[Oabs] OUt in the field! Getting donations for door prizes!

[Deborah Kendrick]

Kaiti, 
This just makes me smile from ear to ear.  I worried that all of you might
think I was making it sound to easy breezy on our call Friday night, but you
took that ball and ran with it and I am thrilled with your results!  
Great job!  And keep it up!  
Remember that even if you don't get donations this year, you are planting
the seed for next year and the year after that.  Keep up that fabulous work!

Deborah


-----Original Message-----
From: Oabs [mailto:oabs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kaiti Shelton via
Oabs
Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2014 8:27 PM
To: Ohio Association of Blind Students list
Subject: [Oabs] OUt in the field! Getting donations for door prizes!

Hi all,

In case you had any doubts on how easy it is to get donations from people
like I did, here's what I have to tell you.  I've just spent an hour or so
going up and down Brown Street, which is a huge street with tons of
restaurants on it just outside of my campus.  I got a lot of shift managers
rather than general ones, and they will have to follow the chain of command
to see if their franchises will be willing to let them dole out gift cards
and to see how much they can give us, but they all were very receptive and
were really helpful.  All but two restaurants took down my name and number
on the back of the sponsorship flyer so they could keep in contact with me,
and the two that didn't told me times I could come in tomorrow and speak
directly to general managers.

Here is the status of each store I visited:
Arbie's.  General manager will be in the store from 8:00-2:00 tomorrow.
Will go there for lunch when class lets out at 11:50.
Starbucks.  The manager here loved me because I bought a Pumpkin Spice Latte
before I asked her about the sponsorship, and said she'd put in a good word
for us.  She said the franchise can be really picky about donations, but
she'll try to levvy for $10 or $15.  If she isn't successful, I'll just get
one.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  This guy also loved me because I bought dinner
before I asked.  He is going to check with the general manager, but took
down my number.
Jimmy Johns.  This manager was willing to give me a "Free sub card"
right on the spot, but when he checked the back room they were totally out.
He advised me to come back between 2:00 and 3:00 tomorrow when the general
manager will be in store and not so busy with lunch orders.
Penn Station.  This guy will check with his GM, but took down my number and
said he hopes Penn Station will be able to help.  I think he liked me.
Panera.  This guy was actually really fascinated by the programs I told him
about that the Federation does, and said he knows someone who could use them
but he doesn't think that they know about the NFB.  So, that was a cool
moment.  Panera is usually pretty generous with donations as long as they're
able to cover them, and he said that if we're just asking for a gift card or
a low sponsorship we might get something.  Their system requires people to
make donation requests online, so he gave me a business card with all the
information I'll need to do that.
Chipotle.  This manager took my number, and said he'd talk with his GM.  He
seemed to think we were a "good cause" though, so I think he'll pull for us
too.

So, although I have come back to my house empty handed, I have made some
good contacts and have people who I think will help us out.  They loved that
I was a UD student, and a few were UD students themselves so they were able
to relate to me a little bit more.  I was sure to go around in UD gear, so I
could substantiate my claims a bit.  I also had my cane folded on the
counter in front of me when the manager came over to talk, and used it on
the way in and out of the store so they could see me use it.  Folding it on
the table was a strategic move, so it was right in front of them and not
shoved under the table on the floor where they couldn't see it at all.  I
also mentioned my officer position in OABS, which anyone who holds office in
the division will/is hopefully doing, and I also mentioned that I have been
a state and national scholarship winner.  I was sure to be very appreciative
after the conversation was over.  My buying of food was also strategic.  I
knew buying something at a chain like Chipotle or Panera might not make much
of a difference, but the Starbucks has worked with UD before, and Five Guys
is expanding franchises around the state according to what I've found.  Side
note to Emily, I did not get Subway, because I did not have knowledge before
setting out tonight that the one by me had closed down and become an "adult
store".  So, if you could check Subway if we still want that, or if we are
happy with Jimmy Johns or Penn Station as substitutes, that would be great.

I will make an excel spreadsheet of this information, and will put it in the
fundraising committee dropbox folder.  Feel free to add information to it as
you get cards.  If you do not have access to this folder, you can email your
information about door prizes to me, and I'll be happy to add it in for you.

Now, there is one more stop on my list; I'm going to finish my Five Guys
before heading down Brown Street the opposite way.  Let's hope that Ben and
Jerry are as generous with helping us out as they are in creating ice cream
flavors!
--
Kaiti Shelton
University of Dayton 2016.
Music Therapy, Psychology, Philosophy
President, Ohio Association of Blind Students Sigma Alpha Iota-Delta Sigma

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