“Last year we created almost 37,000 hours of employment for resettled refugees, for individuals with disabilities, for people coming out of homelessness, for veterans, you name it.”

-Jenise Steverding, Gifts for Good

Whether helping Toms scale shoe delivery from a million pairs to 50 million or delivering 78,000 masks to healthcare workers last year, Gifts for Good Chief Impact Officer Jenise Steverding has found a way throughout her career to meld her knack for logistics with a propensity for giving back – and for that, we (and the world at large) are very grateful. Join us as we discuss her fascinating professional trajectory, exciting new software to simplify corporate giving, and how it all started with three envelopes.

Enrique Alvarez (00:19):

Welcome to another episode of logistics with purpose. I’m your host Enrique Alvarez. And today I am very excited because we have us your show, a very, very cool guest. And, uh, I’m also very excited because they have a super cohost Kristi, Kristi, how are you doing today?

Kristi Porter (00:34):

I’m good. I’m really excited about this episode. Well, I guess I’m excited about all of our episodes equally excited. It’s just fun to get, to talk to good people.

Enrique Alvarez (00:42):

It’s just fun to actually do this things cause they kind of are uplifting and inspiring. And I agree with you like the days that we actually get the privilege to interview this people I’m just feel great after that. So it’s, it’s a good kind of morale booster for our days and weeks. So go ahead. Why don’t you, uh, well, before we do that, I just want to remind everyone that’s listening to us or watching us on YouTube to, uh, to sign up for our channel. You can listen to us in any, uh, in any podcast, uh, player that you use and you can also sign up for our YouTube channel@supplychainnow.com. You can also listen to our episodes through the website also@supplychainnow.com. Once again, this is logistics with purpose I’m in wreak Alvarez and let’s introduce our guests for today.

Kristi Porter (01:28):

Yes, absolutely. So, um, today we have Jenise Steverding with guests for good and I have been a fan of gifts for good, for a long time. They, um, they’ve been around for about four years and have just completely reinvigorated in my opinion, corporate giving, um, and giving it scale. And now, as I’ve recently learned, you can also buy gifts just as a person like you or me. So I’m really excited to welcome Jenise and hear more about gifts for good. And for those who aren’t familiar, um, before we dive into gifts for good, actually Jenise tell us a little bit about your background and as we were talking earlier, you’ve had multiple giving positions in your background. So, um, tell us more about your childhood and just what inspired you at an early age to start giving back.

Jenise Steverding (02:12):

Yeah. Um, thank you guys so much for having me. It’s exciting to be here on the podcast and I love logistics. Um, I also love giving back. So I will say I came from a family that taught me that like from a very early age, um, I grew up going to church and from my allowance, like I had envelopes and so I could spend a certain part of my allowance that went in one envelope. I had to save a pertinent part that went in another and then a third envelope it was to give away. And so from my

Kristi Porter (02:45):

System or did your parents, were they even before we’re pretty Dame, right? Dave ran.

Jenise Steverding (02:53):

Um, but, but yes, like I was just taught like when you get money, this is how you stewarded and give away out of what you first get. So that’s my earliest memories of like how to manage money, come from that. Um, and yeah, so top by my family, but then I think also it’s just, I don’t know, some of that’s just in you, like my mom will tell me from being a small kid of like wanting to give more, I remember sponsoring a child with world vision. I was in elementary school. Right. But it was like, she, she was, you kept asking me like, why do we have this and other people don’t. So I think that kind of injustice or in, um, things that weren’t equitable were always just important to me and kind of like, just me.

Enrique Alvarez (03:42):

Yes. And so I, any kind of particular, um, moment, or you already told those one from your mom, but anything else that kind of reminded you of, uh, the fact that you had to give a gift back or any kind of go at growing up, like take us through your upbringing if you, if you don’t mind.

Jenise Steverding (03:59):

Sure. I think there was, there was a pivotal moment for me, my senior year of college. So I went to a small liberal arts college in Santa Barbara, but I did a semester in San Francisco and I double majored in sociology and business, which did not necessarily go together in the nineties, but they have sued. They do now. And they’ve suited me well. Like I always felt like there were these two very different side of my brains and I was always trying to reconcile them. And then the early parts of my career that was hard. It has become easier. But I did a semester in San Francisco, um, in an urban studies program. So we talked about, you know, racial issues and poverty issues. And, um, we lived in Pacific Heights, that’s where the homeless located. So this nice part of San Francisco, but I took my internship working in housing projects and I was dealing with the drive-by shootings and then I’d go home.

