Built for Mead’s Post

An article by the Wall Street Journal highlights that this year, there are five fewer days between Thanksgiving and Christmas compared to previous years, compressing the holiday shopping period. Adding to the challenge is the backdrop of the 2024 election, which could further divert attention from holiday spending. While this is a challenge for retailers, it’s not unique to them. Nonprofits face a similar situation. As we discussed last week in our article "Year-End Presents Challenges & Opportunities for Nonprofits," the condensed holiday season and the election’s distractions pose difficulties for nonprofits as well. Just like retailers need to optimize a shorter shopping window, nonprofits must be more strategic with their outreach and fundraising efforts during this limited year-end giving period. Both sectors are under pressure to maximize impact in a time when attention is fragmented. https://lnkd.in/gXqXkEtJ

Weekend Activity - Christmas Shopping "What did you get for Christmas?" This is usually what we talk about during this season. But if we change but one word, the outcome will be different. "What did you give for Christmas?" Let’s involve our children in our Christmas shopping for our loved ones and ask them what they want to give. May we, with our children, focus on giving instead of getting - that we may more fully remember what the season is all about. #VAMAX #value #onlinestaffing #virtualassistant #workfromhome #virtualassistantservices #wfh #feelgoodfriday #weekend #weekendactivity

Who wants a completely free entry to win a $2,000 Holiday Shopping Spree?! 🆓 The best part is....your entry will go to support a deserving family with a full Thanksgiving meal. 🦃 We believe the best part of the holiday season is giving! 🎁 Help a Family in need + Enter to win $2,000 for the Holidays? Win - Win 🥳 Now that I have your attention... Next Friday 11/22, The Huffaker Group is selecting one lucky winner for a $2,000 Holiday Shopping Spree! Anyone who registers or validates their information with us will be entered to win. For every 100 registrations we receive, we will provide a Thanksgiving meal with all the fixin's to a family in need. 😘 So how do I enter to win that Moula??? 🎲💲 Simple, just do one of these 3 things… 1. Call 1-855-RING-THG on November 21st, 1-5 PM CT. Be sure you tell whoever answers that Carrie Gatlin is your absolute favorite Nashville Real Estate Expert!! 2. New to The Huffaker Group? Fill out this form. Your info will be confirmed with you by our team (via phone) on November 21st, 1-5 PM CT. https://lnkd.in/epkjUznW 3. Already a Huffaker Group client or fan? Speak with your THG agent via phone or complete this online form. https://lnkd.in/epkjUznW Our team can verify your info before November 21st at 5 PM CT. What are we going to do with your information once we have you in our database? Well, we will call you relentlessly and bombard you with SPAM messages! 😂Not really - I'm kidding 😂 We will, however, call you quarterly to just say Hi and see if there is any way we can help you with your real estate needs, or if you have friends or family looking to make a move that we can help. We want THG to be your go-to Real Estate Concierge in the Nashville area for market analysis, check-ups, questions about rates and trends, etc. I also provide free therapy, if your kids are driving you crazy! 😭If you are busy when we call, just tell us. We have thick skin. Adding value in the community is our goal, and who wants to work with a Realtor Group that they don't know, like and trust? We Love Middle Tennessee!! ❤️💯 Help us support our neighbors! 💕 #nashvillehomes #nashvillerealtor #favoritenashvillerealtor #nashvillelife #musiccityrealestate #eastnashville #nashvillerealestateagent #eastnashvillerealestate #EastNashvilleLiving

Two posts in one day? Yep, that’s because we’re also awarding Christmas Cottage and Santa’s Workshop today. Each entry was carefully scrutinised, especially for Christmas Cottage. The idea of Santa’s Workshop came about because we both, Mark and I, remember the big Christmas displays in shops like Myer and David Jones in Brisbane. Back then, there was a sense of wonder as we watched the marionettes dancing, the trains and the twinkling lights.  We both felt that simply because we live in a rural location, there is no reason the children should miss out on that wonder. The shops that participate, put a lot of thought into their entries, ensuring the children’s imaginations are engaged. It’s very rewarding to hear the children chat after seeing them, and there’s a second win, because if parents take the children, they look inside the shops. They see what is available and often you will find that they then frequent those shops. A win-win for everyone. Even better, the trophy (a mounted Santa) is awarded to the winners, the style changing annually. Some stores now have multiple Santa’s and it’s gratifying to see them in the windows, noting their success as winners each year. Of course, it’s never a foregone conclusion that if you won last year, you’ll win this year too.  To ensure even the smaller locales have an opportunity to win, we’ve grouped the townships and villages together, so everyone gets an opportunity to win. Christmas Cottage is because there was community support for a single house, with lighting to entice and dazzle. We listened and this newer initiative was born in 2023. No financial gain is involved, but the perpetual trophy moves from town to town depending on the winner. It stays for the year before a new name is added. At the end of the day, the Christmas Initiative is about hope, joy and cohesion. It’s about communities coming together to help and support each other, to give the children an opportunity to experience the innocent fun we enjoyed. #spiritofchristmas #collaboration #meaningful #morethanjustlights #SocialCohesion #doingourbit

📢 Did you catch our CEO, Richard Lim, on BBC Radio 4's You and Yours show yesterday? If you missed it, you can listen to the segment through the link below, Richard's interview starts at 46:47 Richard shared insights from our recent collaboration with GFS - See Delivery Differently, part of our "Battling Basket Abandonment: No Margin for Error in a Zero Tolerance Era" report. During the interview, Richard discussed: - The consumer groups most likely to abandon online shopping carts and the reasons behind this behaviour - The impact of basket abandonment on retailers and the strategies they are using to combat it - What consumers expect from retailers regarding delivery options and preferences 🔗 Click the link to listen now: https://lnkd.in/eiPJy8fB #Retail #Ecommerce #ConsumerBehaviour #BasketAbandonment #GFS #Research #BBC #Innovation #Radio4 #BBCRadio

