2017 is officially in the history books and 2018 is upon us. So what lessons were learned that will help make 2018 your best year yet?
Highlights of 2017
In the pursuit to Do Thrift Better, here are highlights from 2017 that help chart the way forward in 2018.
- The 2017 SMCo Thrift National Training Conference on October 18th to 20th
- The rollout of dashboards and a major update for ThriftTrac
- PickUpMyDonation crossed $36 million in total pick up requests
- Live Q&A during group coaching sessions
- Increased sales of more than 25% for managed and coached partners
The SMCo Thrift Conference
The conference was put together relatively quickly, at the request of several partners, but its impact has been enduring and far reaching. With dozens in attendance, the conversations that took place between participants were as helpful as the content shared by presenters. Those interactions led
Dashboards and an Update for ThriftTrac
Turning data into actionable intelligence is paramount in the pursuit to Do Thrift Better. ThriftTrac was created to make the collection easier and the new dashboards help you visualize the data to inform your decisions. The implementation of dashboards at one partner resulted in a 15% boost in year-over-year sales.
Further changes improved performance as well as made ThriftTrac more visually appealing.
Donation Pick Up Requests Top $36 Million in Value
Over the past five years, PickUpMyDonation has made scheduling a donation pick up easy for donors across the country. It’s led to over 140,000 requests and $36 million in potential sales for those who follow up with donors and follow through on a pick up.
Live Q&A Sessions
Every week, the SMCo Thrift team shares a weekly agenda for team discussions with select partners. Every month, those same partners join in a live Q&A session with the SMCo Thrift team to pose questions raised from the weekly discussions or other “hot topics” they encountering. These monthly interactions have been both fun and challenging.
It was during a monthly group coaching session that participants voiced the need for a conference. It was during Q&A sessions that we identified topics for the weekly team discussions. It was during the virtual meetings that we heard updates of expansion plans and the questions associated with a new location.
Sales Jump By More than 25%
The previous highlights combined to drive sales higher for coaching and managed partners of SMCo Thrift, averaging more than 25%.
One new partner saw sales jump at one location by 64%, from $28K at the beginning of 2017 to $46K at the end of the year. Their average price per piece jumped by $1.50, from $1.86 to $3.36.
One long-term partner saw year-over-year sales increase by 26%. The jump was driven by an increase in donations from a newly opened donation center. It catapulted total sales from its two retail locations to over $1.1 million.
These two case studies exemplify the efforts of SMCo Thrift to partner with others to Do Thrift Better.
Dreaming for 2018
With the impressive highlights from 2017, it is easy to say “let’s just do it again”. And we certainly anticipate building upon these successes. But we’re not satisfied with stopping there.
The SMCo Thrift Conference
Plans for the next conference are already underway with the dates set for April 18th to 20th and the location in Knoxville. Additional content relevant for executive leadership and those starting a thrift operation is to come to provide more opportunities for conversation.
We plan to host a second conference in 2018 too to set a rhythm for an event every six months.
ThriftTrac
Dashboards will continue to become more powerful as customizations are made for each organization.
A big planned addition for 2018 is of a point-of-sale function, automating more of the data collection effort.
PickUpMyDonation
With the proliferation of smartphones, more people are using their devices to surf the web rather than making a phone call. So, an online scheduling option increases the likelihood those valuable donations will come to you. PickUpMyDonation provides online scheduling for dozens of partners and plans to add more partners with their own custom link .
Live Q&A Sessions
Monthly Q&A sessions will continue. And they will play an outsized role in determining what content we share in our conferences and our published content.
New videos will debut in the video library too.
Our Excitement
These dreams have heightened our excitement for all that will come in 2018. And we’re excited to Do Thrift Better alongside you, as you evaluate, manage and expand your thrift operation. Let’s partner together in 2018 to make the most of every opportunity.