When Better Car People began 10+ years ago, Matthew Belk knew he would not only create an amazing company with a great engagement solution for dealers but also provide a way to help the community consistently and “On Purpose.” We try to make each move purposeful at Better Car People, and helping people is no different.  One of the main core values of the company is to Be Selfless: Think of Others Before Ourselves, and this value has been the catalyst for our Gratitude Campaign. 

That is why Better Car People initiated its Gratitude Campaign in January 2021. Every month this year Better Car People will choose one dealer partner to align with. Through the Gratitude Initiative, Better Car People will donate $1,000 to a charity of the dealership’s choice in the dealership’s name. This purposeful act will not only help the dealership contribute to a local charity but will also allow BCP to cast a wider net in regards to helping people and giving back to communities around the nation. 

Why Gratitude?

The Gratitude Campaign is an initiative that was born from an epiphany Matthew Belk had while listening to a podcast in December 2020. This particular podcast, Ping, hosted by the co-founders of the Life is Good apparel line, focuses on positivity and the power of optimism. Better Car People has always been a positive influence on the people who work there and the people of the surrounding area. “The company has it in their DNA to think of others first” stated Matthew Belk. And this is evident through the many and varied charities that Better Car People has given over one million dollars to. Better Car People partners with the local homeless shelter, schools in the area, the women’s shelter, and many more. 

Matthew saw the impact on the community and wanted to spread that all over the country. “We were helping people in our community, but we were not experiencing the network effect--” the effect where one thing leads to many and where movements begin to grow exponentially. The Gratitude Campaign is the perfect initiative to spread gratitude across the states, and in the process help as many people as possible. This notion of contagious giving is what Matthew and Better Car People are banking on--the ability for more people to see the charities all over the country that Better Car People is supporting through its dealer partners.  With the additional exposure of the charity, Matthew is hoping to bring awareness to many organizations that have made Gratitude their business, with the potential of increased support and growth for those charities. 

What’s Next

Each month, there will be a new dealership partner chosen with a new charity in which Better Car People will donate $1,000. Our very first donation was made to a charity called Operation Inasmuch, a charity based out of Fayetteville and very close to the hearts of the Reed-Lallier Chevrolet team. You can read more about Operation Inasmuch here.

Here are links to the charities and dealers who have been chosen throughout 2021 :

January: Reed-Lallier Chevrolet & Operation Inasmuch

February: The Richland/Wilkin Community Foundation & Smith Motors

March: Community PedsCare & George Moore Chevrolet

April: Germantown Warhawks Band Boosters & Lake Chevrolet / Lake Ford

May: Shelter of Flint, MI & Applegate Chevrolet

June: Wellspring Multi-Service Centers & Coastal Volkswagen/Nissan

July: Foundation Fighting Blindness & Bedford Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram

August: Almost Home & Brighton Ford

September: Every Kid Counts & Van Chevrolet Buick GMC

October: Concho Valley Home for Girls & Mitchell Buick GMC

November: The Charity Club & Holiday Automotive

December: Search Dog Foundation & Bunnin Chevrolet of Fillmore

If you are a dealer partner of Better Car People and are interested in learning how to be chosen for the Gratitude Campaign, reach out to your Dealer Success Coach for more information or submit your charity here.