This Is My Village Launch, IntegratedMarketingPlan

This Is My Village Launch - Integrated Marketing Plan

Version 2.1; Last Updated April 15, 2012

Overview

Africa Bridge is a non-profit group focused on rural economic development in Tanzania. Africa Bridge provides a two-way conduit between the resources and know-how of the west with the cultural richness of Tanzania. The goal of Africa Bridge is to enhance understanding and appreciation in the west and improvewell-being of rural villagers in Tanzania. The latter is achievedthrough increased productivity of families and guardians who care for the “most vulnerable children.”

Africa Bridge currently operates in the Rungwe District of southwest Tanzania. Africa Bridge staff work from offices in Tukuyu, Tanzania and Marylhurst, Oregon. “Most Vulnerable Children” are defined by National government policy in Tanzania to include children living in child-headed households, living in elderly-headed households, those with one or both parents deceased, children with disabilities or with a chronically ill guardian, and children living with one parent in poor housing.

The District is organized by thirty Wards. Each Ward consists of anywhere from 5-8 village communities. At present, Africa Bridge conducts programs in the thirteen villages of Mpombo (5) and Masoko Wards (8). (Work has been completed in the eight villages of the Isongole Ward.)

Funding for the work of Africa Bridge is based on a 5-year model and requires approximately $100,000 per village. Most of the needed funding has been raised for the eight Masoko Ward villages but the five Mpombo villages still requires substantial resources. The organization hopes to initiate work inseven Lufingo Ward villages in late 2012. Consequently, funding for up to 13 additional villages – five for Mpombo and seven for Lufingo - is covered in this marketing plan.

That would bring the total Africa Bridge “footprint” to 28 villages by the end of 2012. Furthermore, the Board has set an aspiration a goal for Africa Bridge to have begun implementation programs in at least 60villages by the end of 2013. Given slower than anticipated fundraising over the last 12-15 months, this goal may need to be pushed out one or two years.

The scope of the plancovers the creation, launch and initial implementation of a new way to market Africa Bridge. This is embodied in the “This Is My Village” (TIMV) product offering. The marketing plan addresses the launch phase which covers now through most of calendar year 2012.

African Solutions to African Problems

This Is My Village is a fully integrated and holistic program for economic development created by Africa Bridge to assist the most vulnerable children and their guardians and families. It connects donors and villagers on a journey towards creating a brighter future for the most vulnerable, the poorest of the poor.

Development economist Jeffrey Sachs asserts: "When countries get their foot on the ladder of development, they are generally able to continue the upward climb … If a country is trapped below the ladder, with the first rung too high off the ground, the climb does not even get started … The main objective of economic development for the poorest countries is to help these countries to gain a foothold on the ladder … After that, the tremendous dynamism of self-sustaining economic growth can take hold."

The peoples in the villages where Africa Bridge works are well below the first rung of the ladder of development. This Is My Village consists of a proven economic development program to help them reach and begin to climb the ladder. The journey lasts five years, during which time donors and villagers work together to achieve sustainable economic transformation and self-reliance. The program addresses the whole problem, the whole child, and the whole village.

When Africa Bridge enters a new Ward, the first activity is to conduct intensive meetings lasting three days with all the stakeholders. The first group involved is the children; both the orphaned children and those not orphaned. The latter group is often the most ardent advocates for the orphans. It’s by listening to the children that Africa Bridge is able to glean authentic needs and then to implement programs embraced by entire villages. Indeed, the children are often the most visionary.

Africa BridgeModel

Africa Bridge utilizes a five-step process for building village capacity to care for most vulnerable children. The main steps in the process are to: 1) engage the community;2) build knowledge;3) inject capital to establish structures; 4) monitor and support;and 5) exit the community. This process is achieved in approximately five years. It is front-end loaded, meaning that a large portion of Africa Bridge staff involvement occurs in the early years. During year 3, a transition begins where Africa Bridge provides direct assistance less frequently and moves towards a monitoring and evaluation role. By the end of year 5, the villagers are in a position to continue without assistance from Africa Bridge. The success of this model has been proven by the results achieved in Isongole Ward.

The model encompasses the following:

  • The core program in each village consists of a central engine for self-sufficiency, composed of a village Most Vulnerable Children (MVC) Committee and income-generating cooperatives
  • The two entities are structured to be interdependent and mutually reinforcing, and thus work together to create self-sufficiency.
  • The Committee consists of volunteers, both adults and children from the villages. They determine who will gain entry into co-operatives, who needs emergency assistance and how much, manages school scholarships, and provides general oversight over programs including the co-ops. Co-ops are typically agricultural involving either crops or animals.
  • The co-ops benefit the member families directly and the MVC. For example, in a cow co-op, the first calf is returned to the co-op which then expands the co-op by adding a new member through award of the calf. The third calf is given to the MVC. In turn, the next eligible family caring for one or more MVC is admitted to the co-op and awarded this calf.
  • Complementary programs to ensure that vulnerable children and their guardians/families have access to basic healthcare and education
  • Ancillary programs through partners include water, sanitation, energy, environment (conservation), and other infrastructure to createa foundation for sustainable development and growth
  • Partnership with local government

The near-term care and long-term welfare of vulnerable children and their guardians is central to the model. Additionally, the modelrelies on the active engagement of stakeholders across multiple levels and sectors of society, including those not traditionally included in civic decision-making including children and women.

