Geoff Davis 0:04
The honest truth is when I, I was sitting there and and Matt struggling, but I was still like, why am I doing this? Right? I'm a 50 year old fat guy that starting this nonprofit. Why do I care about this issue? And I'm like, What is this about? What is this about? And then it kind of hit me, like a real cliche Disney moment, right? But it was like, oh my god, this is about this is about dignity. This is about someone's dignity and and that really resonated with me. And so even now that our tagline is about health and dignity, it's about health, because you can't have folks changing tampons every two days, or using a t shirt. Right? And, and, and also, you can't have folks having to choose between basic needs.
Monica Pitts 0:55
You're on mission, and you just need more people to know about it. And whether you're brand new to marketing or a seasoned pro, we are all looking for answers to make marketing decisions with purpose. I'm Monica Pitts, a techie crafty business owner, mom and aerial dancer who solves communication challenges through technology. This podcast is all about digging in and going digital. I'll share my marketing know how and business experience from almost 20 years of misadventures, I'll be your backup dancer. So you can stop doubting, and get moving towards marketing with purpose. Hello, again, and welcome back to marketing with purpose. So if you're on my email list, you got an email a few months ago, and I asked if anybody had a story to tell, because I wanted to share the successes of other people with our marketing with purpose community. So that way you could hear what are the things that are working for people? What are the mindsets that they embody, that make them successful? And I'm I'm trying to wrap that more into our episodes and, and still give you something to take away and chew on and take action with as well. And this person responded to me, I'm actually going to read you the email. He said a 50 year old guy starts a nonprofit tackling period poverty, and in four years operates in three states and handed out almost 2 million products. Could there be something there? Hope to talk to you soon. That was the email. And when I read that email, I thought, oh, yeah, I gotta hear this story. And so I am bringing Geoff Davis on as our guests. So you can hear his story about how he went from a conversation with a person to a person giving dignity to everyone, and even creating change about how we view menstrual cycles and how we talk about them, with our families, and in our communities. It's pretty amazing. Now, here's the deal. If you are a business, there is still something in this for you. Okay, I know we have listeners who are businesses, we have listeners who are nonprofits. And I'm sure some of you businesses might be thinking, You know what, this might not be for me. But here's the deal, it totally is. Because marketing with purpose is all about serving your audience, about embracing your marketing with a heart of servitude, and there is no entity that does that better than a nonprofit, a nonprofit is delegated by its tax status, not by its operations, a good nonprofit runs like a business. And you're going to hear the story of how Geoff took this idea of period kits, and ran it like a business fearlessly and found success and helped so many people in multiple states, all over the US. And he's not just helping individuals get feminine products. He's also helping create period kit organizations all over. It's awesome. It's such an inspiring story. And I'm so pumped to share it with you. And the crazy thing is, is I'm giving him this credit, and he's probably over there just like shaking his head if he's listening to this episode, because he says that's not what it's all about. It's about people helping other people. And that's it. The end, you can tell these people that the tampon fairy dropped off these kits for all I care as long as people get them. And they have the dignity of being able to have the products that they need to be healthy and proud of their own bodies. So with that, I want to introduce you to Geoff, you're going to love him. And it doesn't matter if you're a business marketer or a nonprofit. This story has a nugget of goodness in it for you. Let's get to business. Hello again and welcome back to marketing with purpose. Now we have a pretty vast audience of different types of listeners. We have some people Who are businesses, we have nonprofits, we have marketers. So we have all kinds of people that listen to this podcast. And one of my favorite things to do is find people with great stories, and to share their stories and their successes with you. Because I know that some of you guys are at the beginning of entrepreneurship are at the beginning of establishing your nonprofit, or maybe you're just in the grind every single day. And you need to find what it looks like on the other side of that journey. And so I have a special guest with me today. And I invited him in because he has a really fun story to tell us. I would like to introduce you to Geoff Davis. And I would also like to introduce you to his nonprofit period kits. Geoff, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your organization.
