GiveGab Insider: One of Our Own Finds Hospitality in Mississippi

Here at GiveGab, we have the unique opportunity to work with incredible people who are truly transforming the lives of others. The journey we’ve been on with our nonprofit partners has challenged, inspired and uplifted us, which is why we wanted to start a new series called “GiveGab Insider”, where we’ll share highlights from these personal experiences. In this post you’ll meet my teammate Chris, who has recently gone above and beyond to take part in a huge philanthropic project in Mississippi, and in turn, has witnessed compassion and kindness like he’s never felt before.

Q: Chris, what prompted you to temporarily move across the country to Mississippi?

CHRIS: When GiveGab was awarded the opportunity to be the platform for the first ever Mississippi Day of Giving, I was asked by the folks of Engage*MS to share in the efforts around launching the concept of the Day of Giving to the entire state.

It became apparent to me that in order to be fully invested in the Day of Giving, GiveGab needed to have a full time presence established in Mississippi, so I decided to move to here for the duration of this project. During my time here, I’ve been helping to bring awareness about and mobilize participation in the Day of Giving, as well as to further develop partnerships within the nonprofit, corporate and higher education communities.

Chris (right) speaking with Michael dixon (center) and Robert St John (left) of Mississippi nonprofit extra table.

Q: Tell me a bit about the character of the people you’ve worked closely with in Mississippi.

CHRIS: I’ve seen first hand the spirit of service and philanthropy that Mississippians possess. My work has allowed me to come alongside organizations such as MS Project Package, where I participated in fulfilling care packages for active Service men and women stationed overseas. The organization, founded by Rickey Pope, is entirely volunteer lead and sends on average over 600 packages per month to troops that otherwise wouldn’t receive anything from loved ones.

Mr. Pope not only dedicated his life to service in the military, but has worked as a civilian passionately serving the brotherhood where he once was enlisted. To me, he represents the closest thing to true altruism that I have ever experienced. He serves with exuberance and a heart of humility.

Q: Is there any act of kindness that you’ve witnessed that has particularly inspired you while in Mississippi?

CHRIS: Personally, I have witnessed and experienced acts of kindness each and every day that I have been in Mississippi. Kindness and hospitality is ingrained in the culture of Mississippi in a manner that I have never experienced anywhere else. From servers at restaurants, to valets at hotels, to all of the many wonderful people that I have worked alongside, one thing has rang true of everyone; the people of Mississippi are truly kind individuals.

Packing food at the ms nonprofit, Mid-South Food Bank.

From the very first week that I moved to Jackson, I have been invited into folks’ homes, out to dinner, or to participate in family gatherings of complete strangers. I have never felt more welcome in all the places I’ve been throughout my life.

Q: In what ways do you feel that you’ve been able to give back to nonprofits in Mississippi?

CHRIS: Our platform (GiveGab) offers the nonprofits in Mississippi access to simple, affordable, yet extremely powerful online fundraising and engagement tools. I think Rev. Alice Graham of Back Bay Mission, perhaps said it best, “The Day of Giving allows the nonprofits an efficient way to do fundraising. Most of us don’t have a fundraising department. We can’t afford it. We’re too busy providing services. This allows us to use the technology of GiveGab – to use resources and skillsets that we just don’t have.”

Rev. Alice Graham of ThE Back Bay Mission

The exciting part is that these nonprofits can continue to access the tools and resources that GiveGab has to offer long into the future, far after the Mississippi Day of Giving ends. There has been an outpouring of gratitude and appreciation already by the nonprofit leaders towards GiveGab for the ability to access such a robust platform without paying any upfront or annual fees. It’s great to see what can be done to transform the nonprofit sector throughout the state of Mississippi. Beyond the monetary impact, GiveGab has already become a vehicle that is impacting lives in communities all across the state.

You can find out more about the Mississippi Day of Giving, which took place on October 24, 2015, by clicking the button below.