04
  Jeannie Barsam: Well, you know, on my way in to my this morning to my office that is brand new empty right now, I was listening to your prior podcast and you had somebody on who was talking about the donor and how you need to connect with the donor, a donor can be somebody who's volunteering time, and I guess, guess what, they are going to be so excited about what you're doing and their impact, they're going to give as well, you know, especially this new younger age group, they want to make an impact. They don't they want the experience. They don't want to just hand money, they want to be part of it.
• 34:36
  Becky Endicott: I love that. I mean, just thank you for what you're doing to elevate thank you for what you're doing. I even just think of this convergence of retail and philanthropy. We're going to be watching that so closely. And, you know, despite the fact that this is such an inspiring conversation, and I hope it made everybody feel good, it really is another one of those just sort of triggers that I hope challenges your conscious consumerism, and really has you thinking about when I purchase products, how can they do the most good, so this is one way to do it. Thank you. Jeannie. Let us know how people can connect with you website social media account, where can they find you?
• 35:16
  Jeannie Barsam: Yeah, it's pretty simple. It's www dot gifting brands.com And we have a website and everything you need to know is on the website. You can follow us on Instagram On Facebook, and I'm on LinkedIn.
• 35:27
  Jeannie Barsam: So please reach out to me on LinkedIn. We are working on a program and where we can give a nonprofit a coupon code. And if they want to send out that coupon code to their email list, we're working on a marketing package that will help you with that. And we'll help you raise money. You just have to let your your donors know where to shop.
• 35:51
  Jeannie Barsam: And we're happy to give that money back to you as well. So please reach out to us.
• 35:55
  Jonathan McCoy: Thank you so much, Jamie, this has been a delight getting to talk to you today.
• 35:58
  Jeannie Barsam: I love you guys.
• 35:58
  Jeannie Barsam: You're awesome. And I just if you have not, it's just the first time you're on the podcast. You've got to watch more and you've got to go look at we are for good pro. It's been such a help. It really is amazing.
• 36:11
  Becky Endicott: That's like the nicest endorsement. Thank you, my friend for being so vulnerable and authentic. We appreciate you rooting for you always.
• 36:21
  Jonathan McCoy: Thanks for joining us. Today's episode was brought to you by our good friends at auth zero. Without zero your nonprofit can do more with a login box. Great prospects and rabid fans of your mission with authenticity simply make it easier for your team to manage data. There's so much at Oxy real login experience can do. Visit auth zero.org For more info.
• 36:40
  Becky Endicott: If you enjoyed this episode, we know you'll love being part of the we're for good community. It's like our own social network where you can find like minded friends, ask questions, share resources and find inspiration anytime. Sign up today at we are for good.com backslash hello
• 36:55
  Jonathan McCoy: thanks friends