One of the key principles of Africa Bridge is to provide a hand-up, not a hand-out. We teach basics, from crop yield improvement to animal care, business to hygiene. Additionally, the organization provides school scholarships, paralegal and psychosocial support, and access to basic healthcare. The goal is sustainability, so that when Africa Bridge leaves a village after five years, the people have acquired enough knowledge and have achieved enough success to build upon the structures already put into place.

Figure 1: The Program

Positioning

The program developed by Africa Bridge is a unique model for sustainable economic development in rural Tanzania, part of sub-Saharan East Africa. To simplify understanding for funders, the program is packaged and promoted as “This Is My Village” (TIMV). It is centered on the needs of children, promotes family self-sufficiency and bolsters village capacity. By formally soliciting and incorporating the input of villagers including orphaned children, their guardians, village leaders and other nearby stakeholders, the resulting program benefits from consensual participation and co-ownership of results. The result is sustainable African solutions to African problems.

Positioning Statement (Chasm Model)
TIMV is For: / Concerned humanitarians
Who: / Who want to help the most vulnerable children in Tanzania
The: / This Is My Village development program
That: / Provides a provenand holistic development program of emergency assistance and sustainable development which avoids creating dependency by teaching villagers how to help themselves.
Unlike: / Programs that provide one-time, feel good solutions but do not remedy the endemic problems or unbroken cycle of poverty
This Is My Village / Provides workable and sustainable African solutions to African problems, enabling most vulnerable children, their guardians and families, and whole villages to climb the ladder of development.

Unique Value Proposition

Programs are developed in the context of Tanzania and the local community with all stakeholders.

  • It starts with listening to children via Future Search
  • Through this process, we learn that children want:
  • To go to school (#1)
  • More education for their guardians– e.g., agricultural education so families have more crops andbetter care for livestock
  • Access to healthcare
  • More money for family - economic improvement
  • Better infrastructure - e.g.,water/electricity projects
  • Grounded in local context
  • Stakeholder involvement
  • Villagers, village and ward leaders, and district government officials all participate in program design and implementation
  • Integrated, sustainable model
  • Community ownership
  • Programs run by villagers for child and adult villagers

Target Markets & Segments

TARGET MARKET / VALUE PROPOSITION / HOW TO REACH
Humanitarian groups / Your group can sponsor an entire village as part of a unique, sustainable model to help some of the most needy peoplein the world / Fundraising events, direct mail, PR, direct sales, personal meetings with founder and other Africa Bridge leaders
Concerned individuals / Africa Bridge listens to the children and empowers women through This Is My Village. You can help break the endless cycle of poverty for the most vulnerable and create a better future for children, women, and whole villages. / Fundraising events, direct mail, PR, social media

Humanitarian group profile:

We are targeting church groups, groups of wealthy individuals, and family foundations in this segment. [This list needs new leads.]

Organization/Individual / Comments / Contact Info.
Dorobo Fund / Letter TIMV / Patti S
Firelight Foundation / Letter TIMV / “ “
Lemelson Foundation / Curt Contact TIMV / “ “
Lift Up Africa / Letter TIMV / “ “
McKnight Foundation / Letter TIMV / “ “
New Field Foundation / Letter TIMV / “ “
Freeman A. Ford / Atherton California / Hold, John working this contact
Rick Schiefelbein / Wenatchee / Barry Childs to get appointment
David Robison / Redmond WA. / Barry Childs to get appointment

Concerned individual profile:

  • College educated women between the ages of 30-60
  • (Men will be interested as well but believe the primary audience is women. This is because of the emphasis on children, families, and communities, and because the program empowers women.)
  • Globalists
  • Includes those interested in development, foreign policy, global health, women’s rights, and education
  • Believe that we are one people, all connected, and “it takes a village.”
  • Internet savvy
  • Users of social media

Overarching Storyline

People living in rural Tanzanian villages are among the poorest of the poor with average family income of ~ $0.70 a day. Life expectancy in the villages is less than 50 years. In many villages, more than 40% of all children are orphans due to HIV/AIDS and other diseases or are otherwise determined “most vulnerable” by the Tanzanian government. The cycle of poverty is continuously reinforced by the lack of education, healthcare, capital, and know-how. By listening to the people in the villages – starting with the children – Africa Bridge facilitatesAfrican solutions to African problems. This Is My Village is a fully integrated and holistic program for development created by Africa Bridge to assist the most vulnerable children and their guardians or familieswith the goal of building a better future.

