How Strategic Partnerships with Barnabas Are Fueling Thess Bar’s Impact
By Jones Chan, Founder & CEO of Thess Bar
Nonprofit work is rarely a solo endeavor. As I often remind myself, "Success requires many advisors and is not a solo journey." This truth resonates deeply with Thess Bar. Our mission to nourish bodies and souls, igniting compassion so the poor can flourish, has been profoundly amplified by the strategic insights and unwavering support of The Barnabas Group. Their wisdom, encouragement, and guidance have not only boosted our short-term performance but also laid a solid foundation for long-term impact.
Bestselling Author and Pastor, Francis Chan, has endorsed Thess Bar and provides a Gospel Message when the QR code on the wrapper is scanned.
The journey began with an eye-opening ideation session, a pivotal moment where we collectively identified a game-changing opportunity: expanding Thess Bar’s impact in disaster relief and first responder support. In times of crisis, access to nutritious, shelf-stable food is not just a comfort, but a necessity, and Thess Bar is uniquely positioned to meet this urgent need. This realization sparked a transformation.
With Barnabas’ strategic insights as our compass, we crafted a focused execution plan, tapping into our network to forge crucial partnerships. The Emergency Services of The Salvation Army and Convoy of Hope emerged as key distribution partners, instrumental in ensuring Thess Bars reach those who need them most during emergencies. This proactive approach proved invaluable when disaster struck, allowing us to swiftly mobilize nearly 50,000 Thess Bars to support both victims and emergency teams on the front lines. Our ability to respond rapidly was a direct result of these relationships, built well in advance.
But our partnership with Barnabas extended far beyond disaster relief. Another significant takeaway from our ideation session was the imperative to sharpen our messaging and clearly articulate our vision. We developed a powerful pitch deck, a tool to communicate our strategies, goals, and financial plan with clarity and conviction. This step not only tightened our focus but also established a clear path toward fiscal sustainability, ensuring our mission's longevity.
Measuring Results
Further deepening our understanding of Thess Bar's impact, we partnered with The Salvation Army to quantify the tangible benefits we provide. A pre-post survey trial, involving 20 shelter residents who consumed one Thess Bar daily for two weeks, revealed remarkable results. Statistically significant gains in energy, mental clarity, and overall well-being translated to heightened productivity and a greater sense of flourishing. This data not only validates Thess Bar’s holistic benefits but also empowers us to communicate our impact with irrefutable evidence, bridging the gap between belief and proof.
This journey has reinforced a fundamental truth: impact flourishes through partnership. Thess Bar’s mission aligns perfectly with organizations like The Salvation Army and Convoy of Hope, who are on the front lines of serving the poor and afflicted. Yet, none of this would have been possible without the catalytic guidance and support of The Barnabas Group. Their insight helped us crystallize our strategic plan and goals, providing a clear path forward. Moreover, Barnabas provided a platform for business leaders to contribute their expertise, offering invaluable insights and ideas that strengthened our approach. Their belief in Thess Bar’s mission has instilled in us the confidence, clarity, and connections to scale our impact beyond what we initially imagined. Their commitment to faith-based business leadership and collaboration is a testament to the power of collective wisdom in driving lasting change.
We are resolutely committed to transforming lives through Thess Bar. To achieve this, we are strategically expanding our reach through impactful social media engagement, upgrading our e-commerce experience to maximize accessibility, and strengthening our logistics to ensure swift and reliable delivery. Our four-year goal is to establish a robust foundation for long-term financial sustainability, enabling us to amplify our mission. With Barnabas as our partner, we are empowered to deliver life-sustaining nourishment, share the life-changing Gospel, and extend compassionate action to those who need it most.
A Heartfelt Thank You
To The Barnabas Group—thank you for your unwavering support and belief in our vision. Your guidance has been instrumental in making Thess Bar a lifeline for those in crisis. I am humbled and grateful to have you alongside us on this journey, knowing that success is built on the wisdom and encouragement of many.
About The Author: Jones Chan
Jones has more than 40 years of experience leading research and development in the food and supplement industry for organizations such as Nature Made, PowerBar/Nestle, Kagome, Conagra and Shaklee.
With his wide breadth of experience, he felt called to leave the corporate world to focus on nourishing the impoverished by creating novel food solutions. This has resulted in projects aimed at reducing malnutrition in Ethiopia, Afghanistan, and Uganda.
Thess® Bar is the culmination of a lifetime of food & nutrition science expertise and compassion for those most in need.