Jenise Steverding (05:00):

And I was, you know, 20, 21, this kid from a really nice neighborhood. And I was trying to just go like, this is so wrong. And it’s basically based on my zip code of where I live or the color of my skin. Um, and so I really, I was just praying and I just was like, I have to find ways and what I do to make sure that I am making a change and making the world a better place. So it wasn’t always easy for me. I will say, like when I graduated, uh, you had student loans and I couldn’t take certain jobs that I wanted to take. And even working in the private sector, I worked a second job, um, just to make sure that I could pay everything on time. Um, and I, I wasn’t really doing things that I, that motivated me, but I was an early manager and I had two jobs early in my career where I was managing a warehouse and a team.

Jenise Steverding (06:00):

And I liked the functions. Right. It was like the logistics of getting the orders out, getting things on time. Um, so I liked these different functions, but I wasn’t motivated about what’s in that actual shipment. It was like cleaning supplies. Um, uh, cause I worked for this like restoration company for awhile and it wasn’t until, uh, so I had moved to San Francisco a few years, post college. I worked in higher education for a while. So I worked at Stanford school of medicine. I worked as the interim director for that urban program that I had been a student at. And then I decided to go back to school and I went to business school in Milan, um, which was its own logistical feat. Um,

Enrique Alvarez (06:49):

Why not, if you don’t mind me asking, I mean, you said you want it to be in Europe. Is that something that you had come across as someone very structured and you plan ahead and you’re you have a plan?

Jenise Steverding (07:01):

Does that fit in here? I always, I always thought I would go back to school. Um, I was getting older and I was like, if I’m going to do it, I should do it. European schools were less expensive. I could do it in one year as opposed to two. So every six weeks I was starting all new classes and I could do my internship anywhere in the world. And I come from a Sicilian family. So I also was like, why not move to Italy to go to business school? Okay. And then I moved to Johannesburg for my internship and I worked on a, um, presidential project of a urban community renewals. I worked in a township, um, which was a whole other experience, um, for four months and kind of worked on a book with kids. I had 170 kids from the 17 schools and we did a whole project with cameras and kind of seeing life of Alex through their eyes.

Jenise Steverding (08:08):

Um, and then I came back to Southern California and was like, I don’t really know what to do next. And I had a conversation with a couple of people from a university. One was the Dean of that, a business school. And he said, I want you to meet one of our professors of finance. He’s the former CFO of world vision international. And those two people just were very kind to me and made some connections. And I ended up taking a job at a nonprofit called giving children hope we were a big warehouse of humanitarian aid. And um, so when those containers shipments going out, they were to do, you know, or a rural clinic in Zambia or they were disaster relief or they, you know, they was a lot of work done for Katrina. Um, and so all of a sudden it was different for me because these things that I liked in job function, I was marrying with mission and purpose.

Jenise Steverding (09:11):

And yeah, when you’re getting cholera meds out to Zimbabwe for a color outbreak, like it’s a, it’s a different sense of satisfaction. Or for me, it definitely was, um, in 2010 I was deployed to Haiti right after the earthquake. So that was probably one of the hardest things that I’ve had to do. And certainly the challenges, I would say logistics and communication, like those were two things of like, can you get what is needed, where it’s needed? Um, and so those are just two very critical pieces, right after that it was approached by Toms, which was a startup in those days.

Enrique Alvarez (09:55):

If you don’t mind me interrupting you there right. Very quickly before you kind of jump into, uh, the more, uh, more of your career, which by the way, it’s not only fascinating, but incredibly successful, but so while you were going through all these different experiences and you’re in Haiti and, uh, it was, I imagine it must have been hard. Um, I mean, you were absolutely clear that point, that that’s what you wanted to do the rest of the life, right. You didn’t have, because you’d have the business background, you have the MBA, you have all those different experiences in logistics and warehousing and order fulfillment. I mean, were you at that point a little bit more clear as of what you wanted to do? And I ask you this, cause there’s a lot of younger people that kind of see our show. And so if you work to recommend them something like what point did you found out that calling? I,

Jenise Steverding (10:41):

I sometimes think I’m still figuring it out because I think that the jobs today are written very much for like you’re a specialist doing X and that has never been me. And so I think I’ve gravitated to the more startup environments because I’m not necessarily really excellent at one thing, I can jump into a lot of areas. Um, and you tend to find that more in startups, I’m good at problem solving. Like I’ve spent time figuring out what do I, what do I like doing, what do I think I’m good at doing? What are the things that I really hate doing, like putting together deck proposals? Like I’m pretty bad at that. So I don’t want a job that like is going to require a lot of that. So I think I have just tried over time and then I love different like assessments, like the Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram and the StrengthsFinder.

