Listening to Feedback from Customers

I was pleased to receive the note from Natahnee that was posted on this blog on April 26. It was good to hear that the special support components of our scholarship made a difference and helped her feel cared for during her time at college.

Natahnee also appreciates that NRC provides our scholarship recipients with Christmas stockings that are handmade by elders from the reservation communities we serve. The idea for the handmade stockings came from a group of elders who regularly gather to share lunch and socialize at one of the many Elderly Nutrition Centers we support with food on the Navajo Reservation. Following one of these food deliveries many years ago, we were sharing a meal with several elders. During the meal the elders mentioned they would like to have supplies to do sewing projects. Some of the ladies suggested that if National Relief Charities provided the materials, they could make Christmas stockings for college students away from home and baby blankets to welcome children born to women who participate in NRC prenatal care services. It was a great idea. Because the stockings and blankets are made by the elders, they have special meaning to those who receive them. The elders who sew are able to have a meaningful activity they enjoy and able to provide something special to other tribal members. It’s one of those great win-win-win ideas.

It seems to me that most of our best ideas have come from visiting with the people who participate in our services. Listening carefully to our partners and participants has helped us shape new services, create improvements to existing services, and make decisions to eliminate less than effective services.