Industry News

Industry with Heart:
Stampin' Up
by Karyn Reagan

In the fall of 2001, Shelli Gardner, Co-Founder and CEO of Riverton, Utah-based Stampin' Up, was stranded in Washington, D.C. Usually, such a thing only happens during a mean winter storm or freak power outage, but this was different. It was the week of the 9/11 tragedy.

With air transportation grounded across the nation, Shelli rented a car and started driving west toward her home in Utah. During the trip a staff member called. "We're receiving phone calls from demonstrators who want to do something," she said. "They want to make a difference." Shelli's creative instincts kicked into overdrive and she replied, "Well, let's create a stamp, and we'll donate all the proceeds from its sales to a 9/11 fund."

And that's exactly what Stampin' Up did. "We raised more than $1 million to give to the 9/11 fund," Shelli says. "That's when I realized it was time to become proactive instead of reactive in our giving."

Shelli Gardener, Stampin' Up! Co-Founder and CEO

Statement of the Heart

Stampin' Up, one of the nation's leading manufacturers and distributors of decorative rubber stamps and accessories, was founded in 1988 by Shelli and her sister, LaVonne Crosby. From the very beginning the company made its philanthropic philosophy clear in its mission statement, the Statement of the Heart: To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments. in this we make a difference. The desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others led to naming the company's charitable program "Making a Difference."

Through Making a Difference, Stampin' Up donates to a central cause on an ongoing basis. The company also set aside funds to assist with unforeseen disasters, such as hurricanes and tsunamis. The Stampin' Up catalog always carries a stamp set from which the proceeds are donated to the Making a Difference program, giving demonstrators a tangible way to be directly involved in raising funds.

The primary charity the company supports through the Making a Difference program is the Ronald McDonald House Charities. "I'm partial to children," Shelli says. "That doesn't mean that everything we do is centered around children, but they are our future. They are the future leaders of our country, the parents of our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Focusing on the health and well-being of children and families is always something I find worthwhile."

Ronald McDonald House Charities provide much-needed relief for the parents of hospitalized children. It offers a home away from home with a hot meal and place to stay to parents who want to be near their children but may not have the extra funds for hotels.

"We approached the organization about partnering with them to provide financial and practical support," Shelli says. "We're a national sponsor of the Ronald McDonald House Charities, meaning we send them $100,000 each year. We also designed a stamp set specifically for their charity and put it in our Idea Book & Catalog. The proceeds from the sale of that set go to the charity." By creating the special stamp set, the demonstrators often feel they have an awesome opportunity to give to the community while they work. "The customers who buy the set feel like they've made a difference as well," Shelli adds.

Proceeds from the sale of this stamp set benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Demonstrators
with Heart

"It's been truly gratifying to see the response of our demonstrators," Shelli says. "Some of them go to the Ronald McDonald Houses and work to fulfill whatever need there may be. For some, that means doing dishes and visiting with parents, while others might organize a night of scrapbooking or use their stamps to assist parents in making a card for their favorite nurse at the hospital."

While support for Ronald McDonald House Charities is an ongoing effort of the Making a Difference campaign, the program also designates support for an additional planned effort that varies every year. In the past Stampin' Up has partnered with the Huntsman Cancer Institute to raise funds for breast cancer research, and Making a Difference donated more than $82,000 to the institute to assist in the fight against breast cancer. A special "Hope is." stamp set was created specifically for the effort using symbolic pink rubber and containing four inspirational, coordinating stamps for use in card-making and scrapbooking. And through Making a Difference, Stampin' Up also donated more than a half a million dollars to Save the Children to help with tsunami relief.

"Last year our demonstrators were encouraged to help support the American Heart Association's 'Go Red' campaign," Shelli says. "Making a Difference supports one charity constantly, then chooses one charity each year for demonstrators to promote and one charity each year for headquarter employees to support. There's always money being raised in addition to the funds for the Ronald McDonald House. We are ready to jump into action if something catastrophic occurs, such as Katrina, 9/11 or the tsunami."

Meeting a Need

Shelli gives credit to Stampin' Up's demonstrators for the success of Making a Difference. "They're the ones who make it happen," she says. "One story that is burned in my memory is of a demonstrator in Texas, who's also a teacher. After Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, she organized an effort to raise money for the victims. She called her campaign Team Up with Stampin' Up. Due to her efforts, her school raised more than $7,000 and the whole Make a Difference campaign raised more than $140,000 to help others in their time of need."

Shelli expects Making a Difference to continue to benefit the lives of individuals and families. "It's fun to remember some of the things we've done," she says. "Hopefully, 10 years from now we'll have many more stories and different, creative ways to raise money for good causes."

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