I was reminded a couple of weeks ago of how important the human touch is. Our summer intern sent a hand-written thank-you note and when it arrived, it just plain felt good.

We operate today with quick, impersonal interactions. Our emails are snippets of information, often conveying just factual details and missing any human element. Social media, meant to give us glimpses at a moment of each other, often lack the capacity to provide depth. And, instant messaging happens, well, in an instant.

As business people, we've all been watching anxiously to see if the government's stimulus package will make a difference and turn the economy around. Whether we agree or disagree with what our elected officials have done, so many of us are sitting on the edges of our seats hoping for the best.

And therein lays the problem. We're waiting when we could be doing.

A few months ago, there was a news report about an Alabama pharmacist who launched a homegrown stimulus package. He gave each of his employees bonuses in the form of $2 bills with instructions to spend them locally in order to stimulate the local economy. He was able to see where they spent them by tracking where the $2 bills appeared, and whether or not they came back into his business.

In that same spirit, The People's Stimulus Package -- www.peoplesstimulus.org -- was started by Turman Commercial Painters. The website is tracking companies around the country who have pledged to participate by giving their employees bonuses in the form of $2 bills. It's catching on quickly!

We've chosen not to sit and wait for the economy to rebound. We're going to be part of the solution, so we pledged to participate. You can, too.

So, here's our challenge to you. Show us we're not the only small company to start talking about economic recovery with our $2 bills. Once your company is participating, pass it along to others, like we just have, and let's get things rolling again. Then, tell us about it on our Facebook Fan Page.

1984. A small, independent convenience store does a booming business in Derry, NH. Its competition: Shaw's, East Derry Store, Bartlett's Store, Cumberland Farms, and Getty.

Shelves and coolers can't be stocked fast enough to keep up with customer demand. Workers hurry about to ensure that customers are taken care of promptly and with a smile. Behind the counter are hundreds of names and products scribbled on shelves, pieces of paper and pegboard -- names of customers and what they purchase -- so the owner can remember individuals and show customers just what they mean to the store.

Companies large and small know that corporate giving to charitable causes is not just in their best interest, but is the right thing to do. Yet, in these tough economic times, making a corporate donation to a charity has become very challenging.

So, companies need to get smarter about how they invest their charitable donations. Here are a few tips to make the decision process easier.

It's more than the Boy Scout motto. Anticipating a crisis and being prepared is the best advice any company can take.

Yet, most companies' Achilles Heal in a crisis is the communications part. Does your company crisis plan have a detailed crisis communications component?