Jenise Steverding (11:36):

Those things have been to me, like focusing on my strengths and not my weaknesses. And if I could strengthen my strengths and I come up high as like, I forget what it is right now, but it’s kinda like being a conductor, like seeing how all the pieces fit together is something that I’m good at. So I, for me, I’ve tried to look at job descriptions through those lenses and go, is there enough of those things? Um, because I think I am more of a generalist than a specialist in a lot of ways and jobs just aren’t written that way.

Enrique Alvarez (12:11):

No. And it sounds like a couple of just knowing yourself, which, um, which is something important. Of course, if you’re trying to decide what career to go to, then you’re, you’re taking risks and, uh, accepting opportunities. Right. I mean they, and then they send you to Haiti. I mean, that probably wasn’t easy. And you still say yes, parolee.

Jenise Steverding (12:29):

Yeah. Well, and I think that’s the thing too, is then as I’ve taken risks, um, I’ve been able to carve out where I’m good and then try to hire for these other skillsets that are my best skill set. Um, but I think you’re right. Taking risks has been a big part of what I have done and that most people aren’t willing

Kristi Porter (12:48):

To do that. But you said earlier about for young people or really for anybody at any stage of their career, having the mentors to help point you see the skills and the things that you can’t see and help point you in different directions and make introductions that’s really important early in your career, but is important at any stage, really. And it sounds like that really helped set you on a path as well.

Jenise Steverding (13:11):

A hundred percent. I have, um, actually just a week ago, I was up in San Francisco with my 90 year old friend because when she was 65 and I was a college kid in the housing projects, that woman walked with me and cried with me and invested in me. And she is still one of my best friends to this day. So I am grateful for having mentors. I try to collect good people. Um, and I try to also be a mentor to people younger than me because I know how pivotal it has been for me and my career. Um, and just my personal life. Yeah.

Enrique Alvarez (13:50):

Well, I’m go ahead. So continue then you actually get approached by,

Jenise Steverding (13:54):

So yeah, they’re crushed by Tom’s. I actually said, no, I wasn’t interested in talking to them. Um, when I first got the email and then I decided to talk to them, um, and honestly one of my hesitations was like, oh, I’m getting out containers of medical aid. I had just come back from Haiti. How can I go to sending out shipments of shoes? Right. So for me, that was a hard, like a hard transition. Um, but when I had my first conversation with them, I realized they were very, very invested in how do we do this? Well, how do we give, um, products strategically? So I was working for a gifting kind organization. So I knew all about product donations, right? And this like very specific niche of gifts in kind, which isn’t a term, a lot of people even know. And for Toms at the time, it was percent of their business model and they didn’t know the term.

Jenise Steverding (14:55):

Um, and I was talking about air dose standards and these things that, you know, were kind of different for them. And I knew I had, because I was working for an international NGO, I knew the criteria that international NGOs were looking at. And so I also saw it as can we push the industry of product donors to give better. So we did a few things different. Um, uh, we gave new shoes made to order. We didn’t give like the leftovers, which is, I’m not saying there’s not a place for that, but it is how most product donations are given by corporations, right? It’s like, we don’t need this, so let’s get rid of it. Yeah. Surplus. And, um, and the, I mean, it’s, I’m glad people are doing something good with surplus, but we had a very different strategy. And we said, we actually want to understand what the needs are.

Jenise Steverding (15:51):

And we want to produce some deliver based on the needs, because this is an out of my surplus where you are building this into our mission and our business model, we then paid ocean freight, which is not something that most product owners do. Right. And then it was one step further. And I don’t know another business doing this. And I remember being a part of like those early conversations of how do we get this through? We said, we’re going to give you a certain financial amount for every pair, a per pair amount so that we can cover last mile distribution expenses. So we went really above and beyond what I, any company I’m aware of really did. And then we also began in our application process where we’re looking at not just like the logistical infrastructure of, can you handle a container of shipments and all these things, but we looked at your program, how can this have be integrated into your programmatic intervention?

