With the mailing of our first report, we have heard from many of our old friends who are reconnecting and sending their good wishes on our work. This morning’s email included one from a woman who we have never met but with whom we had established a "cyber-friendship" over the years.
Our friend expressed her happiness with our report and asked if we would send a copy to a few of her friends so that they could learn about our unusual tzedakah work. She also mentioned something about mailing lists and asked if we buy lists from other sources. Our answer was an emphatic "no"! Many people assume that tzedakah organizations routinely purchase mailing lists from outside sources. The Good People Fund does not sell its list nor does it purchase lists from others.
What was particularly interesting was her response to my email:
My suggestion is, if your policy is NOT to do that – why not tell people that you don’t buy or sell mailing lists and give them opportunities to help you? Suggest to your audience that they can give another form of tzedakah by sending you the names and addresses of friends or family who they think would appreciate the work that you do. (You can tell them that your computer deletes duplicates, so they don’t have to worry about wasting paper or extra mail!) You can write something about how not all of us have money to give right now, but everyone has either friends or family and they can help in that way by spreading the word. You can also write that even if their friends don’t have money to give now, they would surely appreciate reading about all these great small grass-roots organizations which is part of what you do – spread inspiration. And, perhaps it would inspire them or someone THEY know to start their own grassroots way of helping the community, as people have written to tell you how they have been so inspired by all these people helping others in small ways… etc. They can therefore be a part of the Good People Work just by spreading the inspiration to their friends and family! (Of course if those good people ever do have a few extra dollars they would like to donate, that would be fine too…. !)
The number of good ideas that tumbled from this email was astounding and proved once again, Mitzvah Goreret Mitzvah-One mitzvah leads to another…
If you have family or friends that you think could be moved by the stories we share, please let us know who they are and we will send them a copy of our first report. We know they will be inspired!
(PLEASE NOTE:If they do not want to receive further mailings from us we always post simple instructions on how to be removed from our list in a prominent place.)