Geoff Davis 5:50
Hi, yeah, my name is Geoff Davis. I started the organization and Denver, Colorado, about four and a half years ago, I was having coffee with someone that had lived experience. And we were just talking about things and they made a comment, I've had food and I've had tampons, and I had to put the food back. And that kind of hit me and resonated with me. But also, I'm very food motivated. So I asked, I asked, I said what are folks do if you're worried if you're just really hungry that day? As there's like, oh, people use napkins folks use newspapers, folks use socks for shoes, the words on what she says folks will ration their tampons or change a tampon every other day, or things like that. So that was the hem the seed and then I had always worked in nonprofits in Denver. So I started talking to folks to find out what she just not that good with money, or is this a thing and nonprofit, a nonprofit that especially that dealt with folks in the homeless space? You know, this is an issue, this is an issue. And one lady really explained it best for me. She said if you tell people, persons experiencing homelessness, the majority of folks picture man, the majority of folks who show a 55 year old man with a bottle in his back pocket, because that's easy for them to think about. We don't think about women and we we never think about children. Right? But then the reality is right now there are kids sleeping in cars, and there are so so because of that her point was donations are skewed towards the male. And so she was someone that ran an agency that serves homeless people that rent a really, really good ID Card program. But they were taking money from that program to go buy tampons. And I thought, Well, no, let's, let's let's start let's do this period kits thing. Let's start something where nonprofits should be able to focus on their mission, this and then and then we can do this. And so that's literally how it started. We applied for a 501(c)(3) and it just kind of blew up on us since then.
Monica Pitts 8:05
But this isn't your first experience working with nonprofits right? You You came from experience and have worked for nonprofits before. Tell us your backstory like what did you do before you started period kids.
Geoff Davis 8:19
I had spent I briefly had a far from illustrious Air Force career. And then I got out of Air Force, I had a set of twins that were born 13 weeks early, they weighed a pound for each. And so I had the Air Force stay in my wife at the time knew what she was doing the Air Force is what she wanted to do. So I stay at home dad, and then moved to Denver, Colorado, had a couple of jobs that were in the for profit world and made decent money but was just miserable. And got laid off. And at the time, though, and I knew that job. And I got a job working with adults with special needs. And I think I was there two or three weeks and and came home and I was like I am doing this forever. Right and I and I wasn't in a team and we kind of had the highest level needs. Our folks were changes and G tubes and we had freedom. But I just loved it. I fell in love with it and and worked in that space for about 16-17 years. Kind of towards the end got some burnout working with I was working with sex offenders, there were sex offenders because of their disability. And after about a year three years of that four years of that just got a little bit of burnout. So I went to the work with folks who are experiencing homelessness. I had a job in between that where I started a really cool program in Denver. I worked with a junk hauling company. And but my art My job was to keep everything we picked up out of the landfill. So we recycled what we could recycle but then the rest we worked with other nonprofits, for bedding for towels for sheets for plates for whatever was why our job was to keep that landfill. So just did that. And I had always been in that kind of space. And so this just seemed like and here's here's something that's not being talked about. Here's something that that's an issue. And so there's something I can do about it. Well, why not do something about it.
Monica Pitts 10:24
now having worked for lots of different nonprofits, you probably saw some that ran really well, and some that didn't run as well. Can you tell me some things that you took away from those experiences that you feel made you more successful when you established period? Kids?
Geoff Davis 10:40
Yeah, I think I think two things really one, I think if you're it, I will change when I started my own nonprofit, because because I always joke around. So that was weird when the buck started stopping with me, right, and but I think you have to remember that you're starting a business, but you have to be profitable. Just because it says nonprofit, it just means you have to do something different with your profit. So you have to run it very much like a business and you have to invest in infrastructure, and you have to invest in marketing. And first probably $600 $700 we ever got, we put right back into a CRM program, and we paid somebody to do social media for 25 bucks a month for it, and a drink, like we have. So those are things you have to do. I think also, what I see is that nonprofits have a real scarcity mentality, some nonprofits, I should say, like, This is mine. And these are my grants. And these are mine. And all the success we've had continues to be with collaboration, partnering with other nonprofits, doing events at the library, then that will draw folks into the library, but benefit this nonprofit in this town. And so the I think collaboration is huge.
Monica Pitts 11:54
So running your nonprofit with the mentality of a small business, and collaborating with other nonprofits. That was absolutely
Geoff Davis 12:00
you shouldn't be afraid to collaborate, there's enough, I think it was enough goodwill out there to to find it and find your niche. And and and I think being very, very focused, when we first started period kits, folks would would be like, Oh, you shoul put toothpaste, and you should put soap in there. You should but and I was like, No, this is this is what we do. And these are the folks that we support. If you want to go start hygiene kits for the homeless or whatever, then you should, but for us, you know, we're going to support this need. And we're going to focus all our efforts on this need.
