Other Big Fat Tips in Cities Around the United States!

Big Fat Tip #67 was our first drop in Connecticut! Shout out to Valerie Gordon for creating a show worth traveling to see and to Jess Danner McKenna for offering a free plane ticket to get there. Big Fat Thanks to the anonymous donor who covered the $1,000 tip! Sadly, most surprises we experience as adults are negative, like car accidents, medical diagnoses, and catastrophic storms. This little passion project creates positive, memorable moments instead. We love doing these drops, and our volunteers often say, "I want to do another one right now!" Our only regret is that we are not bigger because everyone needs a little bit of hope and a whole lotta love. Thank you to all my friends and their friends who keep this initiative going by donating and sharing with their networks.

Check out Big Fat Tip #66, which happened last week in Myrtle Beach during the South Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association's MOC event. Shout out to our volunteers, Victoria Tobin, Heather Greene, and Taylor Jacobs, who were so excited to make a stranger's day! It's true: it feels better to give than to receive, and the server's reaction brought happy tears to our eyes. As for the donors, the list is long for this drop! Thanks to Brad Sundgren, who turned 50 and rounded up donations through his Facebook fundraiser. Thanks (again) to Brad Sundgren, Kelly Stancliff and husband Eric, and Mike Chamberlain, our monthly "Tipping Titans," providing a consistent financial base to build. And special thanks to my friends who happily donated to keep this little passion project going: Karl Ely, Joel Griepentrog, Cathi Horner, Brian Shepard, Rhonda Woloshun, and Heather Singleton.

Check out the reaction from these ladies. They were bubbling over with excitement! One of them told us she had been working for tips since she was a teenager and always wished she would get a large tip like this one.  Tip #64 and #65 were made possible by the incredible generosity of the kind-hearted individuals attending the 2024 ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership Annual Meeting. Their collective donation of $2,000 in just one minute was a game-changer! A big thank you to the following people and businesses for making this happen with their time and money: Andy Steggles and Insight Guide for inspiring others to donate at the end of my session at the ASAE Annual Meeting, Sean Soth and his company, Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR) for sponsoring half of this tip, and the following donors who paid for the rest: Cathi Eifert Horner, CAE, Rob Wenger, Moira Edwards, Douglas Morris, Jim Meyers, and our "Tipping Titans"- Brad Sundgren, Kelly Stancliff and her husband Eric, and Mike Chamberlain, who also accompanied our newest volunteers, Dylan Burkhart and Brian Shepard on this second drop with Cathi. The Big Fat Tip is a community effort and would only happen with these fine folks. Sadly, most surprises we experience as adults are bad ones, and our days blend into weeks, which blend into months and years, making those unfortunate memories stand out the most. Creating these positive, memorable moments has a ripple effect that creates hope for others and can help counter all the negative energy many face daily.  Thank you for helping us push positive energy out into our world! 

Big Fat Tip #64 was very touching. It's worth watching with a tissue in hand. The recipient shared a heartwarming story off-camera, which moved us to tears. Tip #64 and #65 happened because of the kind and generous people at the ASAE Annual Meeting who donated $2,000 in just one minute! A big thank you to the following people and businesses for making this happen with their time and money: Andy Steggles and Insight Guide, Lucas McCann and the Big Red M, Teri Carden, Cathi Horner for their continuous financial and emotional support, and our newest volunteers, Dylan Burkhart, and Brian Sheppard. Number 65 happened roughly an hour later!

Check out Big Fat Tip #63! This drop is another example of strangers coming together to push positive energy into our world. The donors don't know each other; the volunteers met for the first time merely minutes before the drop, and, as always, the recipient was randomly selected. Our Tipping Titans, Brad Sundgren, Mike Chamberlain, Eric and Kelly, Cathi Horner, Eugen Dehelean, and our newest sponsor, Jeff Tenenbaum and The Tenenbaum Law Group, deserve thunderous applause. Their generous donations made this event in Seattle a reality. We couldn't have done it without them. We couldn't have done it without them. Shout out to the volunteers who eagerly lined up to donate their time and energy: MiChele Stevenson, Rachel Fortney, John Hickman, and Carolyn Wilson. And special thanks to the National Contract Management Association for hosting an outstanding conference, which helped make this tip possible, because it brought us together to do it.

