1. Transporting the Gifts/Shoes: When I first thought of bringing gifts to the 8 or 9 kids that I am especially close with. As I began to choose which children would be chosen for presents, I couldn't really bring myself to exclude any children. During our monthly visits with the nursing students there is an average of approximately 30 kids. 30 kids, I could handle 30 kids. After my pleasant, stressful, and surprising turn out of 145 kids, I did not realize the amount of room all the packages would require. Luckily we were able to fit most of the gifts in the bed (covered) of Larry Hernandez's truck. Next year, I need to figure out a better way to transport the gifts.
Potential Solutions for 2009:
-Bring the gifts down in waves (that would require a much earlier deadline).
2. Extra Kids: Even though I had Rosita tell the kids for weeks in advance to not attend the festivities on Saturday if they did not have their picture taken, about 30 or so extra kids were there. On the morning we were passing out gifts, I made it a point to remind the kids that there were not extra gifts and that only those who had their picture taken would be receiving gifts. Although the kids were aware that they wouldn't be receiving gifts, I still felt really bad that they didn't get anything.
Potential Solutions for 2009:
-I am not sure how to prevent that for next year... I am not quite sure that this preventable.
3. Dishonesty: One "relative" of a few kids claimed that she was either the aunt or mother of a few kids. Since the gifts/shoes were only labeled with the child's name, we were not sure if the lady was telling the truth. We reluctantly handed her the presents and Rosita (the pastor's wife) was checking with other adults to confirm that she was related to those children, but before Rosita had the chance to figure it out, the lady disappeared with the gifts. So unfortunately, three kids were basically robbed of their Christmas gifts.
Potential Solutions for 2009:
-Label the gifts with the child's picture.
-Only the child can pick up the gift, unless other arrangements are made in advance.
4. No-Shows: Roughly 15 kids did not show up on the day we passed the gifts out. We heard that some moved, but the whereabouts of the other children were unknown. Since I did not personally know all of the kids that showed up for the profile-making, it was hard to know the reason why they were not there. Rosita said that we should just give out the remaining gifts, so we ended up passing the gifts of the no-shows to the kids without profiles. I felt bad for passing out the gifts, but I was not really sure what else to do.
Potential Solutions for 2009:
-I am not really sure what to do for next year, but I think I should formulate a policy about kids that do not show up.
5. Unorganized List: This was not a huge problem, but it was just time-consuming and a bit annoying. I had a list of 145 kids in no particular order, so each time I had to look for a kid, I had to skim the entire list.
Potential Solutions for 2009:
-Alphabetize by last name (It will take longer to make the list, but will save time in the future).
6. Incorrect Shoe Sizes: Making the profiles was madness! With the rush of all the unexpected kids, it was stressful trying to size all of the kids. In an attempt to quickly get the kids through the line, we compromised accuracy. So, a lot of the kids shoe sizes were incorrect. Most times the sizes were way too big for the kid.
Potential Solutions for 2009:
-Even though it might be unpleasant, have the kids remove their shoes and measure their sizes with the only their socks on.
-Have the kids wait in line in waves.
-Have more than 2 information-takers.
7. Gift Distribution: I did not really come up with a method for distributing the gifts. We had all the children gather around and we called out their names. I suppose that wasn't a horrible way of doing it, but it didn't seem very efficient.
8. Unidentified Kids: My friend Heather and I made the profiles. I did not communicate with her very clearly about the information we should gather from them. 10 kids or so did not have last names and there are a lot of Maria's and Jose's in the world... especially Mexico.
Potential Solutions for 2009:
-Make sure to clearly communicate what information should be gathered to whoever is making the profiles.
9. Unidentified Pictures: We took pictures of each kid and wrote their name down in order. We had two photographers and two people taking down information. I sent all of my kids to Jacque Pritchard and Heather Pfaff sent all of her kids to Brandon Pfaff. We planned on making the profiles by matching the name of the kid and their picture in the order their photograph was taken. Somehow there was a mix up and it took a VERY long time to figure out who was who. It was a very stressful endeavor.
Potential Solutions for 2009:
-Take two pictures of the kids. In the first picture we can have the kid hold a mini-white board with their full name. The second picture can be their actual profile picture. With the child's full name on the white board, we can be certain who the child is, even if the pictures get out of order.
10. Generic Name: The name "Operation Christmas" is very similar to other projects that are run by organizations. Although we are essentially offering the same service, it can be confusing for sponsors. Also, as my nonprofit grows, I could get into trouble for copyright infringement.
Potential Solutions for 2009:
-Think of another name.
11. Work Work Work: Operation Christmas was a lot of work. A LOT of work.
Potential Solutions for 2009:
-Start much further in advance
-Recruit a few trustworthy people to help, but clearly communicate responsibilities
Successes
1. All Children Were Sponsored: Besides a handful of children, everyone was sponsored!! It was really wonderful to see how quickly and positively people responded to my requests.
2. Sponsors Getting Sponsors: Manny Meza recruited 13 sponsors for Operation Xmas. Julie Valdes recruited 6 sponsors for Operation Xmas. Sponsors getting sponsors was really great, because it required less work on my part! The problem was getting all of Julie's gifts/shoes account for.
3. Children/Parents Were Super Happy: All of the kids were changing their shoes right away. They unwrapped their presents and were playing with them and showing them off to friends and family. It was so great to be a part of their joy.
4. A Lot Of Kids: 145 kids were sponsored!! There were some kids that my friends and I knew personally that did not have profiles made, so we purchased their gifts. The total count of kids that got gifts/shoes was 150! That is a lot of kids!!
Ideas for 2009
-Start advertising for Operation Christmas much earlier, so there is time to effectively promote the project AND account for gifts.
-Send reminder emails 2-2.5 weeks before the deadline
-Make reminder phone calls the week before the deadline
-Make mini-posters for advertising Operation Xmas. I can post these and also give them to sponsors (who I trust very much) to recruit other sponsors for me! Partner with Manny Meza again.
-Monetary Donations should be really accounted for in great detail
-Benefit Shows? Admission fee could be a pair of shoes or an unwrapped toy
-Write to bigger companies to ask for donations: shoes, toys, and money
Reflection
The idea of Operation Christmas came to me so quickly. The amount of work it took to pull it off successfully was substantial. All the hours I poured into this project were well worth it. I wasn't really able to purchase gifts for my friends or family (besides a select few), but being able to provide gifts to children who are less fortunate is a wonderful feeling. It is hard to describe the joy I feel when I can give to those in need.
I am proud of myself. This whole project was a lot of work, but I did it! Next year is moderately far in the future, but I felt like I have learned a lot from this. It takes a lot of hard to complete such a project. Planning is essential for success. There are quite a few issues that I could improve for the next year, but all-in-all I think this first run was successful.
I know Maricela is my favorite kid, but my heart is for all the children. The condition of poverty, most times, produces such a genuine and caring personality. It is a refreshing change from the selfish attitudes that I am usually surrounded by.
