Newsletter

Volume 6, Issue 6

June 2024

Customer Satisfaction Surveys: What Good Are They?

Have you ever wondered what happens when you submit a customer satisfaction survey? Does it go into a black hole? Are customers really satisfied? Are changes made? Has a person’s quality of life improved as a result of the product or service?

Which leads to: How do you know your volunteer efforts have led to a job well done? Do your efforts continue to impact the people whose lives you have touched?

TRP engaged in answering those questions last year, when we embarked on a client satisfaction survey. One of our foundations had requested more than numbers and data. They wanted to know if the ramps we build actually make a difference in a person’s life and improve their quality of life.

We liked the idea so well that we implemented it in January 2023 by looking back at 2021 builds. Each month we randomly selected 10% of that month’s 2021 ramp recipients to contact. The survey found that 78% of clients who received a ramp two years earlier were still using the ramp. It also found that in 23% of cases, someone else was also using the ramp.

Finally, 94% of the clients still using the ramp, or a family member speaking for the client, mentioned ways the ramp had enhanced their quality of life, such as gratitude, feeling safer, or some specific benefit. The monthly survey is ongoing as we continue to contact clients who received their ramp in 2022.

We always believed that clients were experiencing an improvement in their quality of life, and now we have the qualitative data to back it up. Well done, everyone.

The survey process was designed and implemented by Rachel Marchand, who came to TRP as an SMU Board Fellow. Since graduating in May, she has been elected to the TRP board of directors. She continues to conduct the survey and finds pleasure in interacting with TRP’s clients and their families.

To see the results of the first six months of 2022, click on the following link.

[Link to survey]

Colorful Story

Speaking of someone who is really satisfied with her ramp. Seven TRP volunteers from the Waco South region built this 18-foot ramp and painted it a glorious purple at the client’s request. The recipient was a 64-year-old woman with a real sense of color.

Summer Building Reminders

Canopies. Make sure canopies cover the ramp during construction and also shade the miter saw. During construction, move the canopy down as you go. It is important to put up the canopies before you start building to make sure your volunteers are protected from the start. There should be two canopies on each site.

Schedule earlier. Try to schedule the summer builds as early as 7 a.m. to avoid the heat of the day. Everybody can get home an hour earlier, too.

Hydrate. It is critical that we keep our volunteers hydrated by having plenty of water on site. Also consider providing cooling towels that can be placed around the neck for a faster cool-down.

Danger! Never expose your volunteers to any conditions that can put them at risk. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are dangerous and can be fatal. Keep your volunteers safe.

Volunteer of the Month: Wayne Wimberly,

East Texas Marshall (Panola County)

For Wayne Wimberly, mission and building for others go hand in hand. He is deeply involved in two serving organizations, one called New Destinations, Inc. that works with the Texas Ramp Project in Panola County, and one called The Master’s Builders, a group of mostly retired folks who travel around the United States providing building labor to small mission-minded churches.

Wayne was born (at home!) in Panola County. He lived there until 1963, when he joined the U.S. Air Force. After retiring from the Air Force in 1983, he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. His final job as code enforcement officer with the city of Center ended with his retirement in 2008. He has worked with New Destinations and the Texas Ramp Project ever since.

A group of local Methodists formed New Destinations in 2009 to fund and build ramps in Panola County. In partnership with TRP, these volunteers have built 139 ramps in the county, 51 of them in the last 2-1/2 years. Wayne, currently president of the organization, credits New Destinations with this success. “These guys work harder than I do at making these ramps happen,” he says.

Much of that is because of Wayne’s work with The Master’s Builders. He was part of the group that spent two weeks in June finishing out a multipurpose metal building for the Missionary Baptist Church in Brookeland, Texas. In May, he traveled with the group to build classrooms for another Missionary Baptist Church in Arkansas.

Wayne wants everyone to know that he is not alone in building ramps. “My frequent absence with The Master’s Builders makes my officers in New Destinations cover for me,” he says.

Wayne is a member and deacon at Old Center Baptist Church in Tenaha. He and his wife Leona married 10 years ago after both had lost their spouses. Together they have six children, 21 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Sometimes these extended family members join on ramp builds.

Wayne is grateful for the opportunities available through the Texas Ramp Project. “God bless each of you at TRP. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for allowing us to pursue our passion.”

The heads of New Destinations, Inc., shown in front of their trailer, are (from left) Tex Parks, vice president; Mike Worm, board member; Donnette Parks, treasurer; Loren Stephenson, secretary; and Wayne Wimberly, president.

If a Tree Falls...

The team in Washington County was planning a build in Chappell Hill when they found out that a nearby ramp they had built in October had sustained storm damage. A tree had fallen on the ramp. But it didn’t do as much damage as initially thought. The team just needed to replace some handrails and uprights. The three photos show the ramp when first built, the tree resting on the ramp, and the ramp after the tree was removed.

Recent Grants and Donations

It is amazing what a challenge can do. TRP offered a $5,000 challenge grant to mother-son team Linda and Lindsey Shields for Harrison County in the East Texas Marshall region. The Shields took the challenge to their church, First United Methodist in Hallsville. They created a video to show on a Sunday morning, and by the end of the week-long campaign the church had received over $6,400 in donations. An additional $2,000+ is on the way. Their effort brought in over $13,000 for ramp construction in Harrison County. Way to go!