Monica Pitts 12:37
I think that is great advice. Like, I want to get so excited over that advice that you just gave, because really focusing on one need, allows you to really serve that purpose and do it successfully. And, and, and make a difference through it, I find that some nonprofits will just start kind of expanding, because people see them, they know that they're capable, they're like, Hey, will you do this too? Will you do this too. And then before they know it, they're not picking what they do anymore. Someone else picked what they do for them, and they're spread too thin, and they can't make it. Like they can't make the same difference anymore. So while I man, and I applaud people for being so incredibly generous with their time and their talents, I think it's really, really smart, to still stay really focused the way that you have done because then you're also not a threat. You know, like people like that might be one of the reasons you have more success collaborating, because people realize that you're not, you know, you're not taking from them, you're benefiting them. Now, they don't have to find a way to fit tampons in their into their budget, because you're doing it for them.
Geoff Davis 13:49
No, no, absolutely right that it shouldn't be very, as someone wants to drift around. And they call us apple that like you guys make iPods and kind of like, I mean, we want to do one thing we want to do really, really good. And I know Apple does a bunch of different things now and but for us to be successful, it's also when you're talking about an issue that I know nothing about. Other than daughters and wives and right. I've gotta stay focused on this and address that issue. So that was very important, I think.
Monica Pitts 14:21
Now one question that. So a lot of gentlemen, don't even like to talk about the fact that women have periods are super uncomfortable with it. I remember like my husband, God bless him. He's an amazing man. And one day I was sitting at home, I didn't feel well. And I was like, he's like, Do you need anything from the store? And I'm like, yes tampons, and he's like, okay, got it. And he's like, in the aisle FaceTiming me trying to find the exact box that I want, you know, but a lot of guys wouldn't do that. So like, how did you become comfortable enough within your own skin and when You know, human beings to the needs of human beings that you were willing to, like, go out on a limb and do this, especially as a guy, that's kind of cool.
Geoff Davis 15:08
Well, I had I had, so I have twin daughters, as well as twin sons. And then along the way, I inherited three girls. So in the house, we have five girls all under the age of 12. And so as the girls got older, and the first one served that period, I called my wife and this was a big, big, I didn't know what at the time, right, but this was a big thing. I called her and said, hey, just so you know, this is what you come home to. Sally started her period. And she was like, Okay, and so on the way home, she stopped by the store, and made whole this whole kind of welcome to womanhood basket. And that tampons, and it had pads and had liners. And I had pampering and I had chocolate, and all these things. So what it did, though, for our little house, it was just normalized this this event. So the next daughter was looking forward to it. Well, what would I get when I start, the third daughter was talking about it. And then when she started the two older ones, when they got her to tender, so cute, they bought her like a red velvet cake. Because he thought it'd be very funny. But it just it was just, it was just my life with five girls, a wife. And then also the honest truth is when I, I was sitting there and not struggling, but I was still like, why am I doing this? Right? I'm a 50 year old fat guy, that storing this nonprofit? Why do I care about this issue? And I was I really like I think, as I was on the couch, because I was snoring? And I'm like, What is this about? What is this about? And then it kind of hit me like a real cliche, Disney moment, right? But it was like, oh my god, this is about this is about dignity. This is about someone's dignity. And that really resonated with me. And so even now that our tagline is, it's about health and dignity, it's about health, because you can't have folks changing tampons every two days, or using a t shirt. Right? And, and, and also, you can't have folks having to choose between basic needs I don't have to choose as far as you know, going to the toilet. My toilet paper has always been there. So so we need to get as a bigger thing we need to get where it's a bodily function that I always say like no one has ever been like, hey, you know what? That sounds really cool. I want one of those every month for 35 years. Where do I sign up? Right?
