|
|
Ever since Toronto’s 25th mayor, William Holmes Howland, coined the term “Toronto the Good” for his campaign the term has often been used as an earnest effort to call our city to greatness.
This blog post is a genuine shining example of efforts by the meetings industry to leverage it’s *significant economic muscle to embody “Toronto the Good”.
 Denise Belgrove Denise Belgrove, Director of Member Care at Tourism Toronto, shares her experiences and perspectives on how Social Sourcing is becoming embedded in our culture and making a difference.
*(The meetings industry in Canada accounts for over 550,000 jobs and contributes over $32 billion to the GDP according to the 2007/2008 MPI Foundation study.)
Q. Denise, can you tell us about Tourism Toronto’s philosophy with respect to social impact and how it helps differentiate Toronto to incoming conventions and meetings?
For the past few years clients have been letting us know their desire to hold ‘green’ meetings and events and as the convention bureau we are able to deliver with the involvement from our members. As the destination marketing body for the area we
feel it is important to be on board both internally and externally with our own sustainable practices. The City of Toronto has many destination sustainability and environmental initiatives and together these are communicated to our Leisure and Business clients. We provide our clients with sustainable destination information by way of a green meetings micro-site and visitor/meeting planner guide, we conduct familiarization or FAM tours too many of the area venues carrying out sustainable practices. All of these initiatives contribute to making Toronto a more attractive venue choice for incoming conventions and meetings.
Q. In Member Care – What is your approach to gifting?
Motivation and incentive are our primary reasons for giving gifts. Our gifts are not meant to be a huge expensive item, merely to communicate value and incent members to engage. For example we often bring members together for meetings and might have a business card draw for a gift. We sometimes offer gifts as incentives to encourage members to engage certain programs.
Q. Tell us about how you came across the idea of Social Sourcing and why it appealed to you.
Candidly, I came across idea through the ZOË Alliance member spotlight and found it very interesting. In Member Care, we are budget sensitive and we don’t purchase many gifts at all. But when the opportunity came along, I wanted to go with a company that incorporated sustainability from a – z, environment and human/social impact. ZOË Alliance takes all into consideration, and under one roof, and I like that approach.
Q. How has the idea of social sourcing played out in implementation, what sort of response are you receiving?
The timing of our conversation is funny, just last week someone we gave the shoe bag to emailed me. She said at the close of her email “by the way, I loved the quality of that shoebag and I’m using it right now.” She was on the road in Miami.
The design of the shoe bag was so fantastic on the final product. It went over really really well. Sexy, reversable, and an  appropriate gift for both male and female.
The fabric lining choice lead to that, masculine and feminine all rolled into this one product. Having a company being able to pick up on all of that in one product is pretty cool and the quality is very well done.
We love the way it is packaged too, with the story card because it gives the message right up front to whoever receives the bag.
For me, because I am somewhat familiar with who ZOË works with, I just think it’s an amazing story and one that should be encouraged even further. It’s like drinking a cup of coffee from a fairtrade coffee vendor rather than somewhere else.
Q. What would you say to others?
For me its all about the gifting and incentives. In the grand scheme of our budgets it is not a major dollar value, but it is perceived as a higher value, and it is appreciated. It works for me because it makes a much bigger impression than the usual gift options.
I would tell others to give it a try, knowing what ZOË Alliance offers, I think there is great potential to take it even further.
Your readers could take some ideas from our experience and follow suit. It is a huge market out there and the more people who adopt this idea, the bigger the impact we will all achieve.
Since our TEDxToronto talk the one question I have been asked most is what our biggest challenge is in building the Social Sourcing movement.
Our biggest challenge has been a little like you feel when you have decided you really want to do something like squeeze in a last minute getaway. You are excited about it, but despite all your best efforts to get to your destination on time, there is a traffic jam and you arrive “a day late and a dollar short”.
It has become really clear to me over the past five years that people really do want to get involved. And so in the light of that, while the story I want to share does highlight a challenge associated with Social Sourcing, it also shines a clear light on how one simple change could make all the difference.
