ROI- Return of Investment

Here at Girls and Boys of Character, we believe in investing in the lives of our mentees.

We also understand the process of receiving a return on our investment in their lives.

ROI, or return of investment is a metric used in the financial arena to determine the profit of an investment.

To calculate return on investment, you would divide the amount you earned, (net profit), or the cost of the investment minus its present value—by the cost of the investment and multiply that by 100. The result should be represented as a percentage.

Norma Venable, the founder and CEO of Girls and Boys of Character, is committed to serving the mentors unconditionally.  Her most recent act of commitment was shown when she shared her idea of teaching the mentees that we’re not always looking for ‘bad behavior’, or the idea of catching them doing something bad, but that we are also interested in seeing or “catching them doing something good”.

The look on their faces when she explained this concept was priceless.

After purchasing bags upon bags of prizes, (I know because I helped her carry them in.) and placing them on the shelves, her excitement about the life lesson the children would learn was priceless as well!

After all the prizes were places meticulously on their perspective shelves, (as each shelf holds its own level of earning possibilities) Mrs. Norma began to explain the incentive program.

The mentees were both quiet and attentive as she explained the incentive process and rules.

You could hear the mentees sharing with each other which prize they wanted to earn.

And of course there was question time.

You Wasted Your Money!

One of the mentees asked, “So, Mrs. Norma, you spent all your money wasting it on us?”

And with such care and wisdom, she answered her, “No, I didn’t waste my money.  I believe in you all and this is an investment in you!”

Take a moment and imagine the thoughts going through their minds that someone believed enough in them, that they would be ‘caught doing something good’ and was willing to spend their money on them and reward them for doing so.

That moment was powerful! 

What will be Mrs. Norma’s ROI?

What will she receive from her investment in the mentees?

I would perceive her ROI to be immeasurable!

Let's Try To Calculate Her ROI

Her ROI would include the following:

-The mentees will now know that someone believes they can do good.

-The mentees now know that someone is willing to invest in their lives.

-The mentees now have proof that there are those in the world that believe in them.

-It boosts their belief in themselves.

The Investment Is Already Yielding Fruit! 

We’ve already seen some of the fruit of Mrs. Norma’s investment.

The mentees are displaying more kindness towards others.

Their leadership skills are developing.  One mentee on her own accord welcomed a new Spanish speaking mentee and helped with translating!

There is no way we could monetarily calculate the return on
Mrs. Norma’s investment!  Simply because this life lesson will be continuous in all their lives.  

They’ll run and tell what they’re learning to their classmates, who will tell it to someone else, they will tell it to someone else, and the investment continues to multiply!  Lives are changed!

Now, if you would like to be a part of this every growing life lesson and want to invest in the mentees, you are free to donate to the Girls and Boys of Character Mentoring Program.

Picture Credit: Annie Spratt@Unsplash.com