Jenise Steverding (16:49):

Can we measure programmatic impact? We actually funded an impact, a randomized control trial to understand the impact of shoes, which was something that usually isn’t done. And we did mapping. So we made sure that if I’m giving to this program and that program, and there are anywhere near each other, that we were mapping at all and making sure that they were talking to each other, because we didn’t want like one kid getting three pairs of Toms from three different organizations. Um, so we tried to be really thoughtful in, um, in what we were doing and, um, and gave, you know, scaled it from a million pairs to 50 million pairs. And, um, in the, in the four years that I was there, um, from there, I went well, once

Enrique Alvarez (17:38):

Again, what was, what was the position that they were hiring you for it? Because it was,

Jenise Steverding (17:44):

It was called giving account manager,

Enrique Alvarez (17:47):

Which they didn’t even what that was, but they needed someone with logistics and

Jenise Steverding (17:52):

Hi mean, Hey, we’re figuring it out. Right. It was like you were in the early days, it was like people were taking shoes in a suitcase to some community that they were going to. And then as the sales took off, there needed to be a lot more structure and about, you know, how do we give container loads, not suitcases all. Um, so there was a lot of that had to be built.

Kristi Porter (18:18):

Nobody has heard of social enterprise model at that point. I mean, social enterprise just wasn’t, you know, Toms was certainly a leader in that complete model. And, you know, so you guys having to figure it out was certainly paving the way for lots of organizations to come after you.

Jenise Steverding (18:33):

Yeah. Well, and there were more like financial models, right? We were actually dealing with product and, you know, future models for Toms. It was maybe more complicated messaging. Like when we sell a pair of sunglasses, we give sight to someone in need. Um, and that was more, that was harder for people to understand. But from a logistic standpoint, it was like we were writing a check to deliver one of a few different interventions. Um, and so it was much easier. Whereas on the shoe end, like we had to have a team of people that managed it, it shipping the shoes, making decisions, going into the field. I mean, I piloted giving shoes in, um, refugee and IDP communities. So I, I spent time in like east Africa where we were in Rwanda. I went to Congo because I’m like, this is a conflict zone. Like, what are the things that sitting in my office and Santa Monica, I don’t know. Um, we need to understand it another level. So yeah, we did, uh, we did a lot of that just to see how is this working and make changes. So like when I saw, oh, the boxes are falling apart or this or that, like this was really hard for the person trying to do distribution. And then we came back and we, do you remember

Enrique Alvarez (19:52):

One particular story or something that kind of, um, you can share with the audience regarding logistics and how you solved it, something on the lines of what you were just saying? Yeah.

Jenise Steverding (20:04):

Uh, yeah, I mean, I remember when someone on the shoe production side made a decision that like we were, we had originally been giving an Eve sizes and all of a sudden they changed it to American shoe sizes. And, um, we didn’t know that. And then she started showing up in the field and it was very confusing because American shoe sizes for kids go to like 13 and then back to two and then up to, you know, adults, whatever. And we’re dealing with people that don’t understand the sizes that maybe can’t read. And one of the things that we did, or like a size, you know, 13 child and a size 13 are very different, so huge confusion. Um, when you’re pulling boxes and doing distribution, and now you’re really far out and like, you don’t have the right thing. So we actually started putting an imprint on the side of the box of how big the shoe was. You could just look at it and go, okay, that’s a 13, but it’s this big versus this big, um, to try to just like, how do we problem solve? Um, so those are some of the things that, yeah, we got to be kind of in the early days of how do you give away millions of pairs of shoes? Well, that will fit, but aren’t hurting local markets. You know, all of those things you have to think about. Um,

Kristi Porter (21:29):

I never loved those giving trips, by the way. I tried several of those giving trips, sadly, never chosen, but that’s okay.

Jenise Steverding (21:38):

Yeah. Uh, they was always, that was a highlight for staff staff who got to go and, um, yes, and sometimes people from the outside. So, um,

Kristi Porter (21:48):

Well, thank you. Let’s talk about what you’re doing now, uh, guests for good. So for those who aren’t familiar with, you guys tell us a little bit about the history and Laura starting it and the model and process for you guys and just a good overview of guests for good.

Jenise Steverding (22:07):

Yeah. So gifts for good was founded in 2017. So there’s two co-founders, uh, Laura Hertz and Jerry Eisenberg. And they were actually studying at USC getting their masters in social entrepreneurship. And it started as a class project and it started as a, Hey, we think that, um, if we focus on the issue of homelessness and like new homes, cause they both had somewhat of a real estate background, um, they’re like every time a new home is sold, there’s a closing gift given. And what if those closing gifts helped to support the issue of ending homelessness? Um, and that was the original premise. And, um, and then they began involving the idea and in kind of spring of 2017, I went to the social enterprise conference and I heard Laura give her little 62nd pitch on gifts for good. And it sounded a little bit like Tom’s marketplace that I was familiar with.

