Do You Want Quality or Quantity?

The debate of decades past, Quality vs. Quantity, means a lot to SKIP these days. In particular, SKIP's debates are regarding the care packages being shipped to our deployed military and as always, your comments, suggestions and persuasive arguments are welcome and appreciated.

SKIP's Quality vs. Quantity History

In the past 5 years SKIP has shipped 6,090 care packages to our troops and has another 550 care packages being shipped overseas next week. For 4 of those years the plan was to send the troops everything we possibly could, and for 4 years it worked pretty well until care package donations in bulk became few and far between. During those 4 years, SKIP was focused primarily on care package quantity – trying hard not to turn away any deployed military member who requested care packages.

This isn't to say that SKIP wasn't concerned about the quality of those care packages, but quality was not the primary focus.

The 5th year for SKIP brought with it several changes. Among those changes and probably the most important, was the switch to quality being of the most importance for the care packages and quantity taking a backseat. Unfortunately, and this can probably be said without any shock to you, SKIP struggled through the entire year just to be able to send approximately 900 care packages overseas – about 500 fewer than last year, and once again SKIP needs supplies and money in order to continue sending care packages.

Quality vs. Quantity Current Topics

SKIP needs to develop a consistency that promotes healthy growth for the organization. This plan must start with a will do attitude, completely eliminating will try from our vocabulary.

With President Obama's plan to drastically increase the number of troops in Afghanistan, including the 17,000 troops that have already received orders to take the fight to the Taliban, SKIP cannot quit and SKIP will not quit on them.

• Can SKIP support a large number of those troops over the next twelve to eighteen months?
  • Maybe, but more importantly, with your help SKIP can and will support at least some of them with care packages.
• What will SKIP care packages contain for the troops in 2010?
  • At this time, that has not been decided, but we are going over a couple of possibilities:
    1. easy–to–find Fun in a Box; eliminating hard–to–find items from the list
    2. reintroduce personal hygiene and other common care package items, but attempt to retain a fun focus to the care packages
• What can I do to help SKIP today?
  • Here are a few ideas:
    1. Share ideas and thoughts on fundraisers, what to send in the care packages, and quality vs. quantity.
    2. Financially Donate
    3. Donate to the care packages

Thank You For A Successful 2009

December, 2009... it is here and so is SKIP. The last part of that statement is entirely thanks to you. Closing out the remainder of this year and going into 2010 please take with you the will do attitude and drop will try from your vocabulary.

Happy Holidays to you and remember that SKIP will not quit on our troops.