We were lucky to catch up with Danielle Claudio recently and have shared our conversation below.

Danielle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

Spread The Cheer USA is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to helping families in need across the country during the holidays and beyond. It began very organically… I was going through a difficult time personally. I remember I was alone. I has just gone through a divorce and my children were with their Dad. It was 2 weeks before Christmas of 2020. I was depressed. It was in that moment, as I stared at my Christmas tree, that I had the realization that I had nothing to be depressed about. That there were others far less fortunate and I made it my personal mission to assist 3 families in need that season. Then utilizing social media, I decided to bring the idea to creators to see if we could help even more families and within two weeks we raised $12,000 and were able to help 20 families. Since then Spread The Cheer USA has helped thousands of families for the holidays and more! The idea was created because of a negative situation that I believe many others related to and having social media as a tool just allowed us to move and grow at a much faster rate.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I never imagined I’d be a 38 year old full time single Mom but in retrospect, it’s one of the best things that has possibly happened to me. It opened up new possibilities and a fire within my creativity that I always knew was there but was never fully able to unleash. My career so far has spanned across various corporate markets and I’ve created multiple businesses and had several career paths. But this?… this is what I was meant to do! Our non-profit, Spread The Cheer USA, has become my passion project. It has also become an outlet for other individuals on social media looking for a philanthropic cause to be a part of. It’s a way for people to join forces and do something bigger than themselves while actually experiencing the impact their making. Spread The Cheer USA is different because we are a volunteer army showing up for people in person, right at their front doors all over the country. Because we’re a social media based non-profit, donors and volunteers get to see first hand how their contributions as a whole are making a difference in the world. There’s a more profound personal touch.

Through Spread The Cheer USA, I’ve also created a secondary endeavor called the Cheer Choice Awards Show. The show celebrates positive social media creators who are using their platforms to make an impact. It’s held annually in Las Vegas in April and for 2024 is at the Palms Casino and Resort. Influencers from all platforms are nominated and voted on by their peers and all proceeds from the show weekend benefits Spread The Cheer USA and other non-profit organizations. The weekend boasts a full schedule of fun networking events, including a daytime pool party, nightclub celebration and the awards show itself. With over 250 million impressions, it’s currently one of the fastest growing social media events out there!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media has been an intrical part of our success. By inviting creators to join forces with us and giving them their own space to give back, we have seen rapid growth. Networking through social media with like-minded individuals is a simple way to grow your brand and branch out across the online world.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Having a dedicated team with similar values is key, in my mind, to any endeavors success. Our board of directors are great and I can’t say enough about my team. Jay, Brandon, Jill, Samantha and Alex are the glue that holds this all together! Jay Malyuk, Vice President of our board, was one of the first people to hear my vision and support it from the get go without any question. Brandon Wayne soon joined shortly after as our Communications Director. Jill Roberts stepped up as our Administrative Director. Samantha Rose has brought so many resources as our Executive Director and Alex Gonzalez completes our team as our Director of Operations. A strong, excited team can make a world of difference in your success!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.spreadthecheerusa.org
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/danielle.claudio
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@danielleclaudio