We recently connected with Nikki Madden and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nikki, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.
I am the Founder & CEO at Lali’s Foundation For Families In A Crisis. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization, in Phoenix AZ, designed to assist families in a crisis through wrap-around services, extended resources, and an alternative path to sustainability. We provide advocate support and resource support to those displaced and despondent. We want to restore hope to all those we encounter.
Our clientele ranges from homeless parents, single moms who’ve lost their job, to a domestic violent victim fleeing from their perpetrator. We want to make sure we are there to help walk them through the hard times of life, and serve as their advocate. Over 80% of our clients are DV, and over 62% of our clients need help finding a better paying job. Throughout our 5 years, we’ve discovered that there’ are other ways WE (LalisFFC) can impact the community.
We’ve created a variety of programs to help improve the life of those families displaced:
*Silver Crew- senior citizens over the age of 55 who are experiencing homelessness
*It Takes A Village- teen parent support program
*Butterfly- assist with attire and accessories for Prom to students living in low-income homes
*Kids Swag It Out- student led volunteer program for our K-6th graders interested in impacting the community. In May, they made 200 “Travel Friendly” bags for the homeless communities, and passed each one out to those in need
*MJ’s Boutique & Supply Closet- a boutique store filled with various donations given from the community; this can be a toothbrush to a full size sofa
*Mending Me- designed for the chronically homeless families or families enduring chronic financial instabilities. We introduce them to goal setting, and assist them with mapping out their life.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Nikki Madden. I wear many hats: as I am a Founder/CEO of a 501c3 nonprofit organization in AZ, an online DIY Custom Gift Box Store, a manager to my daughter for her talents, a business consultant, and a single mom of 2 gorgeous daughters!
Lali’s Foundation For Families In A Crisis, Inc is a nonprofit organization created to helping families, with kids, in a crisis. It was birthed amidst my divorce, and has become a great accomplishment! We have created helpful programs for our clients, assist with household products/commodities, provided baby formula to mothers during the formula shortage, and created jobs via Lali’s Staffing Solutions. While our clients are some of the people we notify of job openings and/or resources, we also make sure to inform the community via our social media sites, and webpage.
Nikki’s Noveltiez AZ is my online DIY Gift Boxes. Each item inside the box is either handcrafted, sewn, painted, or organically made. Customers can order products via my social media pages or by contacting me directly.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
10 years ago, I was diagnosed with a plethora of illnesses, which prevented me from working. I began baking specialty cakes/pies and also created hair bows. Throughout the years, there’s been new developments in society: the need to wearing masks and safer shopping.
One year, for Easter, I made 50 Easter baskets ($5-$20) for kids of all ages. I sold 49! At that moment, I realized people prefer cost friendly products. I then took 2 years to rebrand Lali’s Sweets & Thangs to Nikki’s Noveltiez AZ. Products I have available are: sewn hair bonnets, sewn sleeping masks, hair bows/clips, organic products (candles and lip gloss), jewelry, press on nails, and clearances products from stores.
Now, N2 has delivered to various states in USA and locally. People order my DIY Custom Gift Boxes for any occasion: birthdays, graduations, apologies, or even gift prizes for games. My boxes are coat friendly and custom made with items made specifically for whomever the gift is for.
Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?
Brand loyalty is important to continued success in businesses. With my two businesses, it’s less challenging.
LalisFFC maintains communication with our clients. The only time we STOP communicating is when we can’t get ahold of the client, or if they tell us they no longer need our assistance. Another way we keep in touch with our clients is by inviting them to our community events. At that time, if they’re inactive clients, and request services, then they are quickly moved back to our active files.
Since the custom gift boxes are designed for a specific individual, there’s no need for me to call everyone one of them. However, I do maintain a social media presence so we can always stay relevant to our community.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lalisffc.org, https://lalissweetsaz.wixsite.com/lalissweets
- Instagram: LalisFFC, Nikki’s Noveltiez AZ
- Facebook: Lali’s Foundation For Families In A Crisis, Nikki’s Noveltiez AZ
- Linkedin: LalisFFC
- Twitter: LalisFFC