Monica Pitts 17:37
She said to me the other day, she's like, Mom, does it ever get last weird? And I was like, No, I mean, like, no, like, I wish I could tell you that it does anybody. It really doesn't. And it's always just a little weird. It's and I've had
Geoff Davis 17:53
lucky to add some, some daughters that were very open and honest about things and had one time where one of my daughters get off the couch and she's command stomped to the bathroom and mad walked out of it right? And I'm like, What is Walk with you? And she was upset she was I get more warning about blizzard or a hurricane than I do about my period. And so there's that factor as well. And so we're hopefully when when we first started, I said to the folks that were involved in the board, I said, if y'all think a man leading this organization is a detriment, then I'll just be in the background. I'll be you know, do work and whatever. And have one friend God bless him. She's very, very, very kind of dramatic and poetic. And she's a bit and she's like, but what she said was she was like no, because what you what it does is a new, not me, literally, but you transcend the issue. Because it's not just a woman thing. And if a woman started this organization, it would be unfortunately, oh god. Here's another one with another gripe, though. So what you do is and what I hope to do is just to make it about it's just a person. Right and and and also a period for them is the reason we're all here is just how the plumbing works, right? Yeah. So for the man like Get over yourself. It's not No, but I'm still I've been to events man who are focused, more men won't touch the products. And I've had to stop and be like, Look, you're not gonna catch menstration. I promise you. Right? So just put some tampons in a bag and and deal with it. Pull up your big girl panties. And let's go let's build some gets.
Monica Pitts 19:39
That's actually you know what you're right. It is actually advantage to have a person like you at the head of the organization because you can pull all humans together in a really cool way. And it's really funny you can't catch menstration that
Geoff Davis 19:57
Well, I mean, I was like the point right? I I've clearly never been hungry. But I can donate to a food bank. Yeah, I've never, ever really, really been told. But I can donate a tent or a sleeping bag or whatever that happens to be. So just as I don't have the lived experience, it doesn't mean I'm not compassionate. And I can I told Ashlyn when I first get to know her, I said, the minute you said that, like I pictured you in the grocery store with a cup of noodles, a box of tampons, and she's like, I hate cup of noodles. So I'm like, Okay, well, but the point is, right. There you are, you're making this choice. And it's a choice. No one should have to make it they don't have to.
Monica Pitts 20:40
So tell me a little bit about how you grew this. Because you it's not just period kits with period, kits to Minnesota. And you also in Ohio. I mean, like, why did you do like, how did you? I mean, it's only four years old? How did it get so big, so fast?
Geoff Davis 20:59
I think I mean, it's something that I did, and it's not that I'm any brilliant mind or anything. It a is is really just a reflection of that need. that's out there right now. Around a subject that is so taboo or stigmatized, right? But what are some of the I mean, some of the things that the first thing we did, or I did was like, I don't know, social media. I admit that I made one Thanksgiving dinner with my with the kids. I'm like, I didn't know you couldn't post to Instagram from your laptop. And they are laughing at me and call me Boomer the rest of the Thanksgiving Day, right? But so what I did with period kits, Okay, fine, that 26 year old, find that 24 year old and see if they'll do it for free to start with or do it for 25 bucks a month. But they know the algorithm, don't post it nine in the morning, posted 330 On Friday, or whatever that happens to be right. And so that's that's how we grew. We were on the news, we got very lucky that we had we started off having public events where we just get together at a coffee shop and say bring supplies. We're gonna build kits because we had no money. So until so just that's how we grew. We grew by word of mouth. And we grew honestly, like never afraid to talk about the issue. never afraid to talk about what I did. I never. I wasn't always comfortable. Yes. Oh, you're a man or these things. Really became though kind of a rallying point, though. Because I've met like, so what? Right? You can help to wherever that is. So and I talked about period kits every at the Kiwanis. And if I one time to the Kiwanis group in November, and I didn't know what I go to I grew up in England. So when the guys were like, What are you familiar with Kiwanis? I'm like, Yeah, you guys build pools, don't you? I had to I didn't know about the organization. But I still talk to you know, 20 80 year old men over breakfast, about about period poverty. And they were some of the biggest individual checks I got in the beginning. And then I think when we leaned into it, like like, if you're gonna lean into, like, lean into what you're dealing with. We had our first event was called, it's a Bloody Sunday. We had bloody marys, we had a taco bar, we had a four foot tampon pin yada. Because, again, no shame in what we're doing. Right? So So let's, but we say that told us act, that's ours, we can grow it. Right? If we're saying one thing, let's act like it, let's