The Wedding Dress & Charity Survey

This week, many of my friends received an e-mail from me about a survey. Some have wondered "What is Inggrid up to?"

My independent study project goal is to use what I have learned from Medill's Integrated Marketing Communications program to look into innovative ways to raise funds for worthy nonprofits. The survey is intentionally set-up the way it is because I want to understand two things:

1. The cultural biases people have about wearing their wedding dress again 
2. What kinds of charities do Chicago women donate to & how do they choose? 

No, it's not about selling your wedding gown for charity. I did mention that this was going to be an innovative fundraising strategy. So, if I get enough responses on the survey, something good is going to come out of this in real life and you will have played a major role in this innovative thinking process. :)

The magic number to make this survey worthwhile is at least 1,000 women in Chicago-land. Right now, I've got 34 survey respondents. As you can see, I need your help to make this possible. Feel free to e-mail, tweet, and post the survey to women you know owns or will keep their wedding dresses.

You can use this link to send the survey to your friends: http://svy.mk/NNAhl6
If they want to know more, please forward them my blog link: yonatafu.blogspot.com


In case you haven't completed one yet, please do so before next Friday, August 17th:

CLICK TO TAKE THE SHORT SURVEY

The following is an excerpt from my previous blog post, dated June 6, 2012:
"I've told my husband even before we got married that I would like our family to be involved in philanthropy. I believe that we should live to impact the lives of other people for the better. That's the legacy we should all strive for. My particular interest is in giving money to deserving non-profit organizations.

No, I'm not wealthy enough to be a philanthropist such as Bono, Bill Gates and the like. But I believe wealth is NOT a prerequisite--ingenuity, passion, and determination are. As mentioned above, I'm embarking on a summer-long independent study project at Medill. In essence, I will work on designing a model for running a non-profit the IMC way."

Thank you for supporting me!
Inggrid Yonata-Fu

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No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

If you love Panera Bread, you might love them even more now! Panera Cares Community Center opened in Chicago this week. It's their fourth location that allows patrons to pay-what-you-can, i.e. sliding scale + donations encouraged from those who can give! The Panera Care cafe is located in Lakeview, 616 W. Diversey Pkwy, an area largely occupied by young professionals (read: yuppies). The rationale of choosing this site is because of the right mix of fairly affluent and needy population.

I can't help but to think whether this kind of operation will work in other countries, like China or Indonesia (where I'm from). My first thought is that it will be greatly welcomed by all. But whether the more affluent population will be gracious enough to pay more than the price on the board is highly doubtful. I wouldn't be surprised that many will take advantage of this charitable act and apply the "why-pay-unless-you-have-to" mindset. Unfortunately, the honor system does not work well in many Asian countries.

Don't believe me?

Here's what IKEA in China had to deal with when they decided to offer free coffee and a place to chill:
"They [senior citizens] sit for hours in the cafeteria, leaving behind orange peels and egg shells they have picked off boiled eggs brought from home. Occasionally, security guards intervene to try to keep order."

"As culture and commerce intersect, some unusual behavior has emerged. And older folks aren't the only troublemakers. Young people, often with kids in tow, plop on chairs to watch videos on their smartphones. People aren't shy about kicking off their shoes and tucking into display beds for a nap."

I can see why this is so: If all your life you've had to fight to survive, then being charitable is the last thing in your mind. Maybe, as time goes by, a new generation of a growing middle class that's better educated will be more charitable and respectful in nature? 

What I know for sure is that marketing in Asia is going to be quite the challenge for me! Bring it on!!!