“At Hawser, our philosophy is: “Full Hands In. Full Hands Out.”. It’s a service-oriented mantra reminding us that, by adopting a greater level of awareness, even the smallest efforts can make life a lot better for others.”
THE AXIOM
In restaurants, it’s a general rule of thumb or axiom: When you’re leaving the kitchen and headed to the dining room, you check to see if there’s something that needs to be delivered to a guest in the dining room. If there indeed is…you take it with you since you’re already going there anyway.
Conversely, if you’re leaving the dining room and heading towards the kitchen you pick up anything that needs to go back to the kitchen or dish area since you’re headed back that way.
It’s about efficiency. It’s about doing a lot more work with fewer additional steps...But the purpose of the sufficiency is to make things better for your coworkers and ultimately make things better for the guest. For those who have been in the restaurant industry for any length of time… “Full hands in. Full hands out” his less a rule and more a mindset. It’s just how we get things done. And the beauty of this mindset is that it translates well to almost any other arena… from carpooling to the shopping market parking lot (those carts have to get returned and you’re going in anyway…).
“Full hands in. Full hands out. “Is the mindset with which we approach every aspect of development at Hawser. It’s - guest/member-centered approach that consciously considers the social impact of how and why our software might be used. In short, we infuse technology with hospitality.
As any hospitality professional can attest: restaurants don't just sell food. They sell service. They sell an experience...and creating an enjoyable one requires a team of service-oriented people who understand and appreciate a culture where every guest feels welcomed and appreciated.
Restaurants accomplish this in two ways. First, by understanding the fact that guests are not an interruption of their work, but the purpose of it. And second, by thoughtfully preparing for every dish in the back and every step of service in the front so that every guest can savor every moment with as few distractions as possible.
Like restaurants, charity also is a service industry that relies as heavily (if not more so) on culture and has plenty more in common with the food and beverage industry than one might think.
Both strive to make every touchpoint as personal as possible.
Both aim to connect their customers/supporters with what it is they're purchasing.
Both must know the names and preferences of their most loyal supporters.
Both rely on the tireless efforts of emotionally co-dependent people who acknowledge the presence of their most loyal sponsors and say "Thank You" as warmly, as frequently and as creatively as possible.
And last but not least…
Both recognize the fact that there is no such thing as a small transaction.
Those who do this (and do this well) often form a strong bond between their organizations and the people who support them.
They create something no dish, no fundraiser or gala can provide: a fan who identifies themselves as part of the organization.
That's the effect of a successfully executed hospitality based culture…and one that requires operational processes based on guest-centered service (i.e., treating every customer, guest or visitor with the utmost respect and thoughtfully attending to their needs) just as you might if they were visiting you in your home.
UBIQUITOUS HOSPITALITY
[In India hospitality is based on Atithi Devo Bhava, a principle meaning "the guest is God". This principle is referenced in many stories where a guest is revealed to be a god who rewards the provider of hospitality. From this stems the Indian practice of graciousness towards any guest whether at home or in any social situation.
Judaism praises hospitality to strangers and guests due largely to the examples of Abrahamand Lot provided in the Book of Genesis (Genesis 18:1–8 and 19:1–8). In Hebrew, the practice is called hachnasat orchim, or "welcoming guests". In addition to to the practice of providing protection / refuge to strangers, hosts there are expected to provide nourishment, comfort, and entertainment to their guests as well and then escort their guests out of their home, wishing them a safe journey upon the conclusion of their stay.
One of the main principles of Eastern Iranian culture (including Afghanistan and Pakistan) is Melmastia. This is a lifestyle based on an unwritten law or moral code of eleven ethical principles not the least of which is hospitality. Pashtunwali people go to great lengths to show profound respect to others regardless of: race, religion, national affiliation or economic status and without any hope of reciprocation or payment.
Celtic societies also valued the concept of hospitality, especially in terms of protection. A host who granted a person's request for refuge was expected not only to provide food and shelter to his/her guest, but to make sure they did not come to harm while under their care.} Wikipedia
There's a big difference between hospitality based concepts that rely on culture to drive the bottom line and retail based concepts that rely on maximizing profits to build the bottom line.
The impetus to building Hawser was in realizing that more non-profit organizations seemed to employ retail-based strategies as opposed to hospitality-based ones which are much better suited for their similar service-minded pursuits.
“A dinner guest should never be expected to get up from their table and retrieve their own steak from the kitchen….the same way a potential donor shouldn’t be expected to: attend a gala, navigate a nonprofit’s website or even pick up the phone and dial a 1-800# in order to reach a data center dedicated to capturing their personal information and adding a 10 – 15 minute inconvenience to the process when they want to give a gift...if they don’t have to.”
THE CROSS-POLLINaTION OF HOSPITALITY
Just as we wouldn't want to interrupt a restaurant guest’s meal by asking them to get up, head to the kitchen and pull their steak off the grill; we, similarly, don’t want to interrupt donors’ lives and require them to go out of their way in order to support a cause that's meaningful to them.
We’re all already too busy to do some of the things we want to do for ourselves…let alone have the time to do as much as we feel we should or could do for others.