The Big Fat Tip® #62 happened at the Bao Brewhouse in Denver, Colorado! After our founder delivered the opening keynote at CPAmerica, Inc.'s NextGen conference, she asked the audience if three people wanted to go with her to surprise a stranger with a $1,000 tip. Four people immediately volunteered! (The room was full of accountants, so the others didn't ask.) Watch the video to see the sweet reaction from the recipient. Her voice went up a few octaves! Off camera, she sincerely said, "I will remember this day for the rest of my life." That is our goal: to create positive, memorable moments for others working in the U.S. service industry. Money is merely a vehicle we use to deliver these moments. Most of our days blur together. Days turn into weeks, weeks into years, and years into decades. And we tend to remember bad memories. That's a shame. Let's focus on making others' days. In doing so, you may find that you made your own. PS: We changed the way we display the donor credits in this video. What do you think of this new format? We have several new categories of donors, plus some old friends who consistently support us. I am looking for the best way to honor everyone. I am so grateful for every donation because each one brings us one step closer to these incredible moments. Lowell Aplebaum, Lu Fitzwater, Scott Larsen and his awesome Low-Key Hideaway and Tiki Bar, Brad Sundgren, Kelly Stancliff, Mike Chamberlain, and some interesting people in hiding who don't want you to know who they are. ? THANK YOU! Shout out to our volunteers of the day: Eugen Dehelean, MBA, Andrea Armstrong, CPA, Stacey Trolla, and Viki Gryska.

We dropped Big Fat Tip #61 on Memorial Day in Plant City, Florida! Check out the video to see how we randomly selected this location. We never know who we will encounter during these drops, and the recipients' stories are often moving, as was hers. Shout out to the USAA employee who helped us reach the $1,000 we needed to give away on this day. There was a neat USAA coincidental "plot twist," too! As always, special thanks to our enthusiastic donors, several of whom also gave to #60 in Cedar Key, Florida, in April.

During the 2nd Annual C-Key Tiki Fest in Cedar Key, we dropped Big Fat Tip number 60. Cedar Key is a beautiful beach town still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Idalia, and we knew a big tip would have a huge impact. We were so grateful to our best donor friends, who rapidly responded to a simple text asking for help. In less than 24 hours, we had $1,000, some big hugs, and a little hope to give to a stranger working in the service industry. The bartender's reaction brought us to tears, and we were tearing up for hours after leaving.  We want to give a special shout-out to Brad Sundgren, one of our most enthusiastic supporters. Brad has been consistently donating every month for many years and always answers our calls when we ask for help. He was, once again, the first to donate towards this drop. We also want to express our gratitude to these remarkable individuals who have donated multiple times, volunteered, promoted us within their networks, and made Tip Number 60 happen. Check out these Tipping Titans: Nicole Araujo, Anne Nevel, Nat Bartholomew, Cathi Horner, Cameron Curtis C2 Association Strategies, Brandy Swecker, KiKi L'Italien, Liz Markiewicz, Troy C. Smith, and a few super-secret people.  Special thanks to our volunteer of the day, Robert Guertin. Rob has been a pillar of support for this passion project since its inception, even when it was just a half-baked idea.  We would be remiss if we didn't point out that all this happened because Doug Dolan and his band, Flip Flop Republic, created a music festival. Check out their music. And go stay at the Low Key Hideaway and Tiki Bar. It is sooooo cool! 

BIG FAT THANKS to our volunteers and donors who made this drop happen in Long Beach, California, during a break in their conference schedule. The server was so happy! Christy Gandy has been an enthusiastic supporter and donor since we met her at Non Dues-a-Palooza in 2023. She has donated, convinced others to donate, and pulled in other enthusiastic supporters and volunteers, like Michael Rubin and Mackenzie Hill. Special thanks to our sponsors of this tip: The Florida Ports Council, Rob Olcott and Brad Sundgren!

Check out the smiles for miles from this server. A surprise sets off a complex cascade of neurological events and chemicals that engage various parts of the brain. All the reactions are different, and people often respond in surprising ways. It took her a while to process what happened. She told us later that no one had ever given her a tip that large before, and she was stunned.  What you don't see in the video is the excitement the four selected volunteers shared, who were thrilled to participate in this random act of kindness. They laughed and bonded, and two had a dance-off in the parking lot after the drop.  When you perform a kind and unexpected act for someone else, your brain also experiences a series of neurological events. The chemicals released and the resulting feelings become a symphony of joy, connection, and fulfillment. It's like giving your brain a bouquet of emotional flowers, nurturing it while spreading warmth and happiness to others.  Acts of kindness are scientifically proven to contribute to long-term happiness and well-being. Over time, engaging in unexpected kindness can lead to lasting changes in the brain, enhancing overall emotional resilience and creating a positive feedback loop of altruism and happiness. It's true: Giving is better than receiving.  That leads us to thank our sponsor, The HDA - Healthcare Distribution Alliance, who paid entirely for this tip and offered it as an experience for some conference attendees to enjoy after the evening reception. Thanks to ? Anne Nevel, CAE, and Perry Fri for facilitating this gift. And a special shout out to our volunteers (and new friends): Tracy Nasarenko, Pam Forster, Maria Fernanda Garcia Hay, MBS, and Rhonda Woloshun, MBA.