We're thrilled to share news about our London Gratitude Gathering—we're absolutely amazed!
What sparked this gathering? Well, it stems from our commitment to deepen our community-led approach & grow people-powered philanthropy as a path to a more hopeful, healthy, and connected world. You all are amazing and we wondered, in our increasingly digital existence, would an opportunity to connect in person resonate.
Our goal? Simple: to connect with our community on a deeper level.💙
As we planned to participate in the Skoll World Forum in Oxford, we saw a chance to bring our community members together in London. Mackinnon and Sonam came straight from a visit with our medical partner and patients in Kenya, with plenty of inspiring stories to share. Meanwhile, Emily, our newest team member, arrived from Atlanta, joining Watsi just a month ago to help drive our growth and community engagement. The timing felt serendipitous.
Navigating an event with a small, fully remote global team stirred up some nerves, especially since we don't capture your location when you donate on Watsi (and we intend to keep it that way!). Additionally, selecting a venue in London, a city none of us call home, added to the excitement. However, we quickly hacked through this initial challenge. Our creative wizards then set up an Eventbrite page dubbed "Gratitude Gathering" – a title that resonated effortlessly. We reached out to ALL our community via email, crossing our fingers for minimal unsubscribes. The RSVPs started rolling in—some familiar names among them! We extended the invitation to our social circles and personally reached out to contacts who might be in London—h/t to LinkedIn for the geographic search feature. Step by step, it all came together.
Sure, we faced a few hurdles along the way—the London train and tube strike, a second nearby pub with the same name, and some less-than-ideal weather ☔️—but hey, who says Mondays have to be mundane? We were ready to mingle, rain or shine.
And here's how it went. 👇
Thank you to all who showed up and shared your joy!
You came through! We had new community members who only recently discovered Watsi and long-time supporters who have helped our patients for 10+ years! Others have gotten their companies and colleagues involved, or have spent time volunteering with Watsi in the past—for most, we were meeting in person for the very first time.
We listened closely as you shared your hopes to see Watsi's impact thrive, to dig deeper into our stories, and to catch a glimpse behind the scenes of our operations. We saw your eagerness to connect with each other, swap ideas, and give us valuable feedback for the road ahead—all while reaffirming the authentic and impactful spirit of our Watsi community.
To each and every one of you who joined, thank you. It means so much to us that you're helping create space for the kind of meaningful connections and conversations we love to have, and that we believe our world needs.
With 💙,
Team Watsi
P.S. If you'd like to have a Watsi meet-up where you live, drop us a note at hello@watsi.org, and let's make it happen! And if you have any ideas or suggestions for how we can make this experience better or different next time, we're all ears. Let's team up to make the next Watsi meet-up even more special.
The Watsi Team
Everyone deserves healthcare.