In fact, many of us are so busy and strapped (for time and money); that we don’t even treat ourselves to vacations... or honeymoons anymore.
Hawser doesn’t want to inconvenience anyone or ask people to increase their consumption in order to benefit others by amassing points, discounts or rewards that can pile up from retailers or creditors who will then support the causes that are important to them.
We don't want to place contingencies on giving or a “suggested minimum” on gifts.
We just want to make it easier to give and say "Thank You" to those that do.
Hawser's mission with HawserApp is to weave social good into the daily lives of our users by creating a platform that facilitates fee-free spontaneous giving on demand.
Charitable giving, volunteering and conversations about charitable organizations don't have to be something separate from our daily routines. That’s why we decided to bring the collection basket to the table…or in this case, to the donors. This way, charities and non-profits don't have to bring donors to their collection basket.
Instead of monthly, quarterly or annual events that rely on large transactions - we want to focus on increasing the number of micro transactions by making them easier and less encumbered by red tape.
In our mind - an annual event is akin to a restaurant trying to make money only by hosting weddings and birthday parties. We think charities should be accessible 7 days a week. 24 hours a day.
With fee-free giving, the HawserApp brings any verified 501c(3)’s collection basket to: the couch, a theatre or stadium seat, your bedside table, the passenger seat of your car…and even the bathroom.
Like restaurants, a charity's special events are great money makers but the restaurant business has taught me the importance of being open for multiple day-parts.
REZZHOTEL
APPLYING IT ALL TO CHARITY
"Full Hands In. Full Hands Out.". reminds us that, by adopting a greater level of awareness, even the smallest efforts can make life a lot better for others.
It's with this mindset that Nathan, Bruce and I hope to leave the world a little bit better than how we found it or…at the very least leave our children the legacy of our example to try.
It's with this mindset that we realized piggybacking social responsibility onto the core structure of a personal communication platform might be the best way to get these two important things done at the same time.
So when we created our personal media platform (for nonprofits, friends, teams, bands, brands, restaurants and other small businesses); we decided to place every single member on equal footing...regardless of how many: "friends", "Likes" or advertising dollars they had.
The opportunity to integrate hospitality in the non-profit sector is evident in the tendency for many organizations to re-direct donors to multiple online pages or to suggest a minimum amount for a gift that a willing supporter may conveniently give...as is often the case with most text-to-give style donations.
But being transferred to a third-party website is inconvenient. And being subjected to a "prix-fixe" contribution is like saying "No" to any gift above or below that "recommended" amount*.
The Golden Rule in hospitality is “NEVER say No"...which makes a lot of sense if you recognize every guest (or donor) as your boss - and the one who is paying you.
Via: Yelp | Virginia's Fine Foods
Putting a minimum (whether mandatory or recommended) on a gift seems counter-productive in the non-profit space and for me, produces a cognitive dissonance when giving a "gift".
You wouldn't include those sort of "gift options" with an invitation to your birthday party so why would you do it for a charitable organization? Hawser's focus is on increasing the overall number of small donations for certified nonprofits rather than on increasing the size of fewer ones.
After all...a lot of small payments quickly add up to make a huge difference. Not just for restaurants but for nonprofits as well. It’s a numbers game. That's why most restaurants aren't prix fixe and that's why we don't set minimums on our giving platform.
*A 25 cent donation, at the highest average non-negotiated transaction rate by a credit card processors today, would generate a donation of a little more than 3 cents. And, if the number of people who participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (15 million+ people) gave that much...just twenty five (25) cents, it would have added up to more than $450,000.00. Not too shabby for a 3 cent donation.
If that same number of people were to have given from a debit card or some other transaction fee free method, it would have added up to over $3.75 Million.
http://www.marketingcharts.com/traditional/so-how-many-millennials-are-there-in-the-us-anyway-30401/
This is a game of pennies and every one adds up fast when you employ the power of social influence. If 3cents out of 25cents could add up that quickly... Imagine what a dollar means to someone who needs it a lot more than you.
CHARITY INFUSED WITH HOSPITALITY & TECHNOLOGY
New technologies and payment systems are now making it not only possible...but more and more beneficial for nonprofits to accept micro donations that previously had been too costly to process.
Secure virtual terminals are now being offered by more and more payment processors as well...like Square, PayPal, Chase Paymentech and First Data Merchant Services. The lessening of transaction costs and creative technologies like these combined with the increasing accessibility of simpler integrated solutions synergistically work with Hawser’s mission.
Simply stated: Doing the right thing isn't that expensive for the donor or the person collecting and transferring the donation anymore. That's why we can offer our service for free and in-turn hopefully interest more people to use it.
At Hawser, we're not trying to stage a media revolution, replace social media or convince nonprofits to abandon their text-to-give programs, postcard mailers or annual galas... in fact, we love social media! We're just offering the perfect free supplement to it.
Organizations that add HawserApp to their media tool kit are going to see the difference that can be made with direct guaranteed organic connections and a commitment to social benefits.
Native iOS and Android apps will be launching Fall 2016.
Interested in adding HawserApp to your media toolbox? Visit our informational page now.