WHY A DAY LATE?
The biggest challenge by far is this, people are busy and companies have existing processes. And so even the absolute best of intentions are sometimes – a day late. The best example of this was when a potential client called earlier this year and asked if we could deliver just under 200,000 pens in 6 weeks. I LOVE THAT THEY CALLED! The whole team was absolutely over the moon that this very large company wanted to work with us and it is because of this request that by mid 2013, if they ask us to ship that many pens in 8 weeks, the answer will be YES! Alas, this year, we had to say no to that order because we knew we couldn’t do it. And we learned and got better because of that experience. But I can’t help but wonder what would have happened both in the village and with the client’s customers if we had just had a few extra weeks.
A DOLLAR SHORT?
In the end, it felt a little bit like we all rushed up to the airport gate in our best Hawaiian print shirts just as the plane taxied away. Timing is everything and if the client above had known and been able to call us just a few weeks earlier, those dollars would have benefited over 50 women’s lives and their families.
We can’t always plan sooner, but we hope this little story helps us, where possible, avoid our corporate traffic jams and have many more stories of life change to celebrate!
As a nice alternative to reading, this month’s blog share a quick 5 minute video report that explores the many ways that the Meetings Industry can incorporate social impact into their events and who benefits as a result. Lots of ideas inside, from flowers from local shops that employ adults with disabilities, to print services, and yes….even a passing mention of promo items. But mainly a serious look at the many ways we can all have fun making a difference. Enjoy!
This month’s blog is a reprint of an article authored by us for Corporate Meetings & Events Magazine appearing in the September 2012 issue. It’s a quick and fun walk through a story that illustrates how much impact socially sourcing your gifts can really have.
 Recycled Paper Pens in Production in a Rural Village Sustainable Swag: Turning Promotional Gifts into Social Investments
Imagine this: It’s 90 days to your annual conference and you are reviewing your plan. Venue – check; Program – check; Speakers – check. The list goes on until you feel reasonably satisfied with your state of readiness for the big event. All that’s left is to figure out what in the world you might give to speakers, key clients, and attendees that will be themed, useful, fun, and unique.
Interestingly, given all the big issues you must routinely wrestle to the ground, this one seems to be a perennial challenge that is not easily solved. Add to that the increasing focus in your organization on social responsibility and your desire to plan a green meeting and you may find yourself asking two key questions:
1) What is the purpose of our gift giving?
2) Are gifts and promotional items “green?”
What is the Purpose of our Gift Giving?
Giving gifts is a cultural norm firmly rooted in human nature. We are relational beings and whether we are talking about friends, family or business, the truth is that we associate and spend time with people we like.
In our business context, relationships with our clients, industry colleagues and employees are everything. While giving a gift in and of itself does not establish a strong relationship, it most certainly can be appreciated in the context of an existing or new relationship. Consequently, a well-chosen gift that communicates thoughtfulness and genuine appreciation enhances our relationships.
Are Gift and Promotional Items Green?
The next big question is: How do you rationalize your gifts from an environmental and social perspective? How do you find a well-chosen gift that is useful, fun, unique, AND socially responsible?
The good news is that there are a growing number of great options out there for both environmentally and socially responsible gifts. This whole area is a fantastic, high-profile way to engage your participants and create a buzz that will last long past the event.
Last year, for example, our company worked with a law firm in Ottawa that was sponsoring the dinner at a large gala event. The partner assigned with the task of finding a gift decided to look for a socially responsible one. In her quest, she chose our hand-rolled recycled paper pens made by women in a remote impoverished village.
Did you catch that? She chose pens for the table settings….exciting, huh? I bet we would all expect everyone to be enthralled by a pen and to hang on every word she said during her “mic” time.
 Branded Recycled Paper Pens Hand-rolled in a Village Well, believe it or not, that is exactly what happened. When she took the stage, images that we provided of the village women making the pens by hand splashed up on the screen, and she told the story of the pens to 500 black-tie dinner attendees. It became a conversation topic for the night that lead to new business for the law firm.
