StartUp Spokane Gives Meals on Wheels Momentum

By Alina Murcar

For Jeremiah Keevy, Development Manager at the Greater Spokane County (GSC) Meals on Wheels, efficiency is the name of the game. With a wide variety of experience in marketing and development, Jeremiah came on board GSC Meals on Wheels in 2023 with a key objective in mind: to find their target demographic, create a contact list, and build a database for potential donors and partners.

“I was vehemently searching for cost-effective options to use and it was dead-end after dead-end,” said Jeremiah. “I would do consultations with different platforms that would cost thousands of dollars per month and, as much as I’d love to be able to have those services, we just don’t have the funds.”

Jeremiah and GSC Meals on Wheels Executive Director Delana Combs heard about StartUp Spokane services through Spokane Public Library and Spokane County Library District and sat down with our Business Librarian, Mark Pond, to learn more.

Mark showed Jeremiah and Delana helpful and FREE tools accessible through the library that were most applicable to their business like:

• DemographicsNow: Providing demographics, consumer expenditures, interactive maps, and more

• Data Axle Solutions: More than 180 million residential listings and business directories useful for market research, competitive analysis, and sales lead list generation

• Candid Foundation Directory - Online: The only resource you need to search for the foundations most likely to give you grants

• GuideStar by Candid: A premier nonprofit research tool with the most complete, up-to date nonprofit data available “Mark actually pulled up a map and showed us how to categorize demographics so that we can create impactful, meaningful, and customized campaigns to have more success in receiving support from the community,” said Jeremiah. “The meeting was chock-full of information that I find extremely valuable.”

Jeremiah expressed relief when talking about how much time these tools saved him. Before learning about StartUp Spokane services through the library, he would manually enter THOUSANDS of addresses collected from USPS into a direct mail platform with only 180-200 of them actually turning out to be valid.

“StartUp Spokane services have saved me COUNTLESS hours through platforms available for free like Data Axle Solutions,” said Jeremiah. “I’m able to access and utilize valid addresses much more efficiently.”

At the end of the day, Jeremiah, Delana, and their team at the GSC Meals on Wheels want to provide healthy, nutritious meals to seniors in our region. Accessing tools that help them reach the right people and organizations who also care about this cause can help them continue to provide our more vulnerable seniors with vital nutrition and support.

Next, GSC Meals on Wheels team plans to dive into the resource Candid Foundation Directory Online. This resource can help them conduct more effective research so they find the grants that are perfect for them—like grants for nutritional advocacy and medical/social services.

“StartUp Spokane has offered the most valuable resources that I can think of,” said Jeremiah. “I’m still awestruck that the services provided are free of cost.”

So what exactly is StartUp Spokane?

StartUp Spokane is a program managed by Spokane Public Library (SPL) and Spokane County Library District (SCLD) that supports local entrepreneurs and fosters business growth.

Libraries serve as invaluable community resources by providing free access to knowledge, ensuring that information and opportunities are readily available to all.

A natural extension of the combined library resources, StartUp Spokane is able to offer a wide variety of business services for free that would otherwise cost money when accessed elsewhere.

Whether you’re brainstorming business ideas or growing an established business, StartUp Spokane has the resources to help your company grow.

Visit startupspokane.com to find out how to get:

• Personalized consulting with Mark Pond (SPL) and Spokane County Library District Business Librarians

• Step-by-step guidance for new business owners to navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship

• Access to a network of specialized mentors who can provide valuable insights and guidance

  • Access to a wealth of databases for demographics, industry trends, market research, and much more

Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur with a vision or an established business owner seeking new avenues for growth, StartUp Spokane can be the cornerstone of your journey to success. Together we can make Spokane the most equitable place to start, run, and grow a business.

Visit StartUpSpokane.com to get started.