Benoît Rheault
Administrative Agent,
Foundation of Maison du Père
Your phone close to your ear, you wait at the end of the line. A soft voice answers you, attentive and open. You have a question, a request for information or you wish to make a donation. This welcoming voice that will accompany you for the next few minutes is that of Benoît Rheault, administrative agent, or agent-of-all-trades, of Maison du Père!
Starting with his education in arts and literature, design and political science, Benoît has followed "an eclectic path, which corresponds well to the eclectic nature of [his] current position." In fact, thanks to his experiences at the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec, at Oxfam-Quebec and through other contracts in various companies, Benoît has perfected his writing skills, learned rigor and professionalism at work, and has developed an approach dedicated to customer service. Now pursuing his his career at the Maison du Père Foundation, we can easily notice Benoît's professional guiding thread, that of a sensitivity to community service, and to the fight against inequalities and injustice.
On a daily basis, Benoît responds to very different requests. "Need a pen? That’s me! Need to write an official 10 page document and then translate it? Thats's me also!", he exclaims. "I order the stationery, I answer the phone, I process donations, I write, correct and translate texts, I do interviews that will be published in the newsletter or on the Web and I participate in the development of the communications strategy, in collaboration with my colleagues Geneviève and Francis, as well as with my supervisor, Manon."
But Benoît is first and foremost the voice of Maison du Père. His daily challenge lies in his brief conversations with donors: “In a short period of time, I have to communicate to the donor, over the phone, that they are important and respected. Donors are our backbone. From a financial point of view, they represent more than half of our funding. This is immense. This is more than government grants."
It often happens that donors worry about the amount of their donation, or wonder about the best way to give. It can be easy to think that bigger amounts are more desirable, but that's not exactly right. "If anyone is thinking of giving us a million, I'm a taker! », says Benoît, laughing. He specifies: “The majority of donors give according to their means, whether it is $5 or $2000. What makes a difference is regularity."
At Maison du Père, he adds, monthly donations are preferred. For donors, this is a simple solution that allows someone to include a donation in their expenses, without disrupting their budget. But it is also very advantageous for Maison du Père because, in order to carry out projects, the organization must be able to plan for the long term. “A $10 monthly donation can have a bigger impact than a spontaneous $ 120 because it allows us to plan ahead."
Several donors are also preoccupied about the proportion of their donation that will be truly dedicated to the men who live at Maison du Père, and those that receive its help. Supporting people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless is the very essence of the mission of the Maison du Père, explains Benoît. 90% of donations are therefore directly devoted to health services, social reintegration, housing maintenance, retirement homes, etc. Also, the percentage devoted to administration expenses ensures an efficient finance and accounting service and better practices in human resources so the organization can count on a professional and dedicated intervention team.
The next time you call to make a donation to Maison du Père, be sure to say hello to Benoît, who takes a real pleasure in talking with you. You are unique and precious. Without you, Maison du Père would not be able to fulfill its mission, and ensure that every street finds an exit...