Create an Impact
Buzz-worthy, unique, memorable, useful, and bona fide environmental and social impact – those pens provided gainful employment for 20 women during their production, and the presenter was able to share their names.
So can gifts be green and socially responsible? Yes, and so much more. They are an opportunity to enhance relationships, take care of our environment, and invest in the eradication of poverty.
With this approach we can take the perennial challenge of “what to give” and turn it into sizzle and buzz for our events each and every year, all while being part of a globally recognized effort to become a socially responsible business.
Twenty years ago global leaders began gathering to set shared goals to address the critical needs of our planet, which resulted in the UN Millennium Development Goals, UN Declaration on Human Development, Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Agenda 21 and a host of other global agreements with shared goals addressing poverty, the environment, human rights, social justice, security, and economic development.
Just one month ago at the Rio +20 global leaders gathered again to assess our progress as a global community, reaffirm commitments and to set the focus for the years to 2015 and 2020, the dates by which most goals are to be met.
Here are 4 key findings out of the 53 page report and an example of what role we can play as businesses and associations. Our leaders self-assessed a rather urgent and dire situation, but hang in till the end of this blog, the example that the International Association of Administrative Professionals shows us is a clear and simple way that all of us can be a part of the solution.
PROGRESS IS UNEVEN, AND IN SOME CASES GOING BACKWARD
“We recognize that, three years from the 2015 target date of the Millennium Development Goals, while there has been progress in reducing poverty in some regions, this progress has been uneven and the number of people living in poverty in some countries continues to increase, with women and children constituting the majority of the most affected groups, especially in the least developed countries and particularly in Africa.” Point 105, Page 21, Agenda Item 10 Outcome of the Conference. Rio +20 United Nation Conference on Sustainable Development Rio de Janerio, Brazil 20 – 22 June 2012.
The reality is that though progress was made up to 2008, with the global economic crisis and most countries not meeting their commitments, we are starting to go backwards even as the global population is ballooning toward 9 billion by 2050.
POVERTY IS THE NUMBER ONE GLOBAL CHALLENGE
“Eradicating poverty is the greatest global challenge facing the world today and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. In this regard we are committed to freeing humanity from poverty and hunger as a matter of urgency.” Point 2, Page 1.
Poverty rose to the top of the agenda with global leaders now advocating for an integrated view of sustainable development that includes people and the environment as inseparable components of any successful strategy.
WE MUST WORK AS A BROAD ALLIANCE ACROSS SECTORS
“We recognize that opportunities for people to influence their lives and future, participate in decision-making and voice their concerns are fundamental for sustainable development. We underscore that sustainable development requires concrete and urgent action. It can only be achieved with a broad alliance of people, governments, civil society and the private sector, all working together to secure the future we want for present and future generations” Point 13, Page 2
We probably all knew this, but no one actor, business, non profit, government or other has the ability to succeed alone. This is our great challenge and our great opportunity.
BUSINESS IS A NECESSARY PARTNER AT THE TABLE
“We encourage each country to consider the implementation of green economy policies in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, in a manner that endeavours to drive sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and job creation, particularly for women, youth and the poor. In this respect, we note the importance of ensuring that workers are equipped with the necessary skills, including through education and capacity-building, and are provided with the necessary social and health protections. In this regard, we encourage all stakeholders, including business and industry, to contribute, as appropriate.” Point 62, Page 11
With the advent of technology and global trade, our business decisions impact people around the globe. As Corporate Social Responsibility continues to evolve, having a global perspective on all our decisions, including supply chain, can have enormous positive impact.
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS “GLOCAL” STRATEGY FOR IMPACT
“I just feel that we are so focused on our own needs to be better professionals, and this is not bad. But we don’t always sit back and think about what women in other parts of the world’s lives are like. An organization like ZOË Alliance enables women to have dignity and employment; giving back to their community and helping their families grow through education. More important than that, they are making us aware that these small businesses exist and the people that work there are an active part of our society.” Josephine Roman, co-president IAAP Greater Toronto Chapter
We thought it would be inspiring to highlight a great example of collaborative action in response to our shared global challenge. On the surface it looks like a few dozen paper weights and a couple of special items for volunteer leaders, but the impact of the decision of co-presidents’ Sherrie Machan and Josephine Roman was felt around the world in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Dharmapuri, India, and Bois de Lance, Haiti.
