I had to submit a proposal this week – a big one.

I hadn’t done anything like this for a long, long time, since most of our new customers come from referrals and don’t require an elaborate presentation to win the business.

But this one was different – and important, so a huge number of hours was invested to thoroughly address the client’s detailed RFP (Request for Proposal). The deadline was this past Wednesday, February 15. On that day the “send” button was hit at 5:48 pm (Pacific time) and a little prayer accompanied the familiar “swoosh” sound from the speakers of my Macbook Pro. I kind of expected a cacophony of celebratory sound – clanging cymbals and tooting horns – playing tunes like, “Celebrate” or “You’re the Best” or “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.” Like I said, this was a BIG proposal (73 total pages; 6 Addendums; 10.6 megabytes).

AND, the kicker: this was not a new client. In fact, we’d collaborated with this client on highly successful travel programs for years.

Why was this important? Why all that effort to impress a client who we’d already impressed over and over again? Quite simply, their Board of Directors was doing their due diligence, practicing careful vetting and asking for competitive bids from other credible travel companies before they made the important decision to outsource. And so we had to “strut our stuff” in a big way – to demonstrate the success they’d enjoyed and to illustrate our commitment and shared vision.

I’m not accustomed to “strutting our stuff,” asking for testimonials and documenting past successes in the way that we had to do with this project. We just do good work and win our customers’ loyalty year after year. I’ve always been modest (as was more or less beaten into me in Catholic school). But not knowing who or what we were up against, we knew we had to pull out all the stops with this one.

The client, Dining for Women, is a non-profit for which I’ve volunteered countless hours for almost six years and have been responsible for contributions totaling $33,623.03. My partner on this collaboration, Patricia Andersson, is a chapter leader in Portland, has raised lots of money and was responsible for creating and developing their travel program before I ever got involved with Dining for Women. Working together on this massive proposal project brought out the respective strengths and talents of two committed, globally-minded women, and bodes well for our future together – creating and managing extraordinary travel programs to visit the women we support.

Here’s the story of my personal history with this client: Like many socially-conscious companies are doing these days, I’d been searching for opportunities to make a significant contribution in a way that fit with my time limits, geography, and interests. I’d mentored a young girl from south-central LA – which didn’t jive with my geography (or inability to speak Spanish). I’d applied to be a Big Sister, only to be told a year later that there were no girls in my region in need of a Big Sister. So I donated money here and there but felt a need to give more of myself and more of my time.

When a friend told me about Dining for Women, I immediately checked them out online. Bingo! “Dining for Women is a global giving circle dedicated to transforming lives and eradicating poverty among women and girls in the developing world. Through member education and engagement, as well as the power of collective giving, Dining for Women funds grassroots organizations that empower women and girls and promote gender equity.”

Quite simply, a local chapter has a potluck dinner, and everyone in attendance donates whatever they might have spent to dine out at a restaurant. In the process, we learn about a grassroots NGO that supports women and girls.

I searched for a local chapter to join. There was one in Agoura Hills, but I learned that theirs was restricted to a close-knit neighborhood group. No problem – I’d start my own chapter! I looked at the calendar, composed an email and sent an invitation to everyone on my contact list within about a 20-mile radius. It worked – and we’ve been meeting every month since then to learn about worthy, established grassroots NGOs like the Etta Project, which was Dining for Women’s featured grantee for February.

The Etta Project is quite typical of the amazing power of one person to change the world. And typical of the kind of initiative to which Dining for Women (DFW) gives grants each month.

Etta Nixon was a 16-year old American high school student who traveled to Bolivia 12 years ago on an exchange program. Three months later, she died. Her distraught mother, Penney, searched for a way to create a legacy to honor her daughter. In rural eastern Bolivia – where 63% of the population live below the poverty line and have inadequate water, sanitation, and access to basic healthcare services – she created practical, sustainable projects to help impoverished villagers help themselves.

