Six year old Natalie Dolan sold her old toys to raise money for Greenpeace New Zealand, here she presents staff with her cheque.
Greenpeace supporters are our biggest secret - they are our
cyberactivists, volunteers, donors; they are young, old, rich, poor
from all walks of life and from all over the world. Our Supporter
Service teams are at the ready around the world, to support our
members with any queries about campaign related information,
sending out newsletters and instructions on how to bequeath money.
They are also ready to send back corporate or government money -
that is the kind of help we don't want or need!
Each team has speciality skills to deal with local issues - like
our team in Switzerland. They look after 143,000 members in three
different languages. Greenpeace International, Supporter Services
takes care of the membership service for supporters who live in
countries where we do not have an office.
Dedicated Supporters:
Some
members of the public are determined to support us, no matter what
difficulties arise. For instance, when Cristina Page - a US student
studying in Luxembourg - met Damiano (part of the Direct Dialogue
team) she decided to donate 50 euros. Unfortunately, there were
complications with the bank transactions - but this didn't deter
her as her emails relate:
"I recently donated 50 euros to Greenpeace through one of your
representatives, Damiano, in Luxembourg. The donation was declined
through my bank account. I apologize for any inconvenience to
[Greenpeace] and wish to make amends as soon as possible. The
account is now current.
"I had a very positive experience with Damiano, who was very
patient and friendly, so please do not let my mistake reflect
poorly in his representation; he is a great asset to Greenpeace.
Please, please send me the bank transfer form... I will do WHATEVER
it takes to make sure you get the original donation... If I need to
pick up the form at your Luxembourg office, I would do that as
well, just let me know."
Starting Young:
One recent donation to the New Zealand office was from
six-year-old Natalie Dolan. She met a representative on the street
with her mother and was so impressed with what she heard that she
decided to raise some money for Greenpeace by selling her old toys.
With the help of two friends she organised the toy sale and raised
NZ$60.35. She recently visited the Greenpeace offices in Auckland
to meet the team and to present them with her cheque.
Freedom to Choose:
Katherine Y.M. Chan from Hong Kong recently found herself having
an argument with a man in a supermarket after explaining to her
daughter why she wasn't allowed Nestlé Ice Cream. The man
approached Katherine after overhearing her explanation and told her
that there was nothing wrong with eating Nestlé.
"The man made me angry and I responded, 'I am free to speak.
Everyone knows Nestlé produces GE food. Yes, I've been eating
Nestlé food for years, as my parents knew nothing about GE food.
Now I am a mother…I've got the right to choose for my daughter.'
"The guy was shocked and said, 'you must be a member of that
silly Greenpeace. Otherwise, you will not have so many stupid
words.' I replied, 'Yes! So What? I guess you are a paid lackey of
that bad company!' At least my daughter can grow healthily since I
will not give poison to her.
"Many lady shoppers asked me what is GE food. I told them all I
learnt from Greenpeace. After listening to what I said, most of
them returned the Nestlé food in their shopping baskets back to the
racks. That's what I can do!"
Out of the Blue:
Our supporter services teams never fail to be surprised by the
dedication of our members. Recently, Greenpeace Netherlands was
made the sole benefactor of Cor Muhlenfeld, a lady who had recently
passed away.
When someone from Dutch social services contacted our supporter
services regarding this matter, they were very surprised. Mi'jke
Breteler from the team went to Cor Muhlenfeld's house - to find out
more about her.
It seems that her home was a hoarder's paradise and hidden away
among her papers was a Greenpeace member card from 1979, the year
Greenpeace Netherlands was founded.
"Looking through the agenda I found out she was a busy lady. She
had many friends who told me great stories about her; she worked in
an antique market where she sold old glasswork and she was very
fond of animals in general, and of Greenpeace. She was an artist
and her house was full of paintings," said Mi'jke.
"Here in the Greenpeace office we made a collage of a painting,
the member card and other personal things of Cor. Soon we will go
out to the North Sea with the Argus and some of her friends and we
will give her ashes to the sea."
Join Greenpeace!
Greenpeace depends on your contributions. In order to ensure
that we remain an independent voice for the planet, we don't accept
corporate or government funds: we rely on the small donations of
millions of supporters. Greenpeace exists because this fragile
earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It
needs action. Please
help by becoming a supporter today.