Community BuildersSOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP CHALLENGE 2013TEAM: SOCIAL SUPERHEROES FAHIM JAFFER & ZAHRA RAJAN

Company Overview

• Community Builders is devoted to connecting members of local communities who may otherwise never meet or interact with one another by sharing their skills and talents.

• Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide services that link people together to solve the common, everyday issues they all face as one strong community, while positively impacting societies across the globe through social entrepreneurship.

• Phase 1: Creating the Business Idea• Phase 2: Conducting Market Research• Phase 3: Receiving Feedback + Making Adjustments• Phase 4: Registration Form + Marketing• Phase 5: Matching Participants + Hosting Events• Results + Accomplishments

Phases of the Challenge

Phases of the Challenge

• Phase 1: Creating the Business Idea• Phase 2: Conducting Market Research• Phase 3: Receiving Feedback + Making Adjustments• Phase 4: Registration Form + Marketing• Phase 5: Matching Participants + Hosting Events• Results + Accomplishments

Eight Potential Ideas• Analyzed each idea in terms of:• Creativity• Feasibility• Profitability• Sustainability• Positive Social Impact

Original Talent Sharing Program

• Everyone has some sort of talent. Our company will provide a means by which people of all ages and backgrounds can share their talents with interested members of their local community. • The original idea was to have a customized, interactive

website:• One –Time Membership Fee• Profiles• Search Filters• Time Credit System

Indonesian Hairdressing Salon Project• All profits towards Indonesian Hairdressing Salon Project • Initiative founded by HISG• Surabaya, East Java Island• 10 female participants

(5 being offered the opportunity to run a salon, others receiving help looking for employment)

• Training in employable hair dressing skills

• Our goal: Raise $1000 (CAD) to help five candidates receive their Level Two & Level Three hairdressing skills at $200 each

Why did we choose this initiative?

• Common theme• Locally, our community has been engaging in a skills exchange

that promotes education and community involvement• In Surabaya, the women will gain skills that will aid in their

escape from poverty• We both have strong concern for women at risk of poverty, abuse,

or exploitation• We are both passionate about empowering women who might not

be able to flourish on their own• We feel it is important to realize the extent to which people in

other parts of the world are helpless

• Phase 1: Creating the Business Idea• Phase 2: Conducting Market Research• Phase 3: Receiving Feedback + Making Adjustments• Phase 4: Registration Form + Marketing• Phase 5: Matching Participants + Hosting Events• Results + Accomplishments

Phases of the Challenge

We Contacted 1,000 People…• …and asked them to participate in a survey…278

actually did!

Survey Findings – Positive Social Impact

• 59% of our survey participants suffer from loneliness either sometimes, often or very often in their lives.

• 69% of our survey participants wish they had a stronger sense of belonging to their local community either “sometimes” or “very much so”.

• Individualistic Society• Talent Sharing Program = Connect people within communities

who may not normally interact with one another• Our Goal: People form meaningful relationships through this

program…and feel less lonely!!

Survey Findings – Positive Social Impact

• 46% of our survey participants said they have a desire to learn a new skill, but can’t because they either have no one to teach them or they can’t afford lessons/tuitions.

• Talent Sharing Program = People will learn their skills (essentially for free) from others who are willing and excited to teach

• We walk by so much talent everyday through our daily lives, but we rarely get the opportunity to directly tap into that talent with members of our community

Survey Findings - Profitability • 26% of our survey participants said they would be

extremely likely to participate in a talent sharing program.

How much are these people willing to donate??

Between $5 and $10 Between $10 and $20Between $20 and $40 Between $40 and

$100Over $100 Would Not Donate

Phases of the Challenge

• Phase 1: Creating the Business Idea• Phase 2: Conducting Market Research• Phase 3: Receiving Feedback + Making

Adjustments• Phase 4: Registration Form + Marketing• Phase 5: Matching Participants + Hosting Events• Results + Accomplishments

Issue: Creating a Customized Website

• Time Constraint•Budget Constraint• Knowledge Constraint• Safety Concern

Revised Talent Sharing Program

• People will fill out a registration form telling us what skills they are interested in teaching and what skills they are interested in learning.• We will attempt to find participants one or more

“community partner(s)” based on location, availability, interests, and skill level.• In exchange for a minimum donation of $10 (that will

support the Indonesian Hair Salon Project), participants will be invited to small meet-up events in safe, public locations where they can meet their community partner(s) in a group environment and hopefully plan future meetings.

