<![CDATA[Handlender | The Power of Giving, The Comfort of Receiving. - Blog]]>Thu, 27 Jun 2024 17:47:00 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Q2 2021 Summer is Here!]]>Sat, 26 Jun 2021 08:14:03 GMThttps://www.handlender.com/blog/q2-2021-summer-is-here​Hiya Friend!
​Hope your summer is off to a fantastic start! The weather here in Minnesota has been pretty warm lately...and by warm, I mean hot. Like, consistently above 90 degrees hot. But I think us Minnesotans agreed that if we had a mild winter, we wouldn’t complain about the hot summer. So, there’s been lots of sunscreen, pools, popsicles, and sprinkler play. Also, lots and lots of dry, yellow grass. Hey, we’ll take it. 
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Anyhoo, let’s get to the updates!

RESULTS ARE IN!

In case you missed our announcement on Social Media last month, the winners of the Dough social innovator program in which Handlender was a semi-finalist were announced. Unfortunately, we were not selected as one of the finalists, but we weren’t discouraged in the least bit! We gave an awesome pitch (the judges agreed), and our overall presentation was great! Plus, we learned so much along the way. So if anything, the whole process has added fuel to our fire! 
I was, however, curious about why we weren’t selected. But when I learned who the winners were, it all kind of made sense. The organizations that were chosen are doing wonderful work in and for our communities. Click the links below to learn more about the awesome ways they help make our world a better place.

Wildflyer Coffee ~ Edith’s House ~ Bricks to Bread ~ Letters of Love ~ Mocha Momma’s Coffee (website not active) 

For a quick video summary of all 5 organizations, click here. 
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See what I mean? They’re doing some cool stuff...
...and so are we! We have a plan to expand nationally and globally! Check out some of our key strategies to make it happen:
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You’ve definitely got a lot to look forward to! Keep the support coming, and spread the word to your networks. They won’t want to miss out on what we have in store!

WHAT'S HAPPENIN'

Members of the Handlender network will mutually experience
the Power of Giving and the Comfort of Receiving.
Remember what we're all about: Offering a safe, anonymous, and efficient way to ask for help or lend a hand to people you already know and trust, without requiring money or bartering. We enjoy helping members unearth hidden skills and talents, essentially saving them money and keeping resources in-house. 
What's Next? 

After the Dough program, we went back to work on our strategic plan. Pretty soon, you’ll see an updated privacy policy and terms and conditions, because we want to ensure our organizational partners know we operate in a safe, trusted, and legal manner.
Website Changes

In addition to a few layout changes, we also elected to remove our former "Up for Grabs" page, where we were posting free clothing and household items. Thank you for providing feedback and taking our survey! If you haven't already, go visit our site! 
Pilot Communities
We're aiming to add several new pilot communities that willl have full access to our platform at zero cost, in exchange for honest feedback on how we can improve. We want to demonstrate our ability to transform networks into stronger communities through perpetual acts of burden-free giving and receiving.
Handlender Requests
Remember, if you’re already a member of a Handlender community, you have access to a larger network of people willing to help out with occasional requests. You also have more opportunities to lend a hand. So, the next time you’re in a pinch--or a dash--submit a request, and get the help you need from people you trust.
GROWING OUR TEAM 
​Psst! We’re looking for quality individuals who’d love to join the Handlender team. We’d love to have a social media manager and a sales & marketing manager come on board, as well as a few qualified individuals to serve on our advisory board. We’re also looking for individuals who’d like to join our website development team. If you want to learn more, or know someone who might be interested, email us!
Stay Connected
Our HCN's are a great way to stay in the loop about our growth and progress, but we’d love for you to interact with us on Social Media as well! Connect with us on LinkedIn, Follow us on Instagram and Twitter, and Like us on Facebook! 

'TIL NEXT TIME

Before I bring this newsletter to a close, I’d be remiss if I didn’t express my gratitude toward the key individuals who played a huge role in helping Handlender successfully navigate the Dough program.

Many thanks to Adam Thompson, Bill Sharpe, Jenny Edstrom, Kate DiLeo, Jim Sanford, Brian Jones, Danielle Jones, and everyone else who supported us along the way!
Alright, friend. We better get back to it. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, and I’m eager to get trekking. Thanks for your continued support, and we’ll talk again in Q3!

As always, thank you for being a part of the Handlender Network! 
Schia Hart
Founder, Handlender LLC
]]><![CDATA[Q1 2021 HCN]]>Fri, 26 Mar 2021 05:31:54 GMThttps://www.handlender.com/blog/spring-is-hereHiya Friends, and HELLO Spring!

I’m loving the warmer weather here in Minnesota, even though there’s always a chance it could snow tomorrow. The way I see it, you gotta take the good with the great! 

Anyhoo, I could hardly wait to send you this newsletter! I’ve got many updates to share, so let’s get to it!
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I mean, it's kinda like Shark Tank...

I’m thrilled to announce that Handlender is a semi-finalist in a local social entrepreneurship initiative called “Dough!”  The idea for this program was originally designed and successfully carried out by Colonial Church in Edina, Minnesota. As a spin-off, Dough was formed and sponsored by Wayzata Community Church and invites entrepreneurs to submit ideas for projects that address social challenges.