Supporting Stories (pitches)

Estimates are that more than 15 million children under the age of18 have been orphaned as a result of AIDS worldwide, and over 75% of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania nearly 1,000,000 children lost one or both parents to AIDS. Tanzania is in the top four African countries in terms of number of orphaned children. While AIDS is responsible for many of Tanzania’s orphans, the number of children orphaned by all causes is nearly three times as large – 2.6 million in 2007. The communities that support these children – already mired in poverty - are overwhelmed by the need to educate, nurture, socialize, and support so many vulnerable children. The government of Tanzania lacks the resources required to deal with these massive social needs and has encouraged and supported creative endeavors by outside NGOs such as Africa Bridge. Unlike many other groups, Africa Bridge has developed a sustainable model that works on the ground in Tanzania.

Several years ago Tanzania’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare rolled out its national plan to improve the lives and promote the rights of vulnerable children. The “National Costed Plan of Action for Most Vulnerable Children” is a four-year plan that intends to promote “the survival, growth, well-being, development and protection of most vulnerable children in Tanzania.” Tanzania has extremely limited resources to carry out this plan. It is the quintessential unfunded mandate. Consequently, Tanzania relies on partnerships between local governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Africa Bridge, which are expected to mobilize local volunteers to identify and support the children with greatest need. This Is My Village program from Africa Bridge is one of the best examples in the country and has proven positive results.

Africa Bridge key messages

The peoples of the world are one; Africa Bridge celebrates the cultural and physical beauty of Tanzania while providing the resources and know-how of the West.

The work of Africa Bridge is premised on listening to the children. It’s by listening to the children that Africa Bridge is able to glean authentic needs and then to implement programs embraced by entire villages.

Africa Bridge works with villages to create African solutions to African problems.

TIMV key messages

This Is My Village is a fully integrated, holistic, and proven program for development created by Africa Bridge to assist the most vulnerable children, their guardians and families, and whole villages.

This Is My Village program provides a workable and sustainable solution to the problems of poverty,

This Is My Village enables the poorest of the poor - most vulnerable children, their guardians and families, and whole villages in rural Tanzania - to begin climbing the ladder of development.

This Is My Village implements sustainable African solutions to African problems, providing a hand-up and not a hand-out.

This Is My Village iscentered on the needs of children, promotes family self-sufficiency, empowers women, and bolsters village capacity.

This Is My Village connects donors and villagers on a five-year journey to achieve sustainable self-reliance,resulting in a brighter future for the most vulnerable, the poorest of the poor.

Brand Strategy

The master brand will remain Africa Bridge. This is to ensure Africa Bridge remains identifiable, as the responsible entity and source of thought leadership on issues of African poverty and development.

This Is My Village and any similar follow-on “products” such as “This Is My School” are secondary (or ingredient) brands.

In any outbound communication, This Is My Village (or This Is My School) should be referred to during its first reference as a product (or program)offered by Africa Bridge and not as a standalone entity.

For example: “This Is My Village, a program offered by Africa Bridge…”

Marketing Objectives

  • Create a new, mostly incremental revenue stream for Africa Bridge
  • Fund one new Ward in 2012 - Mpombo and possibly begin another -Lufingo
  • Attract 200newindividual donors who will commit $25 or more each month for sixty months (five years). This will fund threevillages ($300,000) in Mpombo Ward, assuming a cost per village of $100,000.
  • Attract humanitarian / philanthropic groups to fund two villages ($200,000)in Mpombo Ward.
  • Potentially attract another 400new individual donorsto cover six villages in Lufingo.
  • That’s a total of 600individual donors committing to the equivalent of $25 per month for 60 months =$900,000in individual contributions via TIMV.
  • Attract another two humanitarian / philanthropic groups to fund two villages in Lufingo.

Marketing Goals

  • Create a compelling marketing platform for Africa Bridge
  • Obtain sufficient and predictable revenue stream(s) to support expanded development work in Tanzania
  • Create a unique and attractive identity for a development NGO
  • Attract and retain volunteers and donors
  • Increase awareness for Africa Bridge generally and TIMV specifically
  • Establish credibility for the organization as legitimate and successful in its goals
  • Sell group and individual “investors” theTIMVconcept and product
  • Fund at least four villages through group investments
  • Fund the remaining nine villages through individual donations

Donation Strategy

A goal of TIMV is to create a recurring revenue stream to fund needed projects within the Africa Bridge villages. This is to be achieved by obtaining regular, monthly donations for individuals. The funds will either be deducted directly from their checking accounts or (more likely) posted to their debit or credit card accounts. Donors will be provided with several choices. For example:

Monthly Donation Amount: / $15
$25
$50
Other Amount:$
Monthly Charge Date: / 1st of the month
15th of the month

While a recurring monthly donation is preferred, accommodation will be necessary for those who simply wish to make a one-time donation, either via debit or credit card or by sending a check in the mail.