6d • General discussion
Winning Wednesday- The Toy Drive that Exploded
The Toy Giveaway That Exploded… and What Saved It
This rec center wasn’t known for big special events.
No huge festivals. No massive giveaways. Just normal programming.
Then we decided to run a Christmas Toy Giveaway.
And not just repeat last year. Level it up.
We secured 50% more toys than the previous year.
We added more activities to actually engage the community, not just stand in line.
We redesigned the whole setup.
Our old system was built for 150 kids. Now we had 300.
On the whiteboard, it looked tight.
In real life, it started falling apart at the exact moment it mattered most.
When it was time to pass out toys, we had:
All toys staged inside the building
A line outside
Kids walking up to the door to get a toy
Then the human element kicked in:
Parents started pushing.
People complained about the toys they were getting.
Tension went up. Patience went down.
And all that pressure funneled onto one person: my coordinator.
He’s hearing complaints.
He’s watching what feels like a slow line.
He’s overwhelmed, and instead of slowing down, he speeds up.
Without telling anyone, he decides,
“I’ll fix it.”
He opens a second section and starts handing out toys from there.
Predictably, once people see this:
They run toward the new section.
Pushing. Shoving.
Multiple participants get knocked around and injured.
We lose track of who has gotten toys.
We run out for certain age groups.
This is the nightmare scenario:
We tried to do more good… and we accidentally created more chaos.
And I was pissed.
Like, genuinely heated.
His one quick, solo decision just nuked the system we built to keep people safe.
In that moment, I had two options:
Blow up on him and prove I’m the boss.
Lead with listening and actually fix the problem.
I took a breath. Pulled him aside. No audience.
“Hey, you look frustrated. It looks like you decided to take matters into your own hands.
Walk me through your reasoning.”
He tells me:
“The line wasn’t moving.”
“Parents were coming at me.”
“It felt like everything was on me and I just wanted to move it faster.”
Once I listened, it clicked:
He wasn’t trying to sabotage the event.
He was drowning in pressure and didn’t understand the full system.
Then I gave him the truth, straight:
“We had a system in place for a reason.”
“Your quick decision got people injured. That has to matter more than complaints.”
“You also weren’t assigned to that section. You were supposed to be in games and engagement.”
So I asked:
“Who was lead in that area?”
He knew.
“Next time, before you make a big change, talk to the lead.
We can move fast, but not at the cost of safety.
Speed without communication is just chaos.”
The next day, we did the real work:
We assumed we’d have even more participants next year.
We redesigned the toy system cleanly.
We clarified roles and leads.
We used his input to make the experience more engaging so people weren’t just standing in line getting angry.
Next year’s giveaway?
Orderly. Safer. Better energy.
Same coordinator. Better leadership.
Here’s the play:
If I react emotionally, I get compliance and resentment.
If I listen first, I get context, buy-in, and a better system.
Before you correct, collect.
Collect the story. Then correct the behavior.
Application for your team:
Ask your leads this week:
“Think of a time a staff member made a bad decision under pressure.
If you had really listened first, what might you have learned that would change how you coached them?”
Ride the momentum.
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Winning Wednesday- The Toy Drive that Exploded
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