I received something in the mail the other day that was a bit of a mystery. It was a dozen “Thank you” notes handwritten from students in a second grade class from the Bronx. Each one included an original drawing on the front of it. For one thing, my mail usually consists of business letters, invoices, HR materials and assorted junk mail. Receiving something handwritten in the mail was unusual. Receiving something handwritten, with artwork, a “Thank You” and from elementary school students was a special occasion in deed. Each note had my name on it, spelled correctly I might add (with a “C” and not a “K” . . . not that there’s anything wrong with the letter “K”).   So, who were these cards from?  I had no idea. They were completely unexpected and puzzling.

Each brief note thanked me for helping obtain new markers, index cards and site rings (not sure what a site ring is, but it’s definitely a useful thing to a second grader!). I enjoyed each note as I read it and could see the care that went into its creation. Remember the effort required to “stay within the lines” and how much elbow grease it took to completely erase the shadows of misspelled words? I do and could thoroughly appreciate such attention to detail.

I continued reading one after the other hoping to discover exactly who sent them and why. Finally, I found a cover letter buried at the bottom of the pile. It was from the second grader’s teacher explaining that through a donation made in my name, her class was able to acquire these needed supplies to help improve the student’s reading and writing skills. At the lower left of her letter was a small picture of the class as well. It was very touching, but didn’t take me full circle to understand the whole story.

As my brain continued to swirl . . . students . . . the Bronx . . . new markers . . . donation in my name . . . “thank you notes” . . . “site rings” . . . huh? . . . it finally occurred to me! At the end of last year, I had received a “donation gift card” inside a holiday greeting. It came with instructions to go online and select a charitable project for a contribution to be made on my behalf. It was a “Thank you for your business in 2008” initiative and this second grade class had received the funds that I had chosen. Ah ha! Now I got it.

How is this connected directly to our related forum? The source of the “donation gift card” was my temporary staffing agency. I was impressed when I had received it and am even more impressed now seeing how the gift really did make a difference. As a client, I seek to work with those that make a difference, make things count and get it right the first time. My staffing agency works this way with me all year long, so this was just “icing on the cake”, as they say, and an example of how they further distinguish themselves in the eyes of a client.  Of course, each agency has their own priorities and constraints, so giving back is wonderful if it can be done and I think worth considering.   This type of practice gets the wheels in motion for bigger and broader thinking. 

After months of headline news on the economy tanking and business misconduct, this event was a welcome change to my work week. It demonstrates business at one of its finer moments. So, here’s my small flashlight shining on something positive. Bravo, high fives and well done to my agency on this one!

PS . . . please visit www.donorschose.org if you’d like to learn more.