Grants and donations received in the past month include the following:

$30,000 for Statewide use from Texas Methodist Foundation.
$30,000 for East Texas from an anonymous Tyler foundation.
$25,000 for Amarillo from The Brumley Foundation.
$15,000 for Wichita Falls from James N. McCoy Foundation.
$10,000 for East Texas from Louis & Peaches Owen Family Foundation.
$8,000 for East Texas Jacksonville Rusk County from Henderson Memorial Hospital Foundation.
$6,412 for East Texas Marshall Harrison County from First United Methodist Church, Hallsville.
$5,000 for Ellis County from Waxahachie Foundation.
$5,000 for Abilene Brown County from Thomas B. Shoemake Trust.
$5,000 for El Paso from Hunt Family Foundation.
$3,298 for Bryan/College Station from Rotary Club of College Station.
$2,820 for Dallas from Community Council of Greater Dallas.
$2,500 for East Texas Tyler from Jones Legacy Venture Charitable Fund.
$2,000 for East Texas Longview from White Oak Family Medicine.
$1,343 for Waco South from Habitat for Humanity.
$1,200 for Austin East from Rotary Club of La Grange.
$1,000 for Ellis County from Ash Grove Charitable Foundation.
$1,000 for East Texas Tyler from REFIND.
$1,000 for Statewide use from ABD Companies, Inc.
$1,000 for Austin North from United Methodist Men.
$1,000 for Wichita Falls from Wichita Falls Founder Lions Club.
$729 for Bryan/College Station from SPJST Lodge No. 39.
$660 for East Texas Tyler from Sonrise Prayer Ministries.
$563 for Houston from Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity.
$539 for Austin West from the Church at Horseshoe Bay.
$500 for San Antonio South from South Texas Electric Cooperative.
$500 for Victoria North from South Texas Electric Cooperative.
$500 for McAllen from South Texas Electric Cooperative.
$400 for Austin East from Hostyn Parish, Holy Rosary Church.
$350 for Austin West from Hill Country Fellowship.
$200 for Austin East from Sts. Peter & Paul Parish, Plum.
$100 for East Texas Tyler from Langen/Wink Bible Class.

Fundraising Aid for You

The Texas Ramp Project has a 90-second video that captures the essence of our work assisting people with disabilities. This video focuses on one of TRP’s most valuable assets—our volunteers. Feel free to send this video to all your volunteers, friends and donors so they can see in a flash what we are all about, or use it in group settings to introduce our work to others. The video is posted on TRP’s website at https://texasramps.org/videos.

Welcome to the TRP Board: Vipin Gupta

If the Texas Ramp Project board of directors had a bit of a void in the technology field, it is no more. The board’s newest member, Vipin Gupta, fills that role very nicely. He brings to TRP over 30 years of experience in running businesses and managing information technology for large corporations.

Vipin started his career in consulting firms and has been instrumental in launching and promoting tech startups. He retired recently as chief innovation and digital officer at Toyota’s Financial Services business, where he met another TRP director, Pete Carey.

Pete invited Vipin to volunteer for his first ramp build about a year ago. “My first experience had a profound impact on me,” says Vipin. “Building the ramps made me experience the impact of the mission first-hand.” He also saw an opportunity to use his professional skills and experience to assist in areas TRP was lacking and has already been working with TRP to upgrade and improve our Salesforce technology.

Vipin was born and educated in India, earning a master’s degree in computer applications before moving to the United States 30 years ago. He arrived in Dallas from Cleveland four years ago. He and his wife have two sons, one working at Toyota’s R&D center in Detroit and one at Georgia Tech. Vipin is fascinated by the process of moviemaking, loves to watch movies from different cultures, and previously served on the Greater Cleveland Film Commission.

Vipin has served on numerous boards and committees, among them Junior Achievement of Dallas and IndiaFest USA. He is deeply committed to fostering future leaders and is a guest speaker at MIT Sloan’s executive education program. He has earned the prestigious MIT Sloan CIO Leadership Award, Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business, and induction into the 2022 CIO Hall of Fame.

As to joining up with TRP, Vipin says, “I am excited about the possibility of making a significant difference in the lives of our beneficiaries.” He also hopes his contributions can expand TRP’s reach to benefit more clients who need safe access but cannot afford it.

Ramp of the Month: Tarrant County

Ms. C., 59, has multiple disabling conditions affecting her ability to walk without the use of a walker or wheelchair. Her home had seven or eight steps leading to the front door—unsafe for anyone with a mobility issue. A dozen volunteers from Alcon showed up to build Ms. C.’s 56-foot ramp, donating 48 hours of labor on a very rainy day. A social worker at John Peter Smith Hospital made the referral for this ramp.

We hope you enjoy having the newsletter sent to you directly, as it is filled with useful information, building hints and tips, data collection updates and processes, client stories, special announcements and recognitions.

The newsletter only does its job when it is dispersed and shared with all who might be interested. We encourage you to liberally pass it on to others in your region.

Also, do send email addresses of people in your region who should be receiving it, along with their name and TRP region, to Sandy Knutson at sjknutson@texasramps.org.

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