Author

Sarah Putnam Headshot
Sarah Putnam
Title:
Executive Director

Sarah Putnam began her career with Spare Key in 2019 as Chief Marketing Officer. In 2022, she took over as Executive Director. Her background centers around marketing, branding, management, sales, and customer service. Her expertise shines when focusing on clarity and consistency with a company’s visual strategy and content plan. She has found her passion working with Spare Key and Help Me Bounce giving donors a direct line to help families facing unimaginable medical crises. Outside of work, Sarah lives in South Minneapolis with her Springer Spaniel rescue, Trixie Mae. She loves spending time outside during Minnesota summers on her bike or walking around the lakes. The other 9 months of the year, she tries to sprinkle in travel to new places to try ALL the local cuisine.

Published On: June 8, 2023
Missouri Growth
Growth takes time – ask any business owner. And nonprofits are no different! When Spare Key launched our Help Me Bounce platform back in 2019, we knew we had launched the solution to helping exponentially more families throughout the nation facing medical crises.But that’s when the hard work really began. We needed to register to help families in more states throughout the nation and that takes time. Then, we needed to ensure families actually KNEW about Spare Key and how we can help. We don’t have all the answers yet, but we are continually learning and growing.

Published On: April 27, 2023
The Hoyle Family
As the full Spare Key team wraps up final details from last Saturday’s Groove Gala, presented by Network Title, Inc., Spare Key’s Executive Director, Sarah Putnam, took some time to reflect on the night. The generosity, the sponsors, the volunteers, the attendees, and the Hoyle Family who was able to share their story and their experience on Help Me Bounce. Read on to hear highlights from another incredible celebration of Spare Key’s important work helping families facing unimaginable medical hardship “Bounce and Not Break”!
Published On: March 10, 2023
Blog by Sarah Putnam
In a sea of incredible nonprofits doing amazing work, Spare Key sets ourselves apart with our mission to help families facing real hardship pay real bills in real time. We provide donors with a direct line to families that need their help the most. Because the reality is that even when a devastating medical crisis hits, the bills don’t stop. Read this week’s Help Me Bounce blog by Executive Director Sarah Putnam to learn more about how Spare Key sets ourselves apart with our Help Me Bounce program.
Published On: February 2, 2023
You can sponsor hope
Since beginning her new chapter as Spare Key’s Executive Director last November, one of Sarah’s main areas of focus has been meeting all Spare Key’s incredible partners, supporters, and sponsors. It’s been an honor for her to hear how countless generous individuals got involved with Spare Key’s mission. Many of these conversations have also evolved into how companies can help sponsor our 2023 Groove Gala presented by Network Title, Inc. Read on to hear Sarah’s reflection and gratitude for these conversations the last few months.
Published On: December 30, 2022
Thank you to everyone that supported Spare Key in 2022
With only two days left to 2022, Spare Key’s Executive Director, Sarah Putnam, took the opportunity in her last blog of the year to reflect on not just this past year, but the last 25 Spare Key has been serving families. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the unwavering support of countless individuals and partners, and words can barely express our gratitude to each and every one of you. With your continued support, Spare Key is honored to support families facing real hardship pay real bills in real time.
Published On: November 17, 2022
Give to the Max Day 2022
Today is Give to the Max Day! A statewide day of giving. To learn more about this inspiring day, read Executive Director Sarah Putnam’s blog about when she first learned about Give to the Max Day and how Spare Key has celebrated this day since 2019!
Published On: October 14, 2022
Read to learn why Spare Key made our pivotal shift to Help Me Bounce
Spare Key made a pivotal decision back in 2019 to embrace a new way of giving. One that puts donors in control. It was a decision that came from a lot of research, conversations, and forward thinking into how giving patterns were evolving and how we could use evolving technology to help more families. Read on to learn WHY Spare Key launched Help Me Bounce as not just a tool for families, but for donors as well.
Published On: September 20, 2022
Donors on Help Me Bounce
Meeting with families that shared their story on Help Me Bounce is so incredibly inspiring. Hearing these families explain what Help Me Bounce meant to them while they were facing the unimaginable is humbling. We are SO much more than a place to donate. We give families a place to share their story. We give them one centralized location to tell their friends, family, and network what they are facing and where they need help. Further, we give these families a space to be discovered by donors across the nation they don’t personally know who still want to help. These donors are SO incredibly important to families facing the unknown. Read on to hear first-hand how important these donors were to the Peterson Family from Luck, Wisconsin.
Published On: September 6, 2022
Run a mile for Spare Key's 25th Anniversary
On Thursday, September 15th, Spare Key’s Executive Director will be running 25 miles to celebrate our 25th Anniversary! We are asking our community to run a mile alongside him! But, MORE importantly, we are asking our runners (or walkers!) to find a family on www.helpmebounce.org and raise funds for that family throughout the day! Read on to find out how Spare Key is pledging to help YOU double your impact for a family facing unimaginable medical crises on Thursday, September 15th!
Published On: August 23, 2022
The Axlund Family on Help Me Bounce
One of my favorite parts about being Chief Marketing Officer with Spare Key is hearing from families first-hand why they shared their story on Help Me Bounce and how that support helped them in the most unimaginable times in their lives. It’s all too easy to forget the real reason our small team is six works as hard as a team of 20+. But then you meet a family who was facing the unimaginable that shared their story with strangers throughout the country. And then those strangers come together to raise thousands of dollars to help that family pay their bills and stay in their home… that’s when you remember WHY you work so hard day in and day out.