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In 2008, Cami Walker, Founder and Chief Evangelist of
29 Gifts, was suffering from a debilitating 3:00am flare-up of multiple sclerosis, feeling angry and sorry for herself, when she came across a journal entry from two months earlier. It was advice from her spiritual mentor who said, “Give something away each day for 29 days.” Skeptical, but willing to try anything to ease her pain, Cami committed. To her surprise, amazing things began to happen. The more Cami gave, the more she received. Inspired, in April 2008, Cami launched the 29-Day Gift Giving Challenge website and social network where she shared her experience and invited others to join her. By the day Cami gave her 29th gift, over 150 people had signed up. Today, Cami is the chief evangelist for a global giving movement that includes several thousand people from 38 countries.
Cami was a newlywed enjoying a lucrative career in advertising when she was diagnosed with MS in August 2006. Almost immediately, her health began to deteriorate and she was unable to continue working. Although she was taking the drugs prescribed by her doctors, Cami’s condition often landed her in the hospital for days at a time. Then came that sleepless night in 2008 when Cami serendipitously read the advice that her spiritual advisor had shared with her months before. Give something away each day for 29 days.
Cami’s first gift was a supportive call to a friend also living with MS. As the month progressed and Cami kept giving, she was amazed at how her life was changing. Sometimes she gave money, her time or did a good deed for a friend or stranger. During those first 29 days, “everything turned around dramatically.” Cami began feeling happier and laughing more. By day 14 she felt strong enough to walk on her own power without her cane. Her existing brand consulting business, Creative Urge, exploded with new opportunities. She felt a deeper closeness with her husband, family and friends.
Cami does not profess that 29 Gifts directly impacted her MS – though her health has improved dramatically since she began giving daily. She still takes medication and utilizes a number of alternative health therapies to manage her illness. What Cami believes is that gift-giving changed her outlook, which positively affected her health. It shifted her attention from herself to others and increased the quality of her thoughts.
Cami admits that she had no vision or plan for 29 Gifts when she began posting stories and observations about her experiences at www.29Gifts.org. She had no intention of it becoming a business or a brand, so there were no marketing strategies or business plans involved. The evolution of 29 Gifts was completely intuitive and Cami just went with the flow of whatever came next, which included a book deal.
After submitting a proposal to two editors, Cami’s book idea sold in only four days. The book, 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving can Change Your Life, is available via pre-order at amazon.com. A 29 Gifts product line, as well as a series of meditation classes, are scheduled to debut in October at the same time as the book.
In the spirit of giving, 29 Gifts spotlights a monthly Featured Cause to bring attention to a need. For example, the community helped one member raise over $10,000 for breast cancer surgery.
Today, Cami’s goal with the 29 Day Giving Challenge is to create a worldwide revival of the giving spirit. She wants to inspire more generosity on the planet and help change lives, one gift at a time. In fact, Cami is striving for 29,000 committed gift-29Givers by September 29, 2009.
What we learned from Cami:
“When I had 100 people sign up in one day I thought, ‘I can’t manage this alone. I need help, I need help.’ My reality is that I can only work two hours a day so I found people to help me. I had to be willing to let go and not get stuck in fear. I had no idea how I was going to hire and pay people since there was no money in the coffer. I had faith. Now I have four contract employees who serve our movement in different capacities. One of those women, Erin Monahan, our Online Community Manager, manages a team of 16 volunteers who maintain the site. The other contractors help with design, product development and serve as advisors.”
Brand Consistency is Key
“Any good brand has a strong essence, its own sprit. I’m not 29 Gifts, it is its own entity. I’m the evangelist who spreads the message. Your brand needs to have a consistent visual, written and spoken voice. Every expression and communication has to reflect the brand. It has to have consistency. A brand is much more than a logo. When you have others working with you, it takes effort to convey your brand’s voice to them in order to communicate with a constantly resonating tone.”
Be Seen
“During the first two to three months of the 29 Gifts movement, I went to a literary conference in San Francisco at the suggestion of a blogger friend. I bought a ticket and just showed up. I went to the panel discussions and sat in the front row of every single one. I made sure I asked questions. So, during the speed networking session with editors and agents on the last day, some of the experts recognized me. That day, I connected with my agent and the editor who ended up buying my book.” This Featured Lady was profiled by Megan L. Reese, WORDrobe™ Stylist for Her Write Image in West Grove, PA.
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