During his career as a Navy chaplain Pressley Stutts, of Greenville, S.C., worked alongside hundreds of non-profit organizations. Stutts says he became increasingly “frustrated watching good-hearted people lay everything on the line for their non-profit, only to come up short in raising necessary funds.” He continued that “many were forced to close their doors.”
Stutts, is a retired US Navy Commander and Chief-of-Chaplains with thirty years in service, twenty-two of those years while he was attached to the Marine Corp. He also worked for several non-profits as a major donor development officer.
“They are very capable and skilled individuals who are experts at their core competencies, yet they have to rely on the generosity and goodwill of donors to help complete their mission,” Stutts says. “If the economy ever goes south, tough choices have to be made and needs go unmet. Unfortunately, many non-profits have turned into beggars, relying upon the next handout all too often. Then, there’s a thing called donor fatigue. Fundraising can become a vicious cycle.”
Stutts knew there had to be a better way and the answer came in an unexpected way. He recalls, “I was lying on the sofa on a lazy Saturday afternoon in early April, half watching and half dozing through the Masters Golf Tournament on TV. The doorbell rang and startled me from slumber. I answered the front door where I was met by a cute, freckled face Girl Scout who proceeded to sell me half a dozen boxes of cookies. It wasn’t a tough sell! After finishing the order, the girl’s mother thanked me for buying the cookies. She said, ‘Sir, these girls work really hard for about six weeks, but their hard work funds their entire operating budget for the year.’”
At that moment, Stutts says a light-bulb lit up over his head! He had been struggling for over 30 years as how to better help non-profits with their fundraising activities. Suddenly, he had his answer and was ready to implement a plan.
But first, he had to figure out a way for non-profits to become self-sustaining, while creating a residual flow of income that would complement the funding they received from donors. As an Eagle Scout, Stutts remembered that he, too, sold Christmas gifts to earn his way to Summer Camp and pay for his Scouting activities. The Boy Scouts earned their money to fund their mission just as the Girl Scouts had.
The wheels were turning in Stutts’ head, “I knew I didn’t want to manufacture a cookie or a widget. It was cost prohibitive. I also knew I didn’t want to distribute cookies or widgets for the same reason.”
So he spent the next several months looking at ideas that revolved around the digital economy. He kept coming back to a mundane idea that everyone understands and is centuries old – travel. Specifically, hotel travel.
“People have been traveling for centuries, even millennia,” says Stutts. “After all, there was no room at the inn over two thousand years ago.”
Stutts says, “Travel is part of the fabric of every society. Everybody travels at some point. We do it for a myriad of reasons — fun, pleasure, business and to visit loved ones, just to name a few.”
Stutts said he knew he couldn’t implement his idea alone. He had to have strategic partners with skill-sets he didn’t possess. He asked friends Jeff Davis and Olga Lisinska to partner with him.
Stutts remarked that “Jeff and Olga are two of the brightest minds out there. I knew their skill-sets were what we needed. Jeff is a very competent tax attorney and CPA with an MBA. He is forward thinking with a vast understanding of numbers and online technology. Olga has extended experience in non-profit startup operations, fundraising, partnership development, and social media.”
They knew they had to keep the idea simple, following the KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) principle. They took it one step further with the KISSS (Keep It Sesame Street Simple) principle.
Excitedly Stutts said, “Here it is: the next time you book your travel, instead of booking through other major online travel sites, simply go book at www.travelsmiles.org. Travel Smiles, in turn, will donate fifty percent of the booking fees directly to the charity of your choice.”
Stutts says “It’s this simple, yet, a rather ingenious idea that makes TravelSmiles.org a very unique Venture Philanthropy company.”
“And, there’s an exceptional amount of money available for non-profits,” states Davis. “When people just change one simple habit and book through travelsmiles.org, there are tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars, that can be directed to charities. Donors, friends, and supporters, as well as the non-profit employees and board members who book through the website, get great rates while donating for free. It’s a win-win for all involved!”
Olga, who grew up in communist Poland, understands the need for non-profits to be well-funded. “There are many people suffering around the globe and great causes needing assistance. With over 1.2 million non-profits in the US alone, this is our opportunity to support those in need and give back.”
Trillions of dollars are spent annually on travel worldwide. In the US, Americans spend over two hundred billion dollars, over five hundred billion worldwide, for hotel rooms alone. It’s a massive market and growing every year. Travel Smiles has figured out how to capitalize on it, while funding well-deserving charities.
Stutts and his partners encouraged The Standard readers to check them out at www.travelsmiles.org. He says “Scroll to the bottom of the web page to watch their three-minute informative video.”
You can register for free and select your favorite charity at www.travelsmiles.org/selectcharity and book your hotel at members-only discount rates. Travel Smiles will donate on average 5 to 10% of the gross sales price to your favorite non-profit, including The Standard newspaper. It’s that simple!
Pressley likes to remind people that when “you BOOK, we GIVE, they SMILE!”
THE STANDARD is pleased to announce that we have partnered with TravelSmiles.org, a venture philanthropy company dedicated to assisting associations and nonprofits in executing their mission. Our mission at THE STANDARD is to provide you truthful and accurate news, along with conservative editorial, opinion, and commentary so you can make informed decisions.
Book your travel through www.travelsmiles.org, and receive substantially discounted membership rates. THE STANDARD will receive a small percentage from the booking fees. It’s a Win-Win! Support our Mission and receive big travel discounts!
Follow these simple steps to Register:
1- Go to TravelSmiles.org and click on“Sign Up” in the upper right-hand corner. You will receive a verification code via email to ensure it’s you. Complete your registration by creating a password.
2- After Registering, go to the center blue button below the reservation picture window and click on“Select Your Charity.” In the Select Your Charity box, the words Shipping Street” will pop up. Enter“The Standard SC” into that box and click on the green box it when it pops up. Then enter your name and email address.
3- Start booking by ALWAYS clicking Member Rates”(next to Home) first in order to get your discounted member rates. Yes, it’s THAT simple!
Support THE STANDARD and receive Great Travel discounts!! Book your business or vacation today! Everybody Wins!
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