do it. And so we're talking about periods, we're talking about menstration, all those things. Just lean into it and go with it and talk about it. And we had an event. We're planning an event. That's one of the things one of the things that bothered me, the more I know about this, and learn about this are all these like euphemisms. Like Shark Week, my daughter calls it shark week. I've never heard that. Now my Yeah. And so we want to have an amp and also part of the story is I grew up prior to that I was 22. I would didn't know I didn't think women could go swimming on their period. Because I was told they can't buy a 13 year old Billy. I'm not going to ask my mom I'm not going to ask my sister. I'm just going to keep believing that. So in Colorado, they couldn't go camping because the bears but part of it is having an event where you encourage folks to to wear bathing suits to wear white bathing suits and just kind of throw and I'm a little bit older and grew up in England, like I said, and have a little bit of punk rock kind of in your face. But no, this is what we do and this is what we support and and that helped. I think that helped us grow immediately. And then one thing we did too was that I've been told helps us grow and now is I continue to see It is, we had events in different suburbs of Denver, if we were up in Boulder if we were, and wherever we were, the kits stayed there, we found an agency in around that bar or restaurant or coffee shop, or whatever it was, that would have set the kits. So during the kit building event, when I say my, my three minutes of words, or whatever, it's it's very impactful to say being the stuff you do today stay in here. We had one last night in Ohio. And we were in Springfield, Ohio, to be able to tell all those folks that didn't go to the Springfield Public Libraries, these quarters, the Springfield, food bank, and these go to the Springfield Public Schools. It just it just there's that sense of pride and folks around, get involved and stay involved.
Monica Pitts 25:52
Now, if you are going to tell new nonprofit like the one activity that you would say you need to do this, because this is going to move the needle for you, this is going to help you get more supporters, this is going to help you grow your organization, what do you think that one thing would be?
Geoff Davis 26:09
Find a way to collaborate with other nonprofits. Find a way he said have an event that benefits the library, the kids, you're gonna go to the food bank. And then and then also what happens is, have someone from the food bank there and my case, have someone from the food bank there that will also say a few words about your Community Food Bank, and what this then means to the food bank. Because of this, we're gonna have to go out and spend $700, on tampons, pads and liners or whatever that is, right. There's enough there's enough for everybody out there that God Lord knows is enough need out there. So address that need and find ways to collaborate with and sometimes it's not always like minded nonprofits. Right? But you can even So figure out ways to collaborate and that would be my one word, my kids. And, and really also, though, like, at some point, we talked about, no, you talked about a startup. And so we were doing Denver Startup Week, how to start a nonprofit. And 40, we're out we were on a panel and the 45 minutes of SWOT analysis and business plans, and, and all these things, and I got really frustrated. And and I kind of grabbed the mic. And I'm like, I don't know the difference between a SWOT analysis and a SWAT team. But at some point, you need to go do. Right, you just need to gather something. And if you fail, so what? Right my daughter when she was little when she was seven, she told me a little smart aleck and say, Dad, it's not rocket surgery. And I'm like, no kid is not there's no such thing as rocket surgery. But you don't have to have it figured out. Just go, you're not gonna, you're not gonna cause any harm. If you mess up. So what first thing I ever asked was, I had to ask, what's the difference between a pad and a liner? Because I didn't know. Right? So so just go out there and fail and fail as much as you can. You still feel negative, the cliche, right? You're failing forward. If my kits were built wrong in the beginning of this, there's still but the bottom line is this product is getting into the hands of the people that need it. And that's the important thing.
Monica Pitts 28:27
In my family, we have a saying. And we say that when we are refusing to take a step forward, because we are looking at too much information. And we just keep information gathering it well, one, I call it like, I just get overwhelmed with all this stuff. And then I get frustrated with myself because I'm not moving forward. And I'm a person that likes to really like future pace, right? But we call it paralysis by analysis. And I actually have a podcast episode about paralysis by analysis, I should actually check when the callate when it comes out in the calendar. It will come out after our conversation, so look for that in August, my friends, I Okay. I mean, it really is it's a thing. You have to be able to just realize you're never going to have all the information and you won't have any more information, really until you do something. And then you make the decision. And you'll learn from it. And then you can go forth and make that decision and how it's like whatever decision you made was the right decision as you made it with what you had right.
