When a Rock Star Mails You a Letter

In the early 2000s, I was an Advisory Board member with a non-profit organization founded by a dear friend of mine who hailed from Chesshire, a county in Northwest England. A graduate of Kew Gardens, he became a Botanist and Tree Surgeon - certainly a different profession than mine. Nevertheless, over many weekend brunches he enthusiastically explained to me that the earth was in danger of losing all remaining rainforests. Further, he explained how catastrophic this was on multiple levels -- including the potential inherent in plant-derived medicines beyond those that are commonly used for fever, gastrointestinal problems, pain, and respiratory problems. We discussed whether cures for diseases such as cancer might be possible biologically. I was already serving on another board and had to honestly decline the offer to become vice president of marketing, knowing the tasks required. However, when my friend suggested an Advisory Board position, I accepted.

One evening, while "burning the midnight oil" at his office, we made lists of prominent individuals for financial support and candidacy for the Advisory Board. My friend elected to send letters to King Charles and then-Prime Minister Tony Blair. As I was still covering commercial aviation developments as a magazine correspondent at the time, I elected to write a letter to Richard Branson, head of the venture capital conglomerate, Virgin Corporation. In the early 1980s, Richard bought up the shares of Virgin Atlantic co-founders Randolph Fields and Alan Hellary to shape the unique corporate culture and customer-centric airline of excellence we know today.

As I recall, my friend and I left the office around 3:00 a.m. and the letters were taken to the U.S. Post Office the following day to be posted. Roughly three weeks later, I received a letter addressed to me from Virgin Corp. Against all odds, Richard Branson personally received my letter, read it and dictated a brief reply stating that he would consider our request and get back to us within a couple of weeks. He also mentioned that if he was not able to respond in that time frame, he would have his executive assistant reach back to us with a definitive answer. Sure enough, a second letter later arrived addressed to me with regrets for not being able to participate, as the company was overwhelmed with similar requests for financial support. I could only imagine the sheer volume of mail Virgin Company officers receive. However, Richard wished us well and acknowledged the importance of the mission behind educating students about the importance of rainforest preservation, from middle schools to universities. To say we were shocked to receive personal responses from Richard Branson himself would be the understatement of the year. Yes, we were declined. But the letters spoke of the larger message of avoiding trite prefabricated messages of regret. Our board was pleasantly surprised that we were seen, heard and valued at all.

One of the graces my late mother emphasized with me as I was growing up was the power of the written word. Two years after her death, yet another of her many lessons was correct. One of the world's wealthiest and highly respected humanitarians took the time to acknowledge a flegling non-profit organization shortly after we became eligible for 501(c)3 status.

In closing, it is an honor when someone studies your background sufficiently to contact you with an opportunity. I deliberately ignore the excuses of purchasing postal stamps and envelopes to address inquiries whenever possible, and I encourage this in all of your interactions as well. Even if the gesture is lost on the recipient, you can take pride in having separated yourself from the masses who largely view a handwritten or typewritten letter as outdated and silly. Far from this mind set, we put our best effort forward and Richard Branson acknowledged us with dignity and class by mailing us a personal letters. He remains a rock star in my mind to this day!