Jenise Steverding (23:02):

So I just went up to her afterwards and said, Hey, here’s a number of brands that you might want to talk to about your project. And I didn’t think too much of it. She took my card and then, um, she kept emailing me. And so I eventually had coffee with her and it turned into a two hour conversation and we both had lived in Johannesburg and she’s like, you need to join us. And I was a little like this isn’t a company yet. You know, there was no bug site, this wasn’t a thing. Um, and yet somehow, uh, that summer, uh, I joined the team and we launched the business October 20th, 20 when we sold our very first chain. Um, so that became our birthday. And, um, I will tell you, and sometimes they can talk about these things without crying. So forgive me in advance.

Jenise Steverding (24:00):

But October 20th of last year, 2020, um, I was at our fulfillment center and we had maybe 10 people, kitting boxes for a custom order for Snapchat. We were doing something for their global workforce and I’m going three years ago, we filled the key chain. And now there are all of these people here with barriers to employment. Um, some of them coming out of incarceration, some of them coming out of homelessness and they’re all working on this big project and we’re getting all of these boxes out to 20 countries and it is really amazing. So I feel really blessed of what we’ve been able to do in the last few years. So we are focused on the corporate gifting space. Um, we try to curate product that makes sense for that space. Um, all high quality products that we don’t want to be kind of that sometimes.

Jenise Steverding (25:06):

And like, and nothing against fair trade. So I don’t mean this in the wrong way, but sometimes it’s not always what feels like a business gift. Um, so we’ve tried to focus on really premium products, um, that really target a specific budget, right? So I like to say that businesses, this is a line item on your budget already, and we’re just turning it into a budget for good. So like first and foremost, I have to meet those gifting criteria. Like it has to be something you’d want to send. And then by the way, every product has a story behind it. Every product we work up front, I manage all of our partnerships and operations and we work up front with each of our vendors. There’s a two stage application process that we have, and we try to quantify something that can be measured for every product so that we can, you know, let a business know like this is what you’re going to create when you want to send these 300 items. Um, but also for our own, you know, internal, um, you know, impact reports. We know we can look at the course of a year based on our sales. And we know last year we created almost 37,000 hours of employment for resettled refugees, for individuals with disabilities, for people coming out of homelessness for veterans, you name it like, because we know how long a lot of these products take and we’re working with a lot of workforce programs. Um, to me that’s like, it’s really amazing. So that’s,

Enrique Alvarez (26:44):

That’s our model. It’s unbelievable how much you’re giving and how much you’re making a difference out there. Um, and you mentioned this, uh, hours of employment is, uh, is that the main premise? So just walk me very quickly. So let’s say I, I have been to your website. It’s amazing. I actually went into buy a bunch of different things just because they’re so cool. If I do pick like this pat backpack or, or, um, something I go by it, then what happens? So what happens? What’s the, how do you, how does that end up into it depends on the product depends

Jenise Steverding (27:16):

On the product because right now I’m working with over 50 different, um, non-profits or social enterprises. And what we don’t want to do is dictate a model to them. What we want to do is understand their model, um, and make sure that it fits with us, um, and make sure that there is something that can be measured. So I have blankets that are made from recycled cotton and plastic water bottles. So my measurement there is around recycling. I’ve got product made with remanent fabric. I have backpacks that help fund bed nets. So there’s a certain amount that goes to an organization that is tied to something specific. Um, so it really depends, but we do work with a number of nonprofits and most of the nonprofits are doing job training programs. And so I do have a lot around the hours of employment, but I would say that is not exclusively we’re funding, you know, clean water programs for some of our products, um, again, using recycled materials. So it just depends.

Enrique Alvarez (28:25):

Great. And I see again, that you’re not only empowering women, helping children, creating jobs, helping the environment, improving health, helping animals, even. So it’s like very well-rounded portfolio of, uh, organizations and causes that you’re, that you’re passionate about, which one, which is the first one. I mean, since you started you guys launched it, what was the first, uh, I guess homelessness. So you already mentioned it, but the first product that you kind of launched you now have 50, you said more than 50.