Geoff Davis 29:39
When we built the kits we started with with. We started with three months kids we started with 40 tampons, 20 pads, 20 liners, package of wipes and five pair of underwear. And I would always say though, like for my daughter Kaylee that may last six months for Kerra that may last six minutes sometimes It's a very, very personal thing. So but we needed something, because we're a business. So we needed a metric. Right? And then we need to know what's an inventory, what's not an inventory, what logistics, all these things. When we did a one month kit, we spent probably an hour and a board meeting, talk about the numbers, by the end was like, Okay, we're doing 14 tampon, 7 pads, 7 liners. And because that's just right, I don't want to sit here all day, did you? Then we got feedback. What we found was really interesting, as we were heading out kits, during COVID, Denver had these distribution days called we hear you, we got you. And they were drive through events where you drive through the trunk popped, and the food bank was there, and the diaper bank was there, and the pet pantry was we found certain cultures, certain pockets of this, if we were in a spirit Hispanic community, if we were in a refugee community, they were stopping the lines to take tampons out and get back to us. Be culturally, they for whatever the reason they don't use them. Right? So then we came up with a second kit that's in a different colored bag, that's just pads and liners,
Monica Pitts 31:18
and haven't made that decision to just move on with the first kit, you never would have learned what you needed out of the second kit. And by examining how people were interacting with your kits, you learn and you made them better, and you came up with one that is more effective for those folks. And
Geoff Davis 31:36
that suits the needs, which is what you want to do. And and so don't be afraid to fail and don't pay any I mean, we have very had people on social media with their negativity and can't believe you don't use the menstrual cups. They're sustainable, and they Well, but if you're in the position of someone living on the streets, to even know when they're going to be able to have access to hot water, or a bathroom. That doesn't suit me. When I worked. When I worked with folks experiencing homelessness, we were so intense, we get these large pallets of canned goods donated. And after a while after you get to know the folks at Tulsa folks, they hate canned goods because they're heavy. And they don't have a can opener. Oh, yeah. So think about don't don't think about I think everything should be organic and spun by unicorns, and all those things, right. But but that's not practical for the end user. And that's where you've got to start. Well, that's where you seven should be at the end of your thought process, who's using this stuff.
Monica Pitts 32:42
I think this is great advice not for just for nonprofits, but for businesses to especially young businesses. Because there's just so much to learn from the heart of servitude from a nonprofit, I really believe that businesses that run with the heart of a nonprofit, and nonprofits that run like a business are two of the most successful entities that you can have. Because when you're when you're really concerned with the person that you're doing this for, whether it's a service that you do for your business, or a service that you do through a nonprofit, that makes it even better, and it makes it the right thing for them. And it's going to help them solve their problem, and it will help them live a better life. And that's that's sort of what we should be all about. Right? No matter. Yeah. And that's how we all find happiness, too.
Geoff Davis 33:32
And I think with nonprofits too, you know, unless you do direct care or you're, for me, the goal was to be out of business in 10 years. Because because the issue because you know we're talking about it somebody else's the period products aren't on on benefits aren't covered by snap aren't covered by TANF in 12 or 20. States. They're still taxed. The tax sale tax in Colorado they caught they told me they're attached because they were luxury item. Oh, dear. So I got real mad and I was like, Well, I been missing out on luxury every month for about 30 years. So I feel like y'all owe me something. But what there's all these big issues, right? And we want to address those but we don't want to we don't want to try and be at the legislation and at the organic summit and at the right now. My my whole thing was I'm starting this thing too. I want someone to not have to use a newspaper. And we'll go from there. Right? We try not to some products don't have applicators. We try not to use those or we get those two organizations that we know have folks that are housed. Right and so so you're conscious of that, but it shouldn't be a driving factor in what you do.