Dining for Women will provide a $40,000 grant to the Etta Project to train 50 local village women to become Health Promoters (HPs) to educate, serve, treat and support their communities. The need is basic: to educate about basic sanitation and teach women about reproductive rights as well advocate against domestic violence. They’ll help mothers give birth. They’ll administer basic vaccines and antibiotics. They’ll be an example to their daughters and sons. They’ll gain self-esteem. They’ll make a modest income. They’ll share their knowledge. They’ll gain the trust of indigenous people who are suspicious of western medicine. They’ll prevent needless suffering, save lives and lift hopes for thousands of people in their 11 villages. All for only $40,000!

Every month I get inspired by the incredible and positive things that are being done all over the world. Our dollars go a long way in these countries.

So, to have the honor to organize travel programs to take Americans to visit these kinds of projects and meet the women we support is a labor of love. THAT’s why this proposal was so important.

In the process of pulling everything together, our proposal included stories of some of the extraordinary connections we made with women on the opposite side of the globe; it included testimonials that made me blush. And other evidence of the things we do with our groups that we simply take for granted because it’s just what we do. To gather it all together and put it into a document was both humbling and empowering.

Here’s a sampling of the life-changing impact these journeys had for some of the travelers:

• A woman who traveled with DFW to Indonesia in 2013 was disillusioned with her tech job. She was inspired by a fellow traveler who works as a midwife. After visiting Bumi Sehat, a non-profit that provides safe birthing, she returned home, quit her job, and started midwifery training. She became a certified midwife in 2016.
• After visiting Mariposa in the Dominican Republic in 2015, a woman convinced her sister, a mosaic artist, to lend her skills to create artwork to beautify the complex. They raised funds to cover their expenses and returned to the D.R. in January to produce a beautiful mosaic project for Mariposa’s pavilion.
  

  I may not have mentioned how much fun we have on DFW trips! This photo was taken on a misty morning in Halong Bay before we went out on a kayak excursion.

And the testimonials that made me blush:

• “The coordination and the travel arrangements were superbly done, the itinerary was fascinating, and great value for money. Talking about the powerful experiences is harder. The friendships, and the joy and wonder of the places and people we encountered are difficult to put into words. I did become much more involved with DFW and subsequently became a chapter co-leader and a member of the Grant Selection Committee. Perhaps I would have done both of those things anyway but my travel experiences provided insights, context, and perspectives to help me do those things with confidence and with greater heart.” 
• “You really were our fearless and full-of-boundless-energy leader. Thank you so much for leading our group – your energy, flexibility, enthusiasm and patience were amazing.” 
• “To travel with Marilyn Murphy is to be greeted with delights and wonder you could not plan for yourself. All your research pales next to her experience, preparation, and joy in discovery. For Marilyn, the organizing purpose of the trip goes deeper than just travel and enjoyment, it comes from her heart. She strives for a cultural understanding and connection. She plans activities that connect with the actual lives of people in the community.  She added volunteer projects into her trips to support local culture long before Dining for Women existed. So, to have someone who cares so deeply plan and organize the trips will provide the DFW travelers an opportunity to see the country and the people with no time wasted, with delight and wonder at a price that is always reasonable – so the most people possible can participate. I have been on four WOW trips with Marilyn: to Africa, Cuba, Turkey/Greek Islands, and to Myanmar/Vietnam. The DFW women on this last trip convinced me to start a DFW chapter in LA. I’m ready to go on the next one!” 

All business is important to me. All customers become friends. I hate to lose any business – even to a worthy competitor. But this one is extra special because the mission of the organization is so integral to what I’ve found most valuable in the almost 40 years I’ve been doing what I’m doing.

We’ll have their decision in a month. Say a little prayer that we’ll be clanging cymbals, dancing a happy dance and popping the cork!

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Comments?  (Let me know if you are interested in Dining for Women – I’ll get you started!)