  While you’re enjoying the festive season, here’s some reminders on how to avoid drink spiking. Buy your own drinks: Keep control of what you consume by purchasing your own drinks and watching them being prepared. Don’t leave your drink unattended: Whether you're dancing or stepping away for a moment, always keep an eye on your drink. If you must leave it, ask a trusted friend to watch it for you. Avoid accepting drinks from strangers: Politely decline drinks from people you don’t know well. If someone offers you a drink, accompany them to the bar and get it directly from the bartender. Trust your instincts: Stay aware of what's happening around you. Be cautious if someone seems overly eager to buy you drinks or gets too friendly too quickly. If your drink tastes or looks odd, don’t consume it. Discard it and alert venue staff if necessary. Look out for each other: When out with friends, keep an eye on one another. If someone starts feeling unwell or disoriented, seek help immediately. Know how to ask for help : If you feel unsafe or suspect your drink has been spiked, don’t hesitate to approach venue staff and “Ask for Angela.” This signals that you need assistance. Stay vigilant and enjoy your night out safely! For more information, visit: Stamp out Spiking: https://lnkd.in/edBCi2uY Gov.uk: https://lnkd.in/eVXQ_2_v Ask for Angela: https://lnkd.in/equZPbgj For information on WAVE training for Ask for Angela: https://lnkd.in/e_jsHXYC Our Safer City – the Prevent Violence against Women and Girls and Domestic Abuse Consortium – have been committed to supporting vital initiatives like Stamp out Spiking this year, and will continue our important work in collaboration with a range of public sector, private, and charitable organisations in 2025. City of London Corporation - City of London Police - City of London Crime Prevention Association - The City Security Council - British Transport Police - Metropolitan Police - Eastern City BID - The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals - Safer Business Network - QCIC 

Looking for gifts that mean a little more this holiday season? 🎁✨ Our blog post, “Gifts That Give Back: Holiday Shopping That Makes a Difference,” is here to help! Whether it’s supporting local artisans, donating to a cause, or choosing something sustainably made, there are so many ways to give a gift that gives back. Let’s make this season about more than just wrapping paper—let’s find gifts that truly make a difference. 💛 Check out the blog for ideas that spread joy and impact far beyond the holidays. https://loom.ly/4ZPUCq8 #GiftsThatMatter #HolidayGiving #MakeADifference #MeaningfulGifts

🎁🎁💐Ohio, please represent this holiday season: And I don't mean donning your OH- gear. I mean, buy from the business owners who live (and pay taxes) (and employ others) in YOUR state. And please shout out your own favorite local businesses in the comments (here or at the blog) because 1- that's the point and 2- I love to profile small businesses and their stories, so your mention may lead to an article for that local organization. #winwin #ohiosmallbusiness #shoplocal

Grateful for today's CatholicVote coverage Trinity House Community's new capital campaign to purchase the building where our Trinity House Cafe + Market has been serving Leesburg since 2014! Here's how I'd tell this story to someone new to Trinity House: - Ever Elizabeth (Horan) Johnson and a team of amazing volunteers and supporters launched Trinity House Cafe + Market in 2014 as an outreach of our Trinity House Community ministry to "inspire families to make home a taste of heaven for the renewal of faith and culture." - Since then, the award-winning cafe has offered "a little taste of heaven" at the corner of Church & Market Streets in old town Leesburg. People have met their future spouse there. People have come back to the faith there. A phenomenal team of faithful, committed baristas welcomes you. We lead with beauty in the public square. - We've had a great relationship with our landlord, and in the past few months, he's offered to sell us the property as long as we secure financing by 6/30/25. - Yes, faced with the challenges that come with a location in one of the most expensive and fastest-growing counties in the nation, we could call it a day and wrap up the cafe ministry. We could focus our efforts entirely on the fast-growing parish-based Trinity House Community Groups now serving families in 30 parishes in 12 states, and Trinity House could leave Church & Market and just have a P.O. Box and a website. - But based on hundreds of conversations in the past few months, we're seeing it not as "either/or" but as "both/and." - "Both" the bricks-and-mortar witness of the cafe "and: the parish-based Trinity House Community Groups will "win" big with the purchase of this property. The success of one directly strengthens the other. - The win for those in Leesburg and northern Virginia is obvious. The win for the Groups is threefold: 1) The cafe serves as a beautiful visual for what the ministry is all about: renewal in the home & family, 2) Long-term stability and visibility for the ministry, 3) The cafe's flourishing will fund a widening network of parish-based Groups. - The resulting mortgage (though in the year(s) ahead we'll work to pay off the entire loan) will be less than our current rent. It's a smart business decision which also brings a spiritual return on investment. - Fast-forward 5, 10, 15 years: Tens of thousands of families are being inspired, equipped and encouraged by the Trinity House Community Group in their own parish. Other communities are stepping forward to launch their own Trinity House Cafe + Market in the heart of their towns and cities. The children in these faith-filled Trinity House families are embracing the faith for a lifetime, bucking the national trend. - Please join us in prayer and consideration of partnering in this campaign! Pledges of every/any size will open this door. Questions or suggestions for how to share this campaign with others? Message me and let's talk. Thanks!