Jenise Steverding (28:55):

Uh, we have over 15 vendors, I have over 500 products. So we launched with all the lovely, uh, probably 20 organizations. Um, so we had a variety of products. Many of those vendors are still working with us today. Um, and then I’m continuously, I probably, you know, add five to 10 every year at this point. Um, just because it is such a, such a process. Um, and, uh, there’s the operational components too. And how do those systems talk to each other? And if we’re dealing with like bulk orders, that need to be customized, we want to understand people’s capabilities because at the end of the day, there’s a lot of logistics to this, right? It’s like this has be branded and it’d be at an event at a certain day. Um, we have to manage all those timelines and we need to understand capacity of organizations so that we can hit, hit all of the important, you know, milestones along

Kristi Porter (29:55):

The way. How do you choose there’s so many nonprofits, so many social enterprises, so many products out there. I know, obviously you said quality is one, but with so many out there and having to vet them, how do you choose who actually gets to end up partnering with

Jenise Steverding (30:09):

You? Yeah, I mean, it really is the reason it’s a two-stage application process. Is there some top line criteria? And so we have a very like short application, um, upfront. And for people that don’t meet those top-line criteria, we let them know. We don’t want to, you know, make anyone spend too much time. Um, some of it has to do with, you know, is it the right product for us? Do we have enough demand for this type of product? I don’t want to spend time on a partnership if it’s not something that our customers are asking for, um, or other criteria, some of it is around systems integration, um, some of it’s around impact and measurement. Um, so we look for some of those things. If people do meet those, they get passed on to the second stage. They send us samples so we can see it.

Jenise Steverding (31:00):

And then there’s a more extensive application. And then, you know, I do calls with people to make sure I understand and we’re aligned and then an onboarding process. So it, um, it takes some time we try to do a lot of the work upfront so that it is pretty seamless once we’ve kind of launched someone new on our site. Um, but it’s a lot of upfront work to make sure that, Hey, this is gonna work for everyone and it really has to work for everyone. So that is something that is really important that, um, um, we, because we do work with a lot of nonprofits, like I’m not trying to push people beyond what they can do. Like I want to make sure they understand what our customers ask for and how we work and make sure that it really does work for them. But I mean, we have organizations like we really grew last year with the pandemic.

Jenise Steverding (31:51):

Um, and I have organizations that said, you know, you helped keep our doors open. I had dinner with one on Monday night. She said, you really kept us alive your, your orders, your demand. Um, so those are the things that again are just really, really exciting, um, for us to be a part of and for our customers too, because every product they get, they, um, ship tells a story. So the feedback they get from their gift recipients is, um, really meaningful because it’s building a stronger bond between the business and their customers or the business and their employees. So it really is sort of impact, um, uh, I’m more on the vendor side than the client side, but it really is impact all around, goes

Enrique Alvarez (32:37):

Way beyond just kind of giving something material, right. I mean, you’re really, you’re really promoting, like, uh, giving back and paying forward and becoming a better a hundred,

Jenise Steverding (32:48):

A hundred percent. And we launched a gifting software last year called gift forward. So we’ve actually made it really easy for a business that, um, uh, they don’t have to come up with that one item that 300 people want, um, and get the 300 addresses. They can actually launch a campaign based on their budget. We’ll deploy a branded email to those 300 people when they give us those email addresses. And then that gift recipient will be able to like, see this video. We can brand the video and then they pick out what they want.

Enrique Alvarez (33:24):

That is great. I mean, I wish I would have heard of this like many, many years ago, cause it’s always such a pain, right. As a business owner, I totally understand what it entails to do the right thing and try to, to give something to your customers and appreciation or your employees, but at the same time, it’s a nightmare to go through all the addresses and confirm the addresses and selecting the right presence. So this is, this is great. Tell, tell us more about this.

Jenise Steverding (33:49):

So again, it’s called gift forward. It’s our, it’s our gifting software. Um, we constructured around budget. That’s how we sell it. How many people to, what collection value? Um, we get the assets, we brand the campaign. Um, we deploy the emails and then those gift recipients get to pick out what they want. So we, we see it as reducing waste of like, you’re not getting something you don’t want cause you’re picking out what you do. Uh, you’re putting in your own shipping address. So we know where to ship it. You can send a thank, you know, right after you put in your address, you can send a thank you note to the person who sent it. And if for one reason you don’t want one of the many fabulous physical gift, you can turn it into a, um, impact donation. So you could fund planting trees or meals to kids in need. Um, uh, if like you just don’t actually need anything more. Um, and then for the clients, they can, you know, log into their portal. They can see if, you know, what’s been delivered, they can read the thank you notes. They can, um, see what the most popular items were, but they can see their impact. Um, so we’ve tried, we’re trying to, you know, revolutionize gift giving, um, an added package. That’s