The Greater Toronto Chapter of the IAAP has a history of focusing on investing in the community and specifically chooses to support organizations with which they have alignment in the area of mission and values.
The chapter intentionally supports local charities that help women with employment. Recently they decided to include women in villages in developing nations in their supply chain by sourcing volunteer gifts and prize items from ZOË.
After they decided to socially source their gifts, they ran into a small glitch. You see, there didn’t appear to be any options in their budget range for their gift application. This happens a lot because the movement is so young and we are still building a broader and broader range of choices for clients who wish to socially source.
Did these ladies walk away and say, oh well we tried, and we didn’t see anything? No, they took us up on our offer to make it easy for anyone who wants to Take the Challenge and socially source to do so. They shot us a quick email, told us what they were looking for, and our team instantly contacted our fair trade alliance partners and found some great options including some beautiful hand made paper weights through the network.
Sherrie and Josephine took a look at the options, chose the paper weight and in the words of Sherrie…” Sheer delight, the recipients were so grateful and they couldn’t believe the amount of workmanship that went into the gift. One person actually commented on how she couldn’t wait to go home and read through the story card in more detail.”
Last year, Josephine and Sherrie sourced gifts in the same way most people do. From a routine supply source or the company website of pre-branded options. This year they recognized our opportunity in the meetings industry is to harness some of the $40 billion dollars spent on gifts toward the eradication of poverty.
Thanks to the IAAP, there is another group of people determined to take “concrete and urgent action”, including the poorest of the poor as their suppliers and, if we are going to meet our global goals, we all need many more to join them.
“Every meetings organization, irrespective of size, scale or scope, is linked to the global marketplace – and that marketplace is increasingly engaged with CSR.”MPI Green Power: Fuel for Change, Supplement to January 2012 CSR Report.
ZOË Alliance just became a new member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and I am excited to have recently joined the Events for Communities of  Sustainability (ECOS) Committee.
I am really looking forward to being an active member of this community because I believe that the meetings industry has an incredibly important role to play for business and society. Meetings are about people getting together to work on “something”. Growing a business, solving a technical, environment, social challenge….whatever the shared task at hand.
Gathering talented individuals to accomplish something is not a “nice to do”, effective meetings whether in person or virtual are the foundation of accomplishing anything at all.
It’s the same sort of thing with CSR or sustainability. This is not a sideline activity, and while it is about the environment, it is equally about people. The Meetings Industry is uniquely positioned to have significant impact on the sustainability of our society and, not surprisingly, has taken some really exciting steps toward providing leadership in this area with the 3-year research study that MPI has commissioned Leeds Metropolitan University to perform.
Sustainability initiatives within the private sector can address the critical shared global issues of poverty, insecurity, social injustice and systemic barriers to inclusion.
That was a mouthful, so lets sit with that statement for a minute and let it soak in. The economic power of the private sector cannot be understated. The Meetings Industry alone in Canada generates $33.8 billion in GDP. The little niche that ZOË focuses on represents $40 billion in spending annually in North America.
How we decide on where we will spend our money when we acquire the goods and services we need to perform our businesses or live our lives wields tremendous power. It directs the focus, business practices and yes…even the values of the supplier communities that vie for that business. In fact, how we decide on where we will spend our money reflects our values.
I love the framework that the MPI study has developed for categorizing the continuum of CSR activity. Must, Should and Can levels of action that range from merely meeting regulations, to honouring societal expectations, to proactively addressing societal issues that can be addressed through the business choices of a specific entity.
The best illustration of this concept that I can give is from our little sphere of action. The other day I was sitting with one of our advisors who has over three decades of experience in international sourcing of products. He was showing me picture of a typical working environment in an offshore factory that technically met all the guidelines of the UN Global Compact or most Company Supplier Codes.
