Offering Gifts to Share Stories with You

Advent Stories: Ryan reflects on the construction of this year's end of the year newsletter. While it may seem like a simple task that all non-profits do at the end of the year, you'll read that this was not a one-party job. It was a collection of people, each bringing gifts of love, to share stories with you. We are thankful. Through this story, we hope you see the love of God and not just a mailing.
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Nothing celebrates the spirit of Forgotten Voices like partnership and this year's end of the year mailing embodied that spirit. Just like our partners in the African church contribute what they can to meet the physical and spiritual needs of children orphaned by AIDS, we are always trying to look for ways to practice those principles in our day to day operations in the USA.

Daily, we meet talented people here in the USA who have skills and offerings that these folks want to give to Forgotten Voices. This year's mailing was a combination of these gifts.

A design firm, DuVoisin Design, led by Jean DuVoisin, designed the piece for us for free as a love offering to Forgotten Voices. The piece was written by 7 people. The stories within it were inspired by hundreds of faithful people in the USA and Africa, each person offering God their best to love kids looking for their champion.

The piece was printed, folded, stickered, and mailed by our friends at Dasher, a Harrisburg based company. Thanks to Brian Reilly, our volunteer Social Media Director, and friends at Dasher for their talents in producing the piece.

1800Flowers' CIO, Steve Bozzo (a Forgotten Voices' Board member) donated his services to help build a new online gift certificate form, making gift giving even easier this year. His team of experts and contacts provided us some cutting edge behind the scene tools at almost no cost to us, helping our gifts to kids go further.

Though it was our most robust piece sent to the most people in our organization's history, it was among our least expensive mailings.

It took almost 2 months to plan, compile, produce and mail.

I'm especially grateful to our volunteer leadership team (Brian - social media/mailing, Matt Kirkley - student relations, Nate & Ellen Shaffer - church relations story, Julie Bunch - kids serving kids and data on giving, Messiah PR Class - inspiring the TenTogether copy), staff (Remmy & Fibion - data & leadership, Ellen Shaffer - stories, data, and production), and our friends at DuVoisin Design, Dasher, and 1800Flowers.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I'm thankful for each of you for investing in our ministry and joyfully expectant for the coming of our King this Christmas. May you and yours know the joy of family that our organization strives to provide through local churches in southern Africa.

May you know God's love for you this Christmas season,
All the best,
Ryan Keith
President, Forgotten Voices International

Give a gift that matters this Christmas - Give a Forgotten Voices' Gift Certificate to a Loved One