Enrique Alvarez (35:10):

Fantastic. And actually that kind of tees up my next question, very, very nicely. And of course, we’re going to give all, we’re going to add all the information as of how to contact you and your company. And of course the, uh, incredible software that you’re describing, uh, uh, at the end of this interview. But, uh, you spoke a lot about the revolutionizing this industry and trying to give back to more people more efficiently, easier for, for everyone. So what trends have you kind of seen in corporate giving? So if you take a couple of steps back and kind of through your amazing experience, um, throughout the last couple of, uh, projects that you have, um, led what, what’s the, what’s the trend here and how do you see the competitive landscape and other companies? What do you see in the,

Jenise Steverding (35:58):

I mean, 2020 was hard for everyone, right? Like it was a really hard year. And I think, you know, we didn’t know what was going to happen. We worked with a lot of live events and all of a sudden those were gone and we really didn’t know what was going to happen, but we saw so many businesses wanting to reach people in new ways, um, because it was a hard year, but they didn’t want to be wasteful. Like they really like those budgets really meant something in 2020. And so we saw an increase because all of our products did good, you know, so they could still make someone feel good while doing good. And I just think that’s going to grow. And again, the, the ability to kind of measure what’s being done and issue those social impact reports is something more and more people are, um, wanting. We did become a certified B Corp last year. There was a tremendous growth in businesses wanting to become a benefit Corp certified B Corp corporation, which means it’s like that external measurement. Um, you know, are you doing good for giving back? Are you doing good for the planet like this outside measurement? And I’m definitely seeing a trend to that being important, not just on your philanthropy, but across your whole business. So I do think that that’s just going to continue

Kristi Porter (37:24):

The cool thing about your software, especially in the middle of the pandemic is you didn’t know where somebody was working, so you might not have all your employees and mailing addresses. And even though, you know, the work landscape will continue to change as we shift back to some being in-person some being hybrid, all of that kind of, so that’s another fantastic outlet for companies.

Jenise Steverding (37:45):

Yeah. And for virtual conferences too, because you had the email addresses for who came through a virtual conference, but whereas you might have handed them, you know, a gift box or something when they came in the door, like everything just had to be done different. So the software was a great solution for a number of businesses. Yeah.

Kristi Porter (38:04):

Speaking of you mentioned it earlier, you released your impact report. Um, I love that you guys included some many cool, tangible things. Like I even love to like rides to, you know, breast cancer, um, chemo treatments, and there were so many very tangible things. And then so many, just little cool assets that you were able to measure, um, like that as well and measure impact in so many ways. So what are some of your successes either from just measurement standpoint, or maybe as you said, some of your partners were able to in business. So tell us just a few more of your,

Jenise Steverding (38:38):

Yeah. So I, I do this impact report every year. One day, it will be automated. Let’s say it requires me looking at every single order. Um, so it probably took me a good two weeks in 2021 to look at what happened in 2020. Uh, but because we do have a measurement for every product, um, we are able to do those things. So I actually printed it. You know, some of my, my favorites, um, we provided almost 1800 kids with a full year of school supplies. Um, we funded over 85,000 meals to kids in need. Um, and a lot of those with the organization, I used to work at giving children hope, which works with, um, a lot of families who are, who are homeless here in Southern California. So, um, I already mentioned all the hours of employment that we created. Um, we gave, we funded lifesaving vitamins for a year for over 182,000 children. Uh, we planted over half a million trees. Um, we did some work with COVID last year, we had some new partners. So we gave over 78,000 masks to healthcare workers. But some of our total cash contributions was over $400,000 in 2020 as a three-year-old business. So it just, again, for me was like just really fun. I mean, it’s a lot of hard work, right. But fun to be a part of going, like we’re doing all this through gifts giving, right. Like it’s cool.

Enrique Alvarez (40:13):

No, and you should feel incredibly proud. And so, so should the entire team, um, because yeah, it’s been, it’s amazing. The impact that you’ve made is incredible. I mean, clearly the more you give, the more you get right. As they say.