It was clean, there was no coercion, no child labour, benefits, all the right boxes were checked off. It met the local societal and cultural norms in terms of working conditions and pay levels. It was a Should Do level operation.
So what is the problem? In developing countries rural poor survive by one of the family members migrating to urban centers to work and send money back. Families are separated for most of the year and the family member who is working in the urban center, works almost all of the time willingly because there is nothing else to do and they want to maximize the amount they can send back to their family. The factory above provided the benefit of small “bedroom” stalls that the workers lived in. This is a benefit because it meant they did not need to live in local urban slums.
What do you think? I think we “Can Do” better, which is why I like the common framework of the MPI continuum as a way to capture the essence of the opportunity we have to address global issues that will increasingly affect us all.
This worker’s family still lives on less than $1.25/day along with 1/3 of the planet. For our little niche, we have some ideas on models to address poverty, (see 2 minute video), for your business you will have different ways.
Each organizations implementation of the “Can Do” level of impact will vary, however it is clear that as companies within the Canadian Meetings Industry that wield $33.8 billion in economic decision-making power, the solution is in our hands. All we need to do is dust off our RFP’s and add a couple of criteria to the evaluation matrix for our suppliers. I think we “Can Do” that, don’t you?
ZOË Alliance has been working with the team at Asociación Hogares Internacionales Para Ninos for just over two years and we all got together in Guatemala this past February to review our progress, and to work on some key areas to ensure growth in the impact of this collaboration. This month’s blog is our trip update including some great learnings and takeaways from a local leader named Ramiro.
The best part of our work is getting to spend time with the amazing people we work with around the world. It was so good to be together. Rudy, Sully, Jorge and I were able to catch up on each other’s lives. I was able to practice my fledgling Spanish speaking abilities with them, Cindy and Maria. In the evenings I especially enjoyed my broken Spanish chats with Cindy, and even though I probably speak at a 2-3 year old level, she was very gracious and helped me to learn more.
Overall the trip was fantastic, we were able to review the progress of the past two years and identify the challenges we face in growing the scope and impact of the effort.
Progress Over the Past 2 Years
In terms of progress we celebrated that a business with 1 leather portfolio product has developed into an 8-item product line that the team has made and shipped on time to many customers for their client events and tradeshows. All this has led to skills development, income for local workers and their families, and income for the local suppliers to the business and their families. A good solid start, we all agreed.
Challenges To Overcome
In terms of challenges, we have a few remaining. Our purpose for gathering was to take these head on so that we can continue to increase the impact of this project.
The key challenges include access to capital for the local business, the need for advanced leather-working training so that we can make more sophisticated product designs, and the need to reduce non labour production costs such as raw material costs, operational procedures and shipping so that the products can be more competitive.
During the course of the trip, we worked through all of these in great detail. Some of the trip highlights included:
- Developing 6 very stylish and competitive new products (New products on our website coming soon)
- Developing a practical 3 year business & funding plan for the local business
- Identifying great local trainers & sourcing the right equipment for the job
- Auditing the tannery and realizing the positive social & environmental impact achieved through this wonderful business.
What We Learned From Ramiro
 Ramiro centre with Son Pablo on the left, and nephew Esteban on the right.
I was so impressed by Ramiro and his tannery business. His father started this business 50 years ago, and he has been personally running it for 32 years. I think we all know instinctively when we meet someone who is genuinely passionate about their trade and their people. Ramiro is one such gentlemen and he shared three things that I think we can all learn from.
- Excellence in Your Trade: He shared how when he was a young man he did not understand why his father spent so much time on experimenting with leather finishing techniques. He thought at the time that he should be focused on other aspects of the business, but came to appreciate and be passionate about the finer points of design and technique. As he toured us through his small business that employs 40 local workers, every aspect of the work showed commitment to excellence in design, production AND environmental impact.