Phases of the Challenge

• Phase 1: Creating the Business Idea• Phase 2: Conducting Market Research• Phase 3: Receiving Feedback + Making Adjustments• Phase 4: Registration Form + Marketing• Phase 5: Matching Participants + Hosting Events• Results + Accomplishments

Registration for the Talent Sharing ProgramHOW IT WORKS, CATEGORIES, PURPOSE

• Personal Information (e.g. Availability)• Several Categories of Skills• Extensive List of Various Activities• Everything Kept Confidential

Categories:• Art• Cooking• Dance• Finance• General Labour• Health & Wellness• Job-Hunting• Language• Music• People/Parenting• School Curriculum• Sport• Strategy Board

Games• Technology

Snapshots of the format of the registration form!

Spreading the word through

• Primary method of marketing our services

• We created a Community Builders Facebook page• Quick, easy-to-read status updates • Directed people to our website to learn more details• In the first week:• 86 people “liked” the page• 90 people were “talking about our page”

• Posted pictures of meet-up events

In the end, 45 people registered for our Talent Sharing Program!!

Our FB page!

One of our status updates…

Community Builders Website

Phases of the Challenge

• Phase 1: Creating the Business Idea• Phase 2: Conducting Market Research• Phase 3: Receiving Feedback + Making Adjustments• Phase 4: Registration Form + Marketing• Phase 5: Matching Participants + Hosting Events• Results + Accomplishments

Meet-Up Events

• Organized 3 meet-up events with 8-12 people each • Hosted by Community Builders at the SFU Burnaby

Campus• Safe, public environment• Free venues

• Judgment free space• Friendly & casual atmosphere• Light refreshments

Meet-Up Event Structure

• Introduction• Two icebreaker games• Getting to know everyone,

mingling• 1-on-1 meeting time for

community partners• Opportunity to plan future

partner or group meet-ups

Phases of the Challenge

• Phase 1: Creating the Business Idea• Phase 2: Conducting Market Research• Phase 3: Receiving Feedback + Making Adjustments• Phase 4: Registration Form + Marketing• Phase 5: Matching Participants + Hosting Events• Results + Accomplishments

Revenues & CostsRevenues• 100% of our revenues over the six weeks came from donations

made by the 19 participants of the Talent Sharing Program.

Breakdown of Costs• KwikSurveys Upgrade $ 10.81 CAD• Web Design Upgrade $ 11.90 CAD• PayPal Fees $ 5.22 CAD• Refreshments at Meet-Up Events $ 7.96 CAD

Summary of Net Funds Raised

Total Revenue $440.00

Total Costs $35.89

Net Funds Raised: $404.11

As a result, we are able to provide financing for 2 women’s hairdressing training in Surabaya!

Positive Social Impact• Goal #1: Connect people to build a stronger community by

exchanging talents with people you may otherwise never meet

• 19 people took the initiative to attend a meet-up event, meet their community partner(s), and plan future meetings• Some participants have ALREADY followed up with their community

partners.• Others have indicated that they are following up with their community

partners as early as this weekend!• Weekly outdoor yoga session starting next Wednesday• When asked how likely participants would be to meet their community

partners again, the average response from all three sessions was 4.5/5.0

Positive Social Impact - Continued• Goal #2: Help people connect with members of their

community regardless of race, age, gender, etc.• At our meet-up events, our participants were from the following

countries:

• We had participants as young as 16 and as old as 50 !!

• These are people who REALLY may never interact with each other in their daily lives…

• Canada• England• Kenya• Mexico

• Pakistan• Russia• Sri Lanka• USA

Positive Social Impact - Continued• Goal #3: Create a system, which allows members

of local communities to educate one another in a fun, safe, and engaging way

Diversity of the talents being exchanged• Algebra• Ball Hockey• Computer Graphics• Fitness + Weight Training• Interview Skills• Mandarin• Medical School Interview

Skills• Spanish• Spreadsheets• Stock Fundamentals

Analysis• Yoga + Stretching

Positive Social Impact - ContinuedTestimonials from Participants (Anonymous)

• “…The aim of the organization is very inspirational and it feels good to be part of an organization that has such a powerful and life changing goal.”

• “This is exactly what I’ve been looking for!...”

• “I want this program to continue [to] exist because it is the first program I’ve seen in my life that helps people to get together rather than get separated by any kind of social media, technology, etc.”

THANK YOU!