Monica Pitts 34:49
Do you have any final words or advice that you want to share with our audience businesses, nonprofits, either one that are like driving after a pass? Then and, and working with this heart of servitude,
Geoff Davis 35:04
I think you should at least go for it and you figure it out. As you're going along, right? You don't have to be an expert, you don't have to, I used to tell my kids and kind of the same thing. When we started, when I started period kits, it's like, you make the best decision you can with the information you have at the time, in six months, you're genius. Oh, you're an idiot. And then you correct and that's just kind of what life but I should have dated her I shouldn't have dated him whatever it is, but you've got to do something. So don't don't wait for that perfect opportunity. Don't wait for the perfect moment, just go out and start doing things. And and, and don't be embarrassed by what you do. Don't be embarrassed of what your cause is. Just preach from every chance you get, because because that $5 A month donor at the is also on a $25,000 donor. We talked to somebody last night at the events just because we had a public event with public people, they work at a large corporation, that corporation called me today they want to donate and want to have a kid build with their employees. This is a huge company. So we're gonna have we're gonna have this a little event and a little co working space in Springfield, Ohio, it wouldn't happen. Talk about what you do all the time to everyone and and believe him, believe in what you do, and just go for it and don't sit around waiting.
Monica Pitts 36:28
And I love that you've stayed true to yourself to like, like your concept and the way that you present it. And the way that you talk about it. You're just very much this is this is what it is. This is how it is. And I feel like in that way, you're you're probably doing more than just giving people dignity. You're also allowing, like our culture to shift the way that we think about having your period like, like, even just you saying that. It is like you wouldn't be here without it. I never thought about it that way. Right? That is that's really cool. So like, why do we have to freak out about it? Why does it have to be gross? Why does that have to be right? It doesn't have to be?
Geoff Davis 37:09
Yeah, it's like that. To generalize. It's like the cause of men. Right? We don't understand it, we don't go to it. So so it's just belittle it. And I think it's very important to know just and just one more thing that was a huge point for period kits was we're at the Women's March in 2020. And we had lots of people stop by our booth. They're like, Oh, this is amazing organization. You build these kits, and you send them to Tanzania, or you build these kits and you send them to Mumbai, or like insert foreign country. And after a while I got really upset. I'm like, No, I sent them to Boulder. I sent them do our bad and and people need to know that this is here. This is in our country. These are our daughters, our sisters, our mom, whatever it is, right. And I when I get emails from the local high school, they have a 14 year old in the office, because you're changing our tampon every other day. We just use a one I'm in school. But now she's sick. Right? So you just need that to know that this is here. But I like what you said like just lean into it and and don't miss anything. Regret is poison. Right? You just sit around Oh, I should. And theres I should have done this, I shouldn't know. Just go do it. Who cares?
Monica Pitts 38:25
Well, I appreciate what you're doing. And I appreciate that you're taking care of your community. But even farther reaching than that, and I'm I'm so I'm happy for your success. I'm happy for everybody who gets to have the kids in the future, the conversation that you've started today. And hopefully it spreads even wider, and people can look at it differently. And they can also realize that they can help someone else have dignity through helping them have feminine products, which is awesome. So thank you so much for sharing today. I knew you were going to be energizing and just make me feel like a million bucks by the end of this conversation. It's such an awesome story. Tell people how they can get a hold of you or learn more about your organization. Yeah, it's just
Geoff Davis 39:11
periodkits.org or periodkitsohio.org Or it's Periodkitsmn.org. And probably also, if you're really interested in starting one in your town, I sat with 20 different cities probably and helped start programs from like Tacoma to Tampa Bay. So email or email me at Geoff D
[email protected]. Or also there's a national group, the Alliance for period supplies as part of the national diaper bank. They have a lot of great resources as well.
Monica Pitts 39:46
Yeah, thank you so much for this conversation. And thank you so much for your service. You're doing amazing work. And everybody.
Geoff Davis 39:52
Thank you very much.
Monica Pitts 39:54
Thank you for listening, and until next time, go for it and mark it with purpose. To get a copy of the shownotes, and all those links that we just heard from our guests, head on over to Mayecreate.com, and mayecreate.com. And of course, I have to tell you the things that all podcasters are supposed to tell you at the end of your episodes. Like, if you thought this was awesome, you could subscribe. And then I would like get to tell you when I have new stuff for you to learn, and new episodes and new people to meet new stories to tell. And of course, I would really love it if you left your review. So head on over to Mayecreate.com. For those show notes, mayecreate.com. Or maybe even contact my team about building that next website. We can do it for you. And we even have our better than DIY website program that teaches you to plan and build your own website. So head on over to May create.com ma yecreat.com. I'll meet you over there.
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