- Environmental Leadership: Excellence in product design was not enough for Ramiro. In his country he has shown great leadership in the area of environmental responsibility. His little business has achieved 3 different levels of environmental certification for it’s leather production processes and the government and environmental groups regularly sponsor him to advance his training. The facility is a zero waste facility with waste being either recycled or utilized to create by products such as glue for the local shoe industry.
- Social Leadership: As impressive as all of that was, the third point was so consistent with our heartbeat at ZOË that it really resonated with me. He said that part of his business strategy was to intentionally support local small producers. He was attracted to working with Asociación Hogares Internacionales Para Ninos because they help benefit marginalized local people in a way that enhances skills and future opportunities. He deals exclusively with local businesses to support the growth of the local economy.
The Take Away for All of Us
Industry can be intentionally or unintentionally exploitative of workers in the course of pursuing larger profits or more competitive offerings. This statement sounds harsh and is a bit of a hard pill to swallow. But the reality is that our everyday buying decisions fuel this. It takes an intentional commitment to find out if our next giveaway came from a production facility with questionable practices or one that we can trust.
The good news is that, because the Meetings & Incentive Industry is so large, there is great opportunity to influence substantive social change. This is exciting!
Local economies in developing nations, (where most promotional products are made), can only achieve sustainability as their small to medium size business sector grows strong. This is crucial to funding the investment required to improve the quality of living in the country for everyone.
It is true that our model at ZOË achieves social impact through the sale of competitive products. It’s that simple. Our commitment to the M&IT industry is that the competitiveness of our partners businesses and ours will be achieved through excellence in value, design, and operations. And the heart of our businesses will always be the people, a bit like our friend Ramiro.
If you like where we are going and want to be a part of the movement here is our suggestion. Consider asking your suppliers two additional questions on all of your formal and informal RFP’s for promo items and gifts:
- Where are the items you are proposing manufactured?
- Describe the human rights, social and environmental policies of the manufacturer.
It doesn’t have to be complicated, merely asking the questions will start to build momentum behind the movement. There are lots of good resources available on social sourcing guidelines, a good starting point are the fair trade principles. You may have some within your organization now that are applied to other areas of your business. Please feel free to get in contact with us if we can be of support to you in developing a social sourcing evaluation framework.
For this month’s blog, we bring you a video blog update with Mercy Abraham Imondi, the Managing Trustee and leader of Mahalir Aran Trust and our partners in India. Enjoy!
A BRIEF BACKGROUND FOR CONTEXT
India, while a prospering and growing nation, continues to be home to 40% of the world’s poor and 1/3 of the world’s malnourished children. Mercy Abraham is a strong national leader standing in the midst of that reality and her registered charity has helped train and develop over 200 women who are now earning incomes and providing for their families.
They also provide a home for 75 orphaned girls, and 25 destitute women. Her approach to development is extremely well thought out, providing food and shelter, emotional support, education, training and even work opportunity. We are very proud to be partnering with Mercy and her team.
While Mercy was here late last year, we took advantage of the opportunity to tape this video update so that you could meet her too! In it she provides background on how business is benefiting the rural community she serves and how she hopes to expand the impact to include HIV/AIDS affected and disabled women.
Collaboration is so powerful. We have all heard Margaret Mead quoted many times, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Well, I’d like to take this blog to tell you about three people. People just like you and me who decided to put their heads together and change a little piece of the world.
At the tail end of last year one of our partners, Mercy Abraham Imondi from Dharmapuri in India visited Canada. She and I share a common vision and while she was here we got down to business. Mercy’s tenacity and commitment is unbelievable and she is 1,000 percent committed to the people in her community. We talked, learned, laughed and dared to imagine a future with greater and greater impact on lives in rural India. (You can read about Mercy and her work under our “Out of India” category.)
As you might imagine, one of the key factors to success in our model is coming up with market based ideas that are well designed and cost effective so that they will be of interest to many customers. To do that we need the input of many people. Enter Ranee Lee of raneeleedesign.com. Ranee is an accomplished commercial designer and educator who lends her design services pro bono to ZOË
Customer feedback told us that we needed a competitive summer product, something not too expensive, fun and that would be good for golf tournaments, trade shows, employee picnics, etc… Mercy and I had been collaborating and while she was here, she, Ranee and I met for a design meeting. The initial sample turned into a product concept that we all thought would be a great fit and the numbers lined up. Now all we needed was client feedback, enter Travis Gardiner and Alexandra Garant of CA Source.
