Customer Spotlight: Friends of the National Zoo

We caught up with Sommer Singshinsuk from Friends of the National Zoo, a non-profit organization working with the Smithsonian National Zoo!

Sommer and FONZ designed some custom wristbands with TJM Promos featuring various animals at the zoo. Read more about FONZ and the wristbands:

What can you tell us about Friends of the National Zoo and your role there?

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute cares for about 1,800 animals representing 300 species. The Zoo's mission is to provide engaging experiences with animals and create and share knowledge to save wildlife and habitats. Friends of the National Zoo is a 5013c non-profit dedicated to advancing the Smithsonian National Zoo's mission of saving species. My role as the Retail Analytics Specialist encompasses inventory management, product development, data analytics, and process improvements for FONZ's Retail Department. I work towards developing a more efficient supply chain process for the retail shops and analyzing customer spending habits to improve our product assortment. As a team, we work to capture memories and create a wonderful shopping experience for visitors of the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

What brought you to TJM Promos?

Our CFO, Ginna Newton, visited the Houston Zoo where she came across animal wristbands that were sold in the retail shops. The proceeds were then donated to the Houston Zoo's conservation project to save wildlife. She loved the concept and believed that wristbands would not only be a great addition to our merchandise assortment, but the earnings would go towards a meaningful cause. We did some further research and came across TJM Promos as the company who designed the wristbands for the Houston Zoo. After speaking with the sales representative, we collaborated with the art team to develop colorful, fun wristbands to represent the animals at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.

How have you put your new wristbands to use?

Friends of the National Zoo has had great success with our wristbands as fundraising tools for our new initiative, Conservation Nation! Conservation Nation provides monetary support to Smithsonian scientists who are working to save animals in the wild. The most recent campaign provided tracking collars to be worn by endangered Asian elephants in Myanmar. All the profits from the sale of these wristbands go to Conservation Nation, and are another way FONZ can proudly help save species. Through the sales of these wristbands, FONZ has been able to raise $16,454 YTD for Conservation Nation to save threatened species in the wild.

Thank you for talking to us, Sommer, and we love the work that you do! We look forward to working with you and your team again!

For more information about Friends of the National Zoo, visit their website: https://supporter.fonz.org/

To learn more about the Smithsonian National Zoo, head to their website at: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/

To design your own custom wristbands, click HERE.