Charles Tillman’s fans can now receive a gift box sent directly to their homes that’s filled with some of his favorite items that were handpicked by the Bears’ Pro Bowl cornerback.
The boxes cost $50 and are assembled by Quarterly Company, a subscription service that sends curated gifts in the mail every three months to fans from athletes and other celebrities.
“We’re working on amazing products to go in that box,” said Aron Levinson, Quarterly’s Chief Revenue Officer. “It’s a surprise and a delight when the fan opens that box. They’re going to open that box with major anticipation because they’re obviously big fans and hopefully go online and share that through social media and let everyone see what Charles sent them.”
Funds that Tillman earns through the sale of his Quarterly boxes will be donated to the Cornerstone Foundation, the charitable organization that he and his wife Jackie created in 2005. Through their efforts, the Tillmans have helped more than one million children and raised over $1 million.
Tillman’s philanthropic endeavors made him an ideal candidate to partner with Quarterly.
“When I started learning more about Charles and the Cornerstone Foundation,” Levinson said, “and with him becoming the NFL Man of the Year, Charles is here to do good in the world and I really saw our platform as a way for him to achieve a bunch of different goals, from cause awareness to recurring fundraising, plus the opportunity for him to engage his fans in the real world.”
Levinson was further convinced to work with Tillman after spending time with him in New York a couple of months ago in the days leading up to the Super Bowl.
“Charles is not only an outstanding performer on the field, but he’s a real mensch,” Levinson said. “I’m Jewish and my mom used to always talk about what a mensch is and a mensch is a really good human being who cares about other people. I’ve always wanted to surround myself with guys like that because they’re inspirational.
“Charles really cares about other people. He’s thoughtful, he’s mindful, he’s creative, he’s funny. Spending that time with him in New York and talking about Quarterly and talking about his fans, he’s really passionate about it. He loves to engage with them. He’s a good guy and I’m really proud to say that he’s a part of Quarterly.”
The handpicked items mailed to fans by Quarterly are extremely unique. Musician/entrepreneur Pharrell Williams, for example, included a copy of the book, “The Alchemist,” along with his personal annotations throughout the novel.
“[Pharrell] could have [said], ‘Oh, I love this book. I want to share it with my fans,’” Levinson said. “But the real flavor of Quarterly is to take that to another level and not just bind the book but annotate it with his notes so now all of a sudden you have a whole new reading experience.”
In terms of Tillman’s box, Quarterly promises on its website that the Bears cornerback will “share sources of inspiration to help you persevere, whatever the challenges in your life.”
Other celebrities who work with Quarterly include NFL players Brian Robison of the Vikings and D.J. Hayden of the Raiders, Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and singer Jordin Sparks.
Quarterly is built for the diehard rabid loyal fans," Levinson said. "It's for the fan who wants to engage with the person beyond Twitter and Facebook. Getting a retweet feels good for a little bit, but to get a box from someone you admire sent to your home, it's a whole other level of emotion."
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