More Than a Friendship

#4 Header_ More Than a Friendship

Sometimes, crossing an item off your to-do list can result in the most unexpected connections. It is these connections that make our platform extra special. As we have grown to 3 countries, 45+ cities and beyond, we cannot wait to continue building positive connections across the world. In 10 years we’ve connected over 140,000 skilled Taskers with people in their community who need a hand. And this is just the beginning.

But more than just the awe-inspiring numbers of what we’ve accomplished since our founding, what really inspires us are the meaningful relationships that have developed as a result of our platform. In the past 10 years, ongoing Tasker-client relationships account for 700,000 tasks — in fact, one Tasker who has completed over 400 tasks with the same client!

As part of our 10-Year Anniversary, we want to celebrate some of the special relationships that have evolved from the TaskRabbit network. Here are some of our favorite stories of how TaskRabbit has accomplished more than just tasks.

Christian B., Tasker in the San Francisco Bay Area and client, Janet

“From 2008 to 2014, I co-owned and ran a residential care facility for the elderly, specializing in people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. I was at the facility 24/7 with my two other staff members before eventually deciding to sell it. When I heard about TaskRabbit, I got interested because I already had experience with building stuff.

I’ve met many generous people through TaskRabbit, but Janet turned out to be the most amazing client. In Janet, I not only found friendship — I found family. My partner and I ended up taking care of her home in San Francisco, which led to us taking care of her. We now live with her rent-free. Janet became a mother to us, a confidant, a laughing buddy. She leans on us as much as we lean on her.

Last November, Janet was in the ER for two months. My partner and I knew she wanted to live, so we fought for her by staying by her bedside the whole time, 24/7. Later, her family and doctors told us that we literally saved her life. It was a life-changing moment.”

Samantha B. and Craig D., Taskers in Los Angeles

family_yosemiteTwo years ago, Samantha and Craig left corporate jobs and realized that they both wanted to work together, on their own terms, and help other people while they were at it — which brought them to TaskRabbit. They haven’t looked back!

“After starting as Taskers, we started seeing repeat clients and referrals almost right away—and that’s really how we build our business. The best thing about working together on TaskRabbit is that we get to spend a lot of time together that other couples don’t get. We happen to share that special bond where we don’t want to kill each other all the time, and we actually love spending time together. Even after 13+ years.”

Now they are hoping to take TaskRabbit’s flexibility to a whole new level. Samantha and Craig are tackling their biggest task yet; building “Pickle,” their dream tiny home on wheels, which they hope to drive across the country while continuing to task. When Pickle is completed, they’ll take their tasking show on the road — first around LA, then to northern California, Oregon, Colorado, and beyond. “We’ve started our own business [on TaskRabbit] and want to put everything into that,” Samantha says. “That’s the dream!”

Xavier C., Tasker in Miami

edgar-chaparro-543658-unsplashWe love hearing stories of Taskers that help people with wedding proposals. Can you believe that Taskers have helped clients pull off over 9,000 marriage proposals over the last 10 years? We chatted with Xavier about his experience being a part of one special occasion.

“The task was to make a series of deliveries to the client’s girlfriend. The first delivery I made contained a box of chocolates. A little while later, I feigned forgetfulness and delivered another package to the house. This time, John sent Elise an album of memories: inside jokes, pictures, and quotes – and buried in the back, he asked the ultimate question. In tears, shocked, and bewildered, Elise called John.

By this time, I positioned myself strategically to photograph the moment from afar. Elise didn’t realize that John was actually outside the house! When she went outside, she encountered rose petals strewn about, champagne at the ready, and John down on one knee. I felt so privileged to be part of this touching and life-changing moment!”

Christian C. and Abigail C., Taskers in New York

image2 (1)“When my wife and I got engaged, I had just left a large bank and was interviewing for positions in finance. Abigail and I both wanted to work together after we were married but we really didn’t have an opportunity to do that since she was working as a veterinary technician. I signed up to TaskRabbit on a whim. Weeks later Abigail said to me, you know, TaskRabbit could let us work together, and she signed on as a Tasker as well.

Working as a couple has brought many benefits to us, and we find that clients see many benefits in it too. Tasks take a shorter period of time with two of us working together, and we help other couples who might not fare so well with the stress involved in a move, for example, to foster their relationships in other ways.”

Ariel W. and Ryan W., Taskers in Seattle

20180907_104624 (1)“I initially started tasking in 2014 because I was a single mom working part-time and needed a very flexible job to fit my chaotic schedule, while Ryan wanted the freedom to set his own rates, his own hours, and be his own boss.

We have done quite a few tasks together. Our last task involved assembling an IKEA bunk bed. We had fun with it.

When we first started tasking together as a couple it was pretty awful. We think and plan very differently, so when we would do furniture assembly tasks together we got pretty frustrated with each other. After a few years we have learned to communicate better and work fairly seamlessly as a team. Ryan has years of electrical and construction experience so I can ask him anything about handiwork. I have years of customer service experience, so he can ask me about dealing with different client scenarios. We learn from and grow from each other through TaskRabbit, and that’s pretty special.”

Read more 10th anniversary stories here and join us in building the future of TaskRabbit!

Book trusted help for home tasks

RELATED STORIES

Looking Back, Thinking Ahead: A Letter from Our CEO

Today marks ten years since TaskRabbit launched as RunMyErrand in Boston. After running out of dog food on a rainy night, our founder, Leah Busque, set out to create a way for people to lend a hand to busy neighbors. A decade later, our founding promise of “neighbors helping neighbors” still rings true. But our neighborhood looks a little different.

Read More »

Tiny Task, Big Impact

Whether it’s maneuvering a couch through an apartment or flying through furniture assembly, Taskers are no strangers to creative problem solving, deadlines, and working in tight quarters. We put these skills (and many more) to a tiny test in May 2016, when we challenged ten Taskers to build a fully-outfitted, liveable tiny house in the middle of Manhattan for a good cause. The catch: they had just 72 hours.

Read More »

The Most Unique Tasks

In honor of our 10-year anniversary, we’re featuring some of our most unique tasks, and amazing stories of what people accomplish when they find a Tasker to lend a hand!

Read More »

More Than a Job

Discover the impactful stories about Taskers who truly have gone above and beyond to create a ripple effect in their networks.

Read More »

Everyday Superheroes of TaskRabbit

We asked three mothers (clients and Taskers alike) about the role TaskRabbit has played in their lives, from keeping important promises, to saving them in “dropped the ball” moments, to helping them balance their work and personal lives.   

Read More »

A Decade in Numbers

Through ten years of helping people tackle everything from nagging tasks to daunting projects, Taskers have redefined what it means to have help for life. Here’s a look at what the TaskRabbit community has accomplished in the last decade.

Read More »

Book trusted help for home tasks