The International Exchange C H A N G I N G T H E W O R L D O N E B R I E F AT A T I M E
Nonprofits & Social Initiatives Find the support your organisation needs
The support your organization needs
W
e know how busy you are. And how stretched you are. Money is tight. There aren’t enough hours in the day. Or enough people to get the job done. But, you just keep going. You believe in what you do. You know it is making a real difference to your beneficiaries and the communities you serve. Come hell or high water, you will do whatever it takes to make the work come to fruition. Yet, you also know that if you had the right support, you could make an even bigger difference. We may be just what you’ve been searching for. By leveraging the expertise of several industries in the private sector, and understanding the biggest challenges that social initiatives face, we can find the specific support you need. Be it communications, business development, strategic planning, or insights into different aspects of your work – we can help. TIE is a social enterprise that connects the expertise of the private sector with the needs of social initiatives around the world. We run an unique leadership development program, that uses the power of collaboration and leadership to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. Our partners work with us because we get results. We work with some of the best companies, agencies and networks and some of the very best professionals in the private sector. Through a partnership with TIE, you have the chance to bring a part of this expertise to your organization and your community. Your unique voice will be heard like never before. Your organization will be able to have an even bigger impact in the communities you serve. And the best part is: TIE partnerships do not command a fee to social organizations. Keep reading to find out more.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
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IE works through 30-days placements. We bring foreigner professionals, from one of the best companies, agencies or networks in the private sector, to work with your organization and address one of your biggest challenges. We know that sounds like a short amount of time, but you’ll be surprised at what can be accomplished during TIE projects. However, long before we even select the professional, there’s a lot to be done. The first step is to schedule a time for us to chat, so we can better understand your work and the ways we could help. During this chat, we will identify together which aspect of your organization could benefit more from our support. Then, we’ll develop together a TIE Proposal, a document that will define the main aspects of the project and the objectives to be achieved. It’s a bespoke project that meets your unique needs and objectives. Once the TIE Proposal is finalized, we’ll start looking for the best professional for that unique project. This will guarantee the whole experience is a success. Sometimes, the matching process can take a few months as we depend on applications to our program. Once we have the perfect match, we’ll define the dates of the placement and the professional will start preparing for it, to ensure they can hit the ground running.
how can YOU benefit from our assistance?
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here are a number of ways that we can help. Here are some of the ways you could benefit, to help you to start thinking:
Communications: Advocacy – we can help increase the voices of target groups such as street children, people affected by HIV/Aids or people whose human rights have been violated; Branding – we can help improve your brand identity and how you communicate your work; Promotion – we can help raise the profile of your organisation, your stakeholders, your key messages and the programmes and services you offer; Behaviour change – we can help create behaviour change messages; Influence – on policy and pressure for government action;
how can YOU benefit from our assistance? Business development: Business and strategic planning – we can help you think about long term sustainability planning for your organisation, help create new strategies or adapt existing business models; Sustainability – we can help you tap into invaluable expertise and insights on how to improve your organization’s sustainability; Research projects – we can create placements targeting very specific needs, like research pieces to map out the situation of your organization, the work you develop or situation of your beneficiaries. This would help illustrate what is happening on the ground and provide guidance for future action or for other partners supporting your work. And, of course, if you have one specific challenge that you need to address, we can try to find the right support for that specific need.
Other benefits from TIE placements include: Growth in your capacity and managerial capability; Better understanding of best practice from around the world; Enhanced credibility both with your peers and in the wider international business arena; Fresh perspective and new ways of thinking; Exchange of new skills and learning; The opportunity to build relationships with talented individuals and prestigious organisations; Exposure to English-speaking professionals which will help with international communications and networking and much more.
WHAT OUR PARTNERS HAVE TO SAY “TIE made 100% of an impact. It’s been one of the most beneficial projects that the organisation has taken part in throughout our 7-year history.” ADAM MCGUIGAN Founder and Director Barefeet Theatre (Zambia)
“The marketing help from TIE has been invaluable. One of our main products, The Maeve stove, which the launch campaign was organized with help from TIE, had sold 500 stoves up to the launch. The year after the event, Maeve sold 10,000 stoves and 4 years later we are close to reach 400,000 households. It seems that almost everyone in Malawi is now aware of the stove and its benefits.” Conor FOX Director Hestian (Malawi)
“TIE has really helped to strengthen Gestos’ vision and has significantly impacted on the lives of the people within our organisation. The TIE placement really helped increase our self esteem as an organisation and has really helped our people be more open and better prepared to deal with different cultures: overall an outstanding experience for us.” ALESSANDRA NILO Co-Founder e Strategy Coordinator Gestos (Brazil)
“Our experiences with TIE were filled with professionalism and humanity. The entire process is carried with a lot of empathy and responsibility – not only regarding the campaign itself, but a real commitment to help change the lives of the beneficiaries.” EVANDRO ALVES Executive Manager of Resources and Volunteering Instituto Solidare (Brazil)
Watch this video with filmed testimonials: youtu.be/GZBNfX1g4r0
who are some of our partners
See all of our partners and the results we’ve achieved so far: theinternationalexchange.co.uk/clients
what are the requirements to participate?
A
s mentioned before, the services provided by TIE do not command a fee for the social organization. But we do ask them to contribute to the logistics of the placement in the following ways:
1) Accommodation and food for the 30 days of the placement; The NGO or Social Initiative will be responsible for providing accommodation and food for the TIE participant during the duration of the placement. Our recommendation is that the professional stays with a family related to the organization and eats as part of the family, when eating at home. Not only does this make the travel logistics easier to and from work, we have learned that it also creates a stronger bond between the professional and the organization and as a result, the experience becomes much more immersive and effective. From our experience, some of the best insights have come about during informal conversations at the dinner table or during breakfast. When choosing the family, we advise taking the following into consideration: Will the professional have their own room? Is the place easily accessible with public transit? How easy is it going to be to go to and come from work? Does any of the family members speak at least basic English? Different arrangements, such as housing facilities for volunteers or bed & breakfasts, are also acceptable, as long as the meals are provided. If the chosen facility doesn’t provide food, the organization will responsible for providing a per diem to cover the participant’s costs with food. Please note that if there are any costs for the accommodation or food when eaten at home, the NGO or Social Initiative will be responsible for covering them. 2) Internet access at the office and at the home-stay & local SIM card; In order for the campaign to be executed, the professional will need Internet access at the office and at their home-stay. If either of these places do not have internet access, the organization will be responsible for providing an internet dongle to be used with a laptop. Also, we will ask you to provide a local SIM card with the first batch of minutes to the participant, so that he or she can communicate with the rest of the team.
3) Airport pick-up and drop-off; The NGO or Social Initiative will be responsible for arranging airport pick-up and drop-off of the participant. Flight details will provided prior to the placement. 4) Point of contact within the organization to follow the process closely. The organization shall designate at least one person to follow the placement closely. This person will take part in the decision making process and will work as a bridge between the professional and the other people at the organization (board of directors, for example). This person will also attend the orientation and evaluation meetings. In case of an emergency, this person (or someone else available at the time) will be expected to provide assistance to the TIE participant.
How can we sign up? It’s really easy to get started. You just need to get in touch with us by email, so we can schedule a time for us to talk. Our Programme Manager is Michael Matos. Feel free to get in touch with him and he will be more than happy to explain everything regarding the next steps.
michael@theinternationalexchange.co.uk For further information, please visit our website:
www.theinternationalexchange.co.uk