About our project
Why I am starting aGiftOfService.com:
When I was 9 years old, my oldest sister got married. Three days later, on the fourth of July, our mother died. Six months after that our father had a heart attack and also died. My sister and her new husband, 20 years old at the time, suddenly became the ‘parents’ of my three siblings and I, ranging in age from 6 to 17.
Friends & neighbors flooded our house with cards and flowers and many people asked the question, “What can I do to help?”
Flash forward to the present: my sister’s husband (my ‘dad’) recently had a sudden, massive heart attack, which placed him in the ICU for three weeks. Once again, I experienced operating in crisis mode, suddenly driving an hour back and forth to the hospital while day-to-day tasks simply didn’t get done. I had also just recently lost my job so finances were tight. Again, my family and I received flowers, cards and family & friends asking the question, “What can I do to help?”
A Gift of Service is inspired by these experiences and by that question. A Gift of Service is inspired by the family and friends that are always there to get us through.
When will people need A Gift of Service?
When an emergency hits, the day-to-day things in life often slip: housecleaning, yard work, cooking. Small things in life can become worries, such as:
Who will watch the children when I am at the hospital?
Who will take my dog for a walk?
How will I keep up with the housework?
A Gift of Service allows the giver to choose a service or combination of services for someone in need. Online, they can create a card with a customized message and add in the list of services they would like to give. The recipient can then redeem the services when they are most needed.
The Question Always Is: “What Can I Do to Help?”
A Gift of Service offers an alternative to sending flowers or a card for those that want or do ask, ‘What can I do to help?’. We partner with local service businesses so that someone can choose a particular service or create package of services to give to someone in need or a loved one. A customized card can also be created that lists the included services for the recipient to redeem when most in need.
Gifts of Service Come From:
Givers, people who care about someone who needs help and want to Give something beyond or more useful than a card or flowers.
Gifts of Service go To:
Patients, families, care providers, and individuals that need some day-to-day help. A Gift of Service could also be purchased for an RN or hospice caregiver that a family may want to thank for the care they gave their loved one.
Participating Services for purchase:
The range of activities of daily living are represented in our service offering: House Cleaning, Lawn Care, Pet Sitting, Dog Walking, Nanny Services, Babysitting, Massage Therapists, Spa Services, Errand Services, Care Providers, Catering, Handyman Services and more!
The Format:
A Gift of Service will be offered through our website and call center that will enable Givers to access a showcase of services offered by participating businesses. The giver will be able to choose the services they would like to purchase as a gift and drop them into the card they are creating. There will be several services to choose from to create an individualized service package as well as the ability to create a customized message from the giver to the recipient.
All participating business will have a ‘service profile’ on the website, with a profile of their service business and an explanation of why they are participating in A Gift of Service. They will also be thanked on a rotating basis through blogs and social media and be introduced through A Gift of Service to new potential customers.
A Gift of Service will function as a lead generation site for Service Providers. The Provider’s logo will be pictured on each card for which their service is chosen. In this way, the site will also contribute to getting the word out on service businesses that share a desire to contribute to the needs in their community.
How We Help Patients:
1. By providing patients with services that help them not get overwhelmed by all the little things that aren’t getting done (house cleaning, dog walking, etc) so they can focus on healing.
2. By providing their caregivers & families with support of services, giving the patients the peace of mind that while their family is caring for them, someone (through A Gift of Service) is caring for their family’s needs.
How We Help Doctors:
A Gift of Service will help doctors by providing additional support for their patients and their families, thus relieving stress and encouraging healing. A Gift of Service could also be purchased for doctors from a patient’s family as a thank you for their care.
How We Help Hospitals, Institutions, and/ or Medical Facilities:
A Gift of Service is a direct way to provide extra support post discharge and will be a key factor in reducing readmission rates. By taking the HOSPITAL reward at right your discharge planning team will get a steady supply of materials for one year to help your patients learn about the service. GiftofService.com can ensure a continuum of care and better performance of the activities of daily life after discharge. By using A Gift of Service, hospitals may lessen their readmission rates, increase their rates of patient satisfaction, and increase the quality of care their patients experience.
How We Help Our Suppliers:
Our partners will be businesses that offer a service. These business will support A Gift of Service by providing the service they offer (housecleaning, spa services, yard work, etc) to a new audience.
In return, our partners will receive marketing support online and through social media as a thank you and in order to showcase their contribution to the community. Each partner will have ‘story’ told on the A Gift of Service website – a partner profile, telling who they are, why they care about the mission of A Gift of Service, and why their business should be supported.
A Gift of Service will funtion for participating businesses as lead generation with a heart.
How We Will Spend Your Contributions:
The funds we seek will be utilized to launch this business from an idea to a reality. It will be used to complete an interactive website that encourages businesses to participate and to get the word out to hospitals, senior centers, birthing centers, and hospice care centers.
It will also be used to create a kiosk concept to put in lobbies of care centers – or a virtual version placed on a hospital or care center’s website – where names can be posted by staff for those in need that may not have friends or family available – that way, even a stranger can give A Gift of Service to someone in need.
The website of A Gift of Service will be the center that connects the community of service businesses, gift givers and those in need of A Gift of Service.
Our Rewards:
| Our Natural Aromatherapy Misters |
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The set includes our:
- Calming Mist: a relaxing blend to create a calm & healing atmosphere wherever you may be
- Purifying Mist: A soothing blend to disinfect & cleanse, naturally killing germs while creating a peaceful atmosphere
- Uplifting Freshening Mist: An uplifting blend to boost your spirits while making the room feel clean & fresh
Find Us, Participate with Us or Talk to Us:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AGiftofService
Twitter: @agiftofservice
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/anniecarey
Email: anne@agiftofservice.com
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Have a question?
If the info above does not help, you can ask the project creator directly.
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