Of 108 applicants, Handlender was selected to join 13 other semi-finalists for an opportunity to receive funding from a pool of $200,000! In addition to possible funding, the Dough program offers benefits such as access to skills/business coaches, entrepreneurial resources, workshops, and access to business-friendly networks and potential investors!

Part of the admission process was submitting a two-minute video sharing a little bit about our idea. Check out our video, and videos of other semi-finalists!

We've been working with our business coach weekly since our acceptance into the program, all in preparation for “Pitch Week” in May, where the winner(s) will be selected!

Obviously we're hopeful to be chosen, so we welcome all encouragement and prayers of support!

DO YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS?

If so, you’ll be happy to know that I recently had the opportunity to speak with podcaster Adam Thompson, host of The Phase 2 Podcast and owner of FocalPoint Coaching of Minnesota. In the podcast, we talk about the origination of Handlender, how the platform works, how we intend to grow, and how you can get involved aside from membership. The podcast will be released this Wednesday, so keep your eyes peeled for an email or a social post with the link to listen!
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Speaking of social posts, if you haven’t noticed by now, we’re making more of a splash on social media.
In addition to our website, you can now follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn!

Here are the Latest Updates... ​
DEVELOPMENT 
Remember those back-end automation and notification updates we told you about in the last newsletter? Well, they’re finished and we’re ready to go!

If you’re part of a Handlender community (sponsored by your Church or organization), you may receive an email and/or text confirming the transition of your account as we start to move all members to this new system. After your account is transitioned, and when you submit a request, you will now receive text and email notifications about who’s available to help as soon as the helpers respond! Isn’t that exciting?! No more waiting for 48 hours!

WEBSITE 
We’ve made a few minor changes to our website, which may not be noticeable at first glance, but I want to tell you about them anyway.

We’ve updated our “Registration” and “Contact Us” pages to make it easier for members to sign up or connect with us. We’ve also modified our newsletter subscription link, so if you want to share the joy of Handlender updates with others, they can subscribe to our newsletter right from the Home Page.

P.s. A warm welcome to our new subscribers!

'Til Next Time... 

And there you have it, friends. A newsletter full of excitement, and much more still in the works! 

We'll continue working to make Handlender even better for every community in our network. So feel free to share our platform and social links with others, so they'll also have the opportunity to experience The Power of Giving, and the Comfort of Receiving. 

Thank you for all of your support, and thank you for being a part of the Handlender Network!
Schia Hart
Founder, Handlender LLC
New to Handlender? Subscribe to our quarterly Newsletter! 
]]><![CDATA[Happy Holidays!]]>Sun, 27 Dec 2020 19:02:56 GMThttps://www.handlender.com/blog/happy-holidaysMerry Christmas, Friend! 
Did you miss us? 
We missed you! 
​Since we switched to quarterly updates, the plan was to send this newsletter to you in October. Unfortunately, our team was affected by COVID-19 and other 2020 surprises, so here we are in December! (We’re still in the 4th quarter though – can you say, #winning!)

Oh, and remember that “pass” I gave you back when the pandemic first hit the U.S? I’m going to need you to return the favor!

The Latest
In preparation for the new year, we've been working on our back-end automation, notification systems, and updates to our website. See below for the benefits and what you can expect! 

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A bit more information regarding Urgent Requests and our Up For Grabs Page...
 
Urgent Requests
As a reminder, when you submit an urgent request, an anonymous notification will be sent to your entire community. Urgent requests are submitted when it’s kind of a big deal that you receive help within the same day. Non-urgent request should be submitted at least three days before help is needed.

Here’s the current page where you can submit an urgent request. In the future, we'll remove that page, and add an urgent request selector button to the standard request page to make things a little simpler.​
Up For Grabs
Do you remember our “Give-Aways” page from earlier this year, where we displayed pantry & household items that members could claim at no cost? Well, we decided to remove it because we weren’t sure if it was helpful to your communities.

However, as we spent more time thinking about why we created that page in the first place, and about Handlender's mission, we realized that restoring it was the right thing to do. And we didn’t just bring it back—we freshened it up a bit and gave it a new name: Up For Grabs. We added categories to make it easier to spot specific items you might need, along with a shopping cart feature.*

So, take a look! You may find something you can use or would like to gift to someone else. Be sure to check back periodically, as we’re always adding new items!
*At this time, members can only claim one item per order so that other members also have the opportunity to claim items.
Spread the love and share the gifts!
Don’t worry though--if there’s another item that you’d like to claim, you can simply place another “order.” Sometimes you have to get the outfit AND the shoes--I get it! 


​Do you have items in good condition that you’d like to give away? 

Click here to let us know
I’m really excited for all of these changes and how they’ll make Handlender easier to use. I’m grateful that you continue to find our platform useful and I love seeing the requests come through our system!

I believe that as we continue to improve, more communities will join you in experiencing the Power of Giving and the Comfort of Receiving.
'Til Next Time
Well, dear friends, can you believe it? We’re here…at the end of 2020. Wow.

We all have so much to be thankful for. Yes, it’s been a roller coaster year, with some triumphant wins and definitely some losses. And the ride may not be over just yet. But I take joy in knowing that, through it all, we’re still moving forward. 

Thank you for all of your support this year. Thank you for your constructive feedback. Thank you for believing in our mission.

Thank you for being a part of the Handlender Network!

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Again, have a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! 
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