 CA Source purchased the recycled paper pens that Mercy’s team makes last year as one of their trade show giveaways and we had planned a meeting during Mercy’s visit. We decided to get their feedback on the lunch bag concept, largely because Travis had previously mentioned that this would be an item of interest. It was such a valuable conversation, and their input helped shape the final product. So much so that we are happy to share that the lunch bag will be one of their trade show gifts this year!
Much of what we have done to date has been accomplished just like this. All it takes is an organization like CA Source to share their creativity and experience over a coffee and powerful things happen.
So what can a village business leader, a Canadian social entrepreneur, a commercial product designer and marketing people at an accounting services firm accomplish if they put their heads together? The best answers come from the women in the villages and their families.
This year we are working with several organizations on some pretty big village changing initiatives, stay tuned for the updates AND give us a call if you have a half hour or so to roll up your sleeves on a project. Ask any of us, you will have the time of your life.
This year has been one of fortifying the foundation of our work, deepening the impact, and growing participation in the movement. Read on for a year end glimpse into some of 2011′s highlights and where our sights are set for 2012!
Fortifying the Foundation
This past year has seen each of our four partners grow in their experience as they have been supplying over 15 products. Each business is making more than one item and growing in their ability to build their businesses in supplying to ZOË and to others.
It is very exciting, and a great example of enhanced capacity to do business is with our friends in Guatemala. Recently they made their first shipment this year directly to ZOË’s client in Paraguay for their tradeshow without the need for quality control support. This is indeed a big step forward and shows that this team will be able to continue to expand their business.
Deepening the Impact
We are so excited that we have been able to give multiple orders to each partner, helping to make the workflow more consistent for the teams. This is a key part of our focus to ensure that people are working consistently in each business.
We were also able to have a small part in the realization of the dream of the medical clinic in Dharmapuri through income generated and a donation. The ribbon was cut at a ceremony in October this year and this was a key milestone in the life of this community in Dharmapuri. You can read more about it in the archive.
Growing Participation
We saw amazing growth in the movement here in North America as over 32 new companies decided to take the challenge.
There aren’t words to describe the impact of their decisions on the lives of the people working in the communities. It seems like such a small trivial thing to us, an order for 100 portfolios here or 5,000 pens there. We are hard pressed to understand it here, and even at ZOË we often fall into the thinking that we are not doing enough yet.
Fortunately, each time we get an update about a family’s progress hearing how they have invested their income to multiply and extend it’s impact, or a child’s progression to the next grade in school it all comes back into clear focus.
If its real lasting change then the number of people we impact can’t be too small and it can never be too big.
Much More to Do
So the little movement that could has a long way to go. As with all things that are worth doing, we are slowly and surely increasing our impact in a way that will last. Future generations in the villages will look back and know that their mother worked in a village production unit and that this funded their education. They will know that had it not been for this, they might still be working the fields for very little pay and with little opportunity for growth or change. And they will know that people in companies half way around the world played a key role in shaping their future.
In the next year, our sights are set very high because the need and the urgency of the need is very high. We have developed a model together with our partners and we know how to help local leaders establish small businesses. And so now it’s time to grow, to establish rural regional cooperative units that are able to supply very large volumes on contract to companies who would choose to source items like employee uniforms, pens for hotel rooms, or one or two items within their product line from these centres.
There is great potential to create enhanced value for companies in purchasing a staple item like employee store aprons. They could buy them at a competitive price while at the same time help to create a rural regional economy providing dignified employment and a future for thousands of people. This is just one example, the possibilities are only limited by our imaginations and somebody has to supply those aprons.
So stay tuned for some fun new gift and promotional product options, and please do get in touch with us if you would like to share some input, or explore a way in which your organization could get involved.
|
|
appropriate gift for both male and female.
