"Loving Things" NGO

How about a non-profit Organization that commercializes products and services, that will be use to demonstrate love, forgiveness, generosity and affection…. that will facilitate and promote the flow of inner caring emotions outward, in the people …. that will aid the expression of love between members of a society.

When I lived in Holland, someone told me that my Latin character and temperament, contrasted positively in that society; that comment led me to conceive this project, named "Loving Things". In that time I had to go through a pretty delicate personal situation. Many people around me as well as government bureaus, were especially generous and kind. Therefore I have a great gratitude and affection for this country, which welcomed and helped me the way they did! I was able to overcome those experiences as I did, mostly because of how they were with me!
 
That experience gave me the opportunity to benefit and learn from the generosity of their culture! … how they open their arms for me… in general I found people and institutions willing to assist me! …. at the same time it contrasted with other characteristics as reserved, independent and polite but distant ....

So back to the project, I thought it would be cool a store selling items that facilitate the expression of some form of caring towards someone else ... a sort of " expression Latin tool " for a Germanic culture ☺  ... understanding that what makes us different (Latinos Vs Germanic), is the way of expressing, NOT what we feel ...

I remembered the cute “Love is….” cards (its origin is Holland, what a coincidence…), so popular many years ago… also recalled a store in Bogota named “Timoteo” that personalized cards according to what you would choose; thus would be this project….a site which will provide many different options to express a caring message.


CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ORGANIZATION
♥ Would operate as a nonprofit foundation, NGO, and part of the income will be donated to other NGO’s.
♥ The logo will be an imperfect heart, symbolizing that we love in an imperfect way, as human beings that we are.
♥ Will have retail stores and online sales.
♥ People with different religions, cultures and societies will feel at ease.
♥ Customers will be kids, adults, elderly; men and women; and all of them will find something to express their feelings to parents, friends, spouses, teachers, family, colleges, etc.
♥ The holding name will be “Let’s Love” or similar, and will promote franchising. These will differ depending on the country in which they are, according to the local culture, beliefs and way of expressing. Therefore will be very important the advice of sociologists and anthropologists among others, who will instruct in the local way of expressing.
♥ The slogan would be “Loving – Caring – Forgiving”
♥ The design of the website will be practical and useful, with questions and menu systems that will refine the search, achieving a quickly, easy and adequate choosing of the product or service.  We must expect that the customer won’t know exactly what he is seeking for, therefore the shops and the website should be design in a way to help the customer.

THE SHOPS
♥ The atmosphere of the place will evoke subtleness, simplicity, humbleness (well understood); this message will reach the customers through their senses, sounds, colors, smells and flavors (butter cookies or sweets).
♥ The decoration will be cozy, nice-looking, familiar, simple, nothing fancy, no frills, not fashionable neither elegant; there will be relaxing and harmonious background music; the smell will evoke flowers, fresh coffee or butter cookies coming out of the oven. Always bearing in mind the local culture.
♥ At the entrance of the shop, there will be a bulletin board that will guide through the products and services available. It will display sentences, expressions and gestures, caring related, that could be used to personalize the products.
♥ The shop will have the following departments
   •  The store where the articles will be exhibited and sold
   •  An area where the services are offered, such as sending flowers, promoting trips, etc
   •  An area where the products will be personalized such as cards, t-shirts etc
   • Coffee area named “Coffee and Mandalas”, which will promote socializing or individual crafts activity, like painting mandalas.
   •  General information area about NGO’s organizations, volunteers and donations
    •  Conferences and workshops area; that will be done by people from the organization, or external, but with related topics.
  •  Experiential area like the “Hunted House” but instead of fear, will evoke and recreate love, caring, forgiving, affection, through smells, shapes, images, sounds, etc creating a “pleasant feeling”

PRODUCTS & SERVICES
The products and services will be primarily economic, and will be nature conservative orientated. Items will refer to the five senses: sight, taste, smell, touch and hearing; and will shine for being different.

They will easily associate with expressions of love, affection, gratitude, forgiveness, desire, passion, rage, reconciliation and charity, among others. In a next post will publish some examples of them.

VOLUNTEER AND DONATIONS SECTION
This division will facilitate the decision and action for making a donation, or joining an organization as a volunteer.
Will keep updated information about local NGO’s and nonprofit organizations; and the data will be offered and organized, in menus which will guide the customer, in an easy and practical way, to a final decision.
For example, to choose if the organization should be national or international; if should benefit children, youth, adults or elderly; healthy or sick; if it requests donation in cash or also in kind... the clearer and updated information, the better results.
NGO name
Contact information (website, email, phone and address)
Name of contact person
Human group benefited as children, old people, etc.

For cash donations it will have "Gift Certificates – Let’s Share", which will be expanded in the next entry in this blog.

Have a nice day!