Jenise Steverding (40:26):

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, it was a fun year,

Enrique Alvarez (40:32):

Dave, if you consider your experience again, so not only, uh, gifts for good, but, uh, and your career as a professional, uh, do gooder and, uh, giving back to people, uh, what are some of the lessons like the top three, if you will, uh, that some of the lessons that you’ve learned, some of the things that you probably would advise other people to do in similar industries or that wanting to get involved, some of the things that they probably should not do, um, what are, what are your lessons? I mean, I

Jenise Steverding (41:00):

I’d say I have a good work ethic. It’s something that I was taught early on, but something that not, not everyone has. And I think if you’re gonna go in this line of work, like a really strong work ethic is important. Um, cause it, this doesn’t just come right. It takes a lot of, um, grit. I’d say don’t be above doing anything. I mean, I started at Toms. I was emptying my own trash can like, again, I think people have this perception, um, but you can’t be above rolling up your sleeves and getting it done. Especially if you join a startup because customer service, phone calls ring to my cell phone, um, it matter what your job is like you do it because all those interactions are important. Um, and kinda like do find, try to find the things you’re passionate about and try to understand yourself. Um, I know for me, like I, like I said, I geek out over all these tests, um, but kind of learning more about myself and going, do I see alignment with what I’m being asked to do and or can I take a risk and carve out those things that I’m good at so that I can give these other things I’m not good at? You know, we can carve those out for someone else.

Kristi Porter (42:13):

Thank you. Thank you for sharing. This has been fantastic as someone who has known about the company for awhile, I still learned so much. So thank you for being here with us. Um, and for anybody who, um, is now inspired to, to buy in, to give back either as an individual or as a company, um, let everybody know how they can connect with you and of course, order from gifts for good as well.

Jenise Steverding (42:34):

Yeah. So you can visit our website, which is gifts for good.com. Um, we have a phone number on there, (877) 554-1550. So you can call us, you can email us@helloatgiftsforgood.com. You can follow us on all the social media at gifts for good HQ, um, all of the ways that you can reach us. And we would be happy to, to work with you. Yeah.

Kristi Porter (43:01):

I love that you guys even have, like, you can help somebody, you have the ability to speak with a gift expert and help somebody find what works for them. So for anybody who feels overwhelmed, that’s a really cool feature,

Jenise Steverding (43:13):

Too. Exactly. You might even get me if you follow that, I’ll help you pick out it. Yeah. They saw that you

Enrique Alvarez (43:19):

Can, you can chat with someone. You can also schedule a demo. I’ve been trying to search for the, um, for this, uh, gift forward software. Where w where can someone find it on the web? Oh

Jenise Steverding (43:31):

Yes. Our gift forwards software is under, let me pull the website up. I believe it is gifting solutions. Um, under corporate gifting, you’ll see gifting software. Um, so that will kind of walk you through, um, how the software works and then under corporate gifting, there’s also like the services. So we do, you know, branded box and custom gift sets for clients. Um, and we can, you know, we mostly ship domestic, but we have some international brokers. If you know, people are shipping things all over the world, um, that are kind of experts in that. So we can do small orders to large orders. Thank you

Kristi Porter (44:13):

So much for your time, Denise, and for sharing more about gifts for good. This was incredible. And I know our listeners will love it too.

Jenise Steverding (44:21):

Thank you guys so much for having me. I, um, like I said, uh, the name of the podcast, logistics with purpose, like I love it and I it’s so true. Like logistics is such a huge part. I would say a theme of my career has been purpose, but it’s also been logistics, right? Because like, and we’ve seen that like with vaccine distribution, like if you can’t get it where it needs to be when it needs to be, it doesn’t matter. Um, and it’s the same with like our guests at holiday time. I’m like, if they don’t get there, when the people want them, like it’s a problem. Um, so it’s that, that has definitely been a theme of my career logistics and purpose. So I’m super excited to be here too.

Enrique Alvarez (45:04):

We are, we are humbled and inspired for having you here. It’s been an amazing conversation. Uh, again, you can, with our full support, whatever you guys are doing, it’s amazing. And I hope a lot of other companies and organizations out there are not only listening to what you’re doing, but hopefully they can follow your footsteps. Cause, uh, cause you’re a business model and your overall kind of a purpose driven organization is really, really making a big difference in the world. And congratulations. It’s incredible. Thank you for giving us some time to duct today.

Jenise Steverding (45:35):

Thank you so much for having

Enrique Alvarez (45:37):

Me. Thank you. And for everyone else, that’s listening to another episode of logistics with purpose. Don’t forget to sign up if you, uh, if you’re interested in listening to conversations like the one we had with Jenise at gifts for good. Please join us once again. This was the and Kristi Porter and

Speaker 1 (45:54):

We’ll see you. Thank you so much. [inaudible].