beseenbeheardbefound

Today is Give to the Max Day! A statewide day of giving. To learn more about this inspiring day, read Executive Director Sarah Putnam’s blog about when she first learned about Give to the Max Day and how Spare Key has celebrated this day since 2019!

Spare Key is partnering with their fellow Minnesotan organizations to host “Toys to the Max Day.” A day dedicated to collecting toys that will be used in this year’s holiday celebrations! Read on to learn more about what we have planned to celebrate Minnesota’s annual day of giving: “Give to the Max Day.”

Working on a small team brings its own set of opportunities and challenges. It helps you grow and learn in ways you’d never expect. And it teaches you that no one can do it alone. Here at Spare Key, we have a small but MIGHTY team of dedicated employees that put their heart and soul into their work. On top of that, we rely on knowledgeable partners, an extremely supportive Board of Directors, family, friends, volunteers, sponsors and more! Everything we accomplish for families facing medical crises is a direct reflection of these individuals’ dedication to Spare Key’s mission. Read on to hear Spare Key’s Chief Administrative Officer, Alexia Sebesta’s thoughts on working and growing within a small team!

In my nearly 11 years as Executive Director of Spare Key there was no single accomplishment of this organization that belongs to any single individual. It was the combined effort of a dedicated staff, a remarkable Board of Directors, generous donors, kind volunteers and the never-ending commitment to the families we serve and seek to serve to ask the question "What if?" When I became Executive Director I had zero experience running a non-profit. What I had, though, was a community of people and organizations who stood with me, by me and behind me to focus on answering the "What if?" questions with real and tangible efforts to help families facing a medical crisis "Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Found." by donors throughout the country to help them pay their bills. Sarah Putnam, Spare Key's current Chief Marketing Officer, will become the next Executive Director on November 1st. She will bring to the organization a level of passion, commitment and vision that I simply cannot wait to see put into action with the same kind of help and support I received nearly 11 years ago from a dedicated staff, a remarkable Board of Directors, generous donors, kind volunteers and the never-ending commitment to the families we serve and seek to serve by asking the question "What if?"

Working for Spare Key is a gift in itself. Director of Events and Corporate Relations, Talia Simonett, loves knowing the work that we do isn’t just a paycheck but it is truly making a difference. When she first started at Spare Key, one of her biggest responsibilities was working with Help Me Bounce families and assisting them through the application process. Little did she know one day she would be assisting one of her own loved ones to create a campaign on the platform. Read more on how a medical crisis can truly affect anyone.

Meeting with families that shared their story on Help Me Bounce is so incredibly inspiring. Hearing these families explain what Help Me Bounce meant to them while they were facing the unimaginable is humbling. We are SO much more than a place to donate. We give families a place to share their story. We give them one centralized location to tell their friends, family, and network what they are facing and where they need help. Further, we give these families a space to be discovered by donors across the nation they don’t personally know who still want to help. These donors are SO incredibly important to families facing the unknown. Read on to hear first-hand how important these donors were to the Peterson Family from Luck, Wisconsin.

Social networking is changing and so are the people that consume it. What people share, how they share and the networks they utilize are shifting. So how do you make the best use of social networking anymore for your own campaign? Read on for ideas along with a history of social networks.

Buying a raffle ticket to win a trip to Pebble Beach makes a HUGE difference in the lives of families facing unimaginable medical crises. The questions of “Who?”, “What?” and “Why?” behind that purchase are worth digging into deeper! Read Erich Mische’s most recent blog that covers why YOU should care about this raffle and how it impacts families on www.HelpMeBounce.org.

On September 15th, 2022, Spare Key is excited to once again be the Benefitting Charity at Lend Smart Mortgage’s Mike Lust Charity Golf Tournament presented by Network Title! With 150 golfers in attendance, this tournament is bound to be the “luckiest” one yet! Read on to learn about Mike Lust’s story, the charity golf tournament he inspired, and how you can get involved.

On Thursday, September 15th, Spare Key’s Executive Director will be running 25 miles to celebrate our 25th Anniversary! We are asking our community to run a mile alongside him! But, MORE importantly, we are asking our runners (or walkers!) to find a family on www.helpmebounce.org and raise funds for that family throughout the day! Read on to find out how Spare Key is pledging to help YOU double your impact for a family facing unimaginable medical crises on Thursday, September 15th!