Social Responsibility

 

Get The Word Out Communications specializes in helping clients embrace eco/social responsibility to advance business strategy. We help companies and organizations identify practical, authentic causes and eco/social initiatives that support company goals while boosting their brands.

As a company, we strive to embody socially responsible business practices by donating skills to support a variety of global causes. We provide pro-bono services, industry leadership and partner with our sister organization Global Initiative to Advance Entrepreneurship (GIVE), a US-based nonprofit, to initiate poverty alleviation projects in the developing world.

Poverty Alleviation

Our work in poverty alleviation began in 2003 during a service trip to Indonesia and India. Get The Word Out had been contacted by global organizations in need of marketing advice and support to more effectively grow their programs. Get The Word Out provided on-site consulting work from 2004-2006 to organizations in Indonesia around developing effective poverty and entrepreneurship programs.

Get The Word Out provided pro-bono consulting services to iCreate India (an NGO providing Grassroots Level Entrepreneurship Training to the disadvantaged members of the society in India) and their parent organization National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), that resulted in securing a community service grant to fund an Adopt a Village program in India. We also organized and promoted an event for potential donors in San Francisco to promote global poverty alleviation programs in India and Southeast Asia.

Global Initiative to Advance Entrepreneurship (GIVE) 

Get The Word Out moved decisively in support of poverty alleviation with the formation of Global Initiative to Advance Entrepreneurship, a US 501c3 nonprofit which has undertaken several projects in Southeast Asia centered on developing and launching pilot entrepreneurship programs that provide business skills training and support to small micro-entrepreneurs.

Our work, which began in Bali in 2005, has extended to projects in the Philippines. Our focus has been on developing new approaches to helping the poor become more capable entrepreneurs. We initiate local poverty and economic needs assessments, forge partnerships with local and international organizations and provide basic business skills training and resources to at-need communities.

In 2009, we organized a pilot program and capacity training workshop in Negros Island, Philippines training several partner organization staff members on how to effectively teach business skills to the poor. The workshop was attended by over 25 partner staff members from across SE Asia who’ve since delivered essential business skills training workshops to local entrepreneurs.

In 2010, we launched the GIVE Entrepreneurship Center, our signature project in Manila, Philippines. The center was established to provide comprehensive entrepreneurship training and support services to poor residents of urban squatter communities in Manila.

Eco/Social Business Advocacy

Get The Word Out has been involved in organizing public forums around environmental and social responsibility. In partnership with different organizations such as EcoTuesday (networking event for sustainable business), The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, we’ve made the case that eco/social responsibility is not just a good thing to do, but can be leveraged as part of a proven business growth strategy.