More “On Purpose” Than Most Organizations
Over the years we’ve had the great privilege of taking client teams to visit some world-class organizations. We’ve brought groups and individuals to Walt Disney theme parks, to the Mayo Clinic, to Ritz-Carlton and Google. From the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. to Changi Airport in Singapore, we’ve experienced the best-of-the-best and to learn best practices from them.
Our participants often give us a puzzled look when we mention visiting Give Kids The World. In a Fortune 100 listing, this benchmark won’t be found. Rather, it’s a remarkable non-profit organization. Listed on Charity Navigator, Give Kids The World is listed as one of the top charities with an impressive Four-Star rating. They have a serious mission, provided in a fantastical setting.
Give Kids The World is an 84-acre resort that hosts Make-a-Wish children who are diagnosed with a terminal illness. These children are provided a weeklong dream vacation for them and their family where accommodations, transportation and meals are freely provided, along with “dream come true” experiences, complete with donated theme park tickets, are arranged. Everything is entirely cost-free to these families.
Since its founding in 1986, some 160,000 families from across the entire country and over 75 other countries have visited. While corporations like American Airlines, Hasbro, and Walt Disney World have given generously, the central engine of this well-oiled machine is a massive volunteer organization that manages to fill an incredible 1,800 shifts per week.
At the helm of this organization is a terrific friend of ours, Pam Landwirth, who coincidentally, wrote the forward for the 2nd edition of our book, Lead With Your Customer. But the manuscript we wanted to draw your attention to is Pam’s new work, On Purpose: How Engagement Drives Success. Pam weaves the tales of working with individuals and corporations at Give Kids The World, with lessons of how to get your organization engaged and aligned in the same direction, and passionate about delivering an excellent customer experience.
One such example from the book was when Pam got the idea of doing a custom version of the Candy Land game based on the Give Kids The World Village – which looks like a giant candy land in real life. In an effort to gain Hasbro’s attention, Pam made up an excuse to go up to Hasbro’s headquarters in Rhode Island, which led to a series of discussions, plans, and development. Soon after, Karen Davis, chief of corporate philanthropy and other leaders from Hasbro, personally traveled to Orlando to present the prototype of the new game on the 20th anniversary of Give Kids the World. When that team returned to Rhode Island, they coincidentally had a voicemail waiting from a Hasbro Employee saying:
Karen, you don’t know me. I work in the finance department here at Hasbro. My son, Matthew, has an inoperable brain tumor, and we just came back from this incredible place called Give Kids The World. I can’t believe that Hasbro isn’t involved with them.
En route to Orlando Karen and the Hasbro team had literally crossed flight paths with this family who were returning home. Karen brought the message to Pam’s attention, and when Pam returned to Rhode Island, Hasbro presented Matthew the first Give Kids The World version of Candy Land when it came off of the assembly line. Gazing at the customized game board, Matthew pointed out many of the things he enjoyed during his stay there.
Hasbro has a long-held heritage of “doing good” and were among the first companies to allow employees to use paid time to do volunteer work. An impressive 94 percent of their workers are engaged in some kind of charitable activity with kids. Teams of Hasbro employees regularly fly to Orlando to visit Give Kids The World and hand out Christmas toys during their weekly Christmas celebration. In addition, the Hasbro organization has sponsored a new playground at the Village, which is laid out like a Candy Land game. More than a decade later, Hasbro continues to connect their employees and their toys to a greater cause…all because a leader who is committed to engaging her team to be on purpose.
We highly recommend this light but profound read, found on Amazon. It will make you think differently about your organization’s purpose and how well your employees are directed to it. You may not be a non-profit, but you can discover how focusing on greater, more important matters than just the bottom line makes